FRIENDLY MATCHES RESULTS 28TH AND 29TH JULY:
Liverpool 0-0 Tottenham Hotspurs
Newcastle 1-1 Olympiakos
Chelsea 0-1 AC.Milan
Chelsea ended their American tour with a Loss as Fernando Torres made his Chelsea return in Miami - but the £50million man could not stop the Blues from ending their US tour with a defeat.The Spain international played 30 minutes of the clash against AC Milan in the Sun Life Stadium - home of the Miami Dolphins his first appearance of the Blues' pre-season.But Urby Emanuelson's second half-strike was enough to condemn the Blues to their second consecutive Stateside defeat ahead of their flight home.The big Chelsea team-news came from the bench, Fernando Torres making his first appearance on the Blues team-sheet since helping Spain win Euro 2012.Chelsea's final game of their US pre-season tour got off to an uneventful start, with either side struggling to gain the early advantage.John Terry had the first real effort of the encounter, firing a difficult half-volley from the edge of the box from Branislav Ivanovic's header in the eighth minute.Hazard showed a glimpse of his £32million worth in the 11th minute as he easily ghosted past Bakaye Traore and Luca Antonini in the box before his fierce strike was deflected wide for a corner.The searing Miami heat was not conducive to a fast, free flowing game and it certainly showed as both sides seemed happy to merely go through the motions during the opening 25 minutes.Traore sent a long range effort wide of Petr Cech's post in the 27th minute as AC Milan upped the tempo of their play ever so slightly before Urby Emanuelson nearly played former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini through.Emanuelson missed the first real chance of the match in the 34th minute, firing over from 12 yards after being sent clear through by Kevin-Prince Boateng with just Cech to beat as the first-half ended goalless.Di Matteo made just one change at the break, Marko Marin replacing Raul Meireles, allowing Hazard to take a more central role in the second-half.And the Italian manager's heart was in his mouth just seconds after the restart as Daniele Bonera left the Belgian holding his ankle in pain with a mistimed challenge.Jon Mikel Obi then saw his long range effort comfortably saved by Marco Amelia as the European champions started the second period with much more zest.But Milan responded, Cech being forced into a good low save from Emanuelson after the Dutchman was found by Flamini.Romelu Lukaku and Hazard combined to set-up Frank Lampard, whose 25 yard strike was again well held by Amelia in the 54th minute.Di Matteo made a treble substitution in the 60th minute, bringing on Torres - whose introduction was greeted with huge cheers Paulo Ferreira and Gary Cahill.Milan coach Massimilano Allegri made four changes of his own, with Antonio Nocerino, Francesco Acerbi, Ricardo Montolivo and Ignacio Abate all came on.David Luiz glanced a near post header from Lampard's corner over in the 68th minute, but it was Milan who took a deserved lead a minute later.Emanuleson burst clear of the Chelsea defence before squaring to Stephan El Shaarawy, whose shot was well saved by Cech.But the Holland international coolly stroked home the rebound from close range to put the Serie A side a goal up.Substitute Mattia Valoti came close to doubling Milan's lead in the 75th minute - but his clever effort from deep inside the box was saved by Cech.Hazard blasted a free-kick from the edge of the box high and wide in the 86th minute as Chelsea searched in vain for a leveller.
Barcelona 8-0 Raja Casablanca
Lionel Messi Treble Gave Barcelona A Huge Victory over Casablanca.The Argentine netted a treble of strikes to inspire the Blaugrana to the most comfortable of friendly victories, while Alexis, Alves, Gomez and Deulofeu also found the scoresheet.The Argentine reached the milestone on the stroke of half-time, but they required Alexis Sanchez to open the scoring on the night, while Dani Alves and substitutes Sergi Gomez and Gerard Deulofeu also managed to join in on the goal rush.From the first whistle to the last, Barcelona were on top and seemed to not even break a sweat, as fans were treated to a free-flowing display of 'tiki-taka' football throughout the encounter, with the Liga side showcasing many of their newest Masia graduates.Inside 14 minutes, Alexis saw a strike deflect off of him and into the path of Alves, who drilled the ball back into the box, thus allowing the Chilean to get the ball rolling and set his side's stall for the remainder of the match.It then took Barca 20 minutes to make it 2-0 - this time Ibrahim Afellay threaded an inch-perfect through ball to Messi, who calmly lifted the ball over Yassine El Had to bag the first of his three goals.Messi then extended their lead further, capitalising on a poorly-executed piece of skill by Chem-Eddine Chtibi near the Blaugrana box, nicking the ball off the midfielder before teeing up for a third.The scoreline appeared to flatter the Spaniards, as Raja began to offer a threat in the final third, but their good fortune was short-lived as the Fifa Ballon d'Or holder allowed Alves a strike at goal, and Alexis the rebound.And just before half-time, Messi bagged his hat-trick, courtesy of fine link-up play with Alexis. More of the same ensued after the break, with Alexis being tripped in the box, thus allowing Alves to get himself in amongst the goals from the penalty spot on 58 minutes.The diminutive No.10 had further chances to bolster Barcelona's undeniable grip on proceedings, but saw a attempt crash off the bar, while a sweeping move was stopped in its tracks by El Had, as he read the forward's chip.The calm looked to have eased the storm, but with only three minutes left on the clock, substitute Gomez smashed home a shot from distance, before Deulofeu fired in the eighth to round off an emphatic exhibition triumph.
Man City 2-0 Arsenal
Man City Won The Rivalry Match Against what is said to be " gooners " As, Manchester City saw off Arsenal with two goals in the first half at the Bird's Nest stadium in China on Friday afternoon.The Gunners started well and had good chances to score through Gervinho and Theo Walcott, but it was City who broke the deadlock as a flowing move saw Yaya Toure slot wide to Pablo Zabaleta to hammer home.Minutes later, Toure got on the scoresheet himself to double the lead as he poked home from close range, narrowly avoiding the offside trap before half-time.The second half saw a string of changes and although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hit both posts with one shot, City goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon stood firm and blocked any hopes that the Gunners had of getting back into the game.A City squad still lacking its Euro 2012 contingent claimed victory in a game that ended in monsoon conditions, with large pools of water appearing across the pitch.In contrast, Wenger had most of his senior players available, although Robin van Persie was an obvious absentee, having been left at home amid massive speculation about his future.Van Persie has refused to sign a contract extension with the Gunners as he harbours serious reservations about their ability to compete with City and the Premier League's big guns.And the calm manner Mancini's men swept their opponents aside in the Bird's Nest stadium, which four years ago was playing host to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, underlined Van Persie's point.Of course, Wenger will play down the significance of the outcome.It is true Arsenal are not as far advanced in their preparations for the new campaign as City and that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's introduction triggered a much-improved second-half showing.However, there did appear to be a gulf in class at times as the rain swept into the Chinese capital, and no obvious sign that a 19-point gap between the teams last season is likely to be closed to any great extent.With Toure taking command and 20-year-old Israeli Nir Biton impressing, Arsenal were restricted to a couple of decent Theo Walcott efforts before the interval.City had to wait until the 41st minute to get their opener though, as Zabaleta strode up on the overlap and drove home Toure's inviting pass.Toure scored his side's second on their next attack as Sergio Aguero turned Aleksandar Kolarov's cross into the path of the Ivorian, who stabbed home from close range.Wenger introduced Oxlade-Chamberlain at the break and the England man immediately made an impact, hitting both posts with a fizzing shot that eventually bounced away to safety after Gervinho had gone close.With both sides making changes, the contest began to lose its fluency.Content to play on the counter-attack, City should have grabbed a third when Carlos Tevez squared to Aguero. The South American chipped over Lukasz Fabianski but the ball dropped wide.Oxlade-Chamberlain flashed another shot narrowly wide near the end, but it was not good enough the story of Arsenal's day.
Real Madrid 2-5 Benfica
Benfica Netted 5 Past Real Madrid While Coming From Behind To beat RM.An entertaining clash saw Jose Mourinho's men fall prey to defensive weakness, as the Portuguese side ruthlessly carved them apart to win the pre-season tournament for the third time in five years. Benfica stormed into the lead through the head of Javi Garcia after only five minutes, but a quickfire double from Jose Callejon turned the game on its head with 20 minutes gone.However, the home side would restore parity moments later with another headed goal from Alex Witsel, before taking control of the match in the second half. A well-taken pair of efforts from Enzo Perez and a fine finish from Carlos Martins put the home fans in ecstasy, and the result firmly out of Madrid's reach.Both teams were handed a pre-match treat with an on-pitch greeting from Eusebio, the Portuguese legend in good spirits as he continued his recovery from a stroke suffered during Euro 2012.Mourinho fielded a mix of reserves and regulars, with Antonio Adan and Nacho lining up alongside the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria. Luis Filipe Vieira, meanwhile, named a strong XI, with Oscar Cardozo, Garcia and Witsel all playing from the start.It took the hosts only five minutes to break the deadlock, after Cardozo was fouled just outside the box. Martins took charge of the delivery, which was met by Garcia, who guided a superb header past the outstretched arms of Adan.The setback did little to faze Madrid though, as they quickly began to monopolize possession and control matters in the middle of the park, which kept Benfica on the back foot.One dangerous through ball from Di Maria forced Artur into an eccentric head-first clearance, but the Brazilian keeper was left helpless by the Argentine’s enterprise in the 18th minute.Di Maria’s marauding run down the right flank saw him find space to cross, and the winger did not disappoint, delivering with the outside of his boot to Callejon, who drove home with little hesitation.Callejon was not done, and two minutes later, he latched onto a slipped pass from Gonzalo Higuain to bury another finish past Artur to put the Spanish giants into the lead.It was a rapid turnaround from Madrid, but they were brought back down to earth almost immediately after the restart, with their set-piece frailties costing them once again.Martins again was the instigator, whipping in a set-piece towards the back post, where Witsel was waiting to nod the Portuguese side back onto terms.To say Adan looked uncomfortable in the air would be an understatement, and the Madrid reserve keeper was nearly beaten again after some incisive wide-play from Nolito.The Spanish winger’s delivery bent past two Madrid defenders and found Cardozo rushing in from point blank range, but somehow, the big striker fired well over the bar after connecting with his favoured left foot.Adan’s aerial deficiencies would come to the fore again eight minutes into the second-half, as the home side surged ahead in outrageous fashion. A short corner was worked to Perez near the right byline, who bent a speculative effort past the despairing fingertips of the Madrid keeper and into the top corner.Mourinho did not look amused on the touchline, and his displeasure would increase further after Benfica scored again just before the hour mark.A surging move forward saw Witsel, on the overlap, tee up Martins in the area, who blasted home with aplomb to open up a two-goal Benfica lead.The home fans were in full voice, and their spirits were kicked up a notch with the introduction of former player Fabio Coentrao, who swapped Estadio Da Luz for the Santiago Bernabeu in a big-money move last summer.Substitute Karim Benzema had a chance to reduce the arrears in the 66th minute after finding himself unmarked at the back post, but he could not make clean contact with the ball as Artur collected with ease.However, by that point the writing was on the wall for Madrid, and Benfica would pile on further misery with a fifth goal, Perez lifting a neat finish over Adan from close range to clinch the pre-season trophy for the hosts.
Celtic 1-1 Inter Milan
TEN-MAN Celtic were denied a morale-boosting win by a late Inter goal after sub Kris Commons was forced off.But while the Hoops can be excused losing a goal to the Italian giants while a man down on the park it will be the missing thousands off the pitch that will concern Parkhead chiefs much more than events on it.Commons – who scored his side’s opener limped off with an ankle knock in the 78th minute and, with Neil Lennon having thrown on all his outfield subs by that stage, his side were forced on to the back foot.Rodrigo Palacio took advantage of the gaps in the Hoops defence in 88 minutes.It was cruel on Celtic as they produced a performance that merited a victory which would have set them up nicely ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League qualifier against HJK Helsinki.But the bigger issue is surely the lack of appetite from the fans for such a high-profile friendly ahead of such a crunch European clash.They even had the lure of the Lisbon Lions parading the European Cup before the game on the 45th anniversary of their famous victory over Inter while a minute’s applause was also held to mark the sad passing of Joe McBride.Around 20,000 turned up for this game, is just 2,000 more than were there in midweek for the visit of Norwich.Even though full-houses are not the norm for such games, alarm bells must be ringing inside the Parkhead boardroom.Celtic fans – tens of thousands of them – made it clear they would be unhappy with their club if they voted to allow a Rangers newco to start out in the top flight. They threatened to withdraw their support to help achieve their aim.They got their wish but appear to be staying away anyway. It will be interesting to see the attendance in midweek when their manager and players need them.Celtic fans must remember what they demanded of their club and back them now accordingly.Could this turnout yesterday be the shape of things to come in SPL games in the months ahead? Sadly, I believe it will be.But there are more immediate concerns for Celtic just now.In the 36th minute Anthony Stokes was stretchered off after he blocked an Esteban Cambiasso clearance.It was an accidental clash and extremely unfortunate for the Irishman who appeared To have damaged his ankle ligaments.Mo Bangura replaced him but with Commons limping off later, Lennon is now left sweating on the fitness of two key players ahead of a European campaign that may well shape the club’s whole season.Commons was at the heart his side’s good stuff early on and produced several good deliveries into the danger area.In the fifth minute he whipped over a corner and Charlie Mulgrew headed just wide from six yards. He then displayed some neat footwork to give Joe Ledley the ball at the edge of the box.The Welshman weaved his way into the penalty area but couldn’t quite manage to strike the ball cleanly with his bungled shot rebounding off the body of keeper Samir Handanovic.Stokes tried to pounce and rattled in a shot from an acute angle that Handanovic parried away at his near post.Emilio Izaguirre looked back to his best and enjoyed many overlaps and some of his crosses caused the Inter defence all sorts of problems.Indeed, the Italian side looked suspect in the air and Celts really should have taken advantage.But when they did find the net in 41 minutes there was nothing the Inter defence could do about it, such was the quality of the strike Commons produced.From a Mulgrew free-kick, the ball broke out to the winger as he loitered at the edge of the box.The ball sat up nicely and it allowed him to send a dipping left-foot shot high in the right-hand corner of Handanovic’s net.It was an outstanding goal from the Scotland man and the Milan keeper had absolutely no chance of stopping it. To be truthful, Inter were disappointing. They finished sixth last season in Serie A and Marseille put them out of the Champions League in a last-16 clash.They started the game with just Diego Milito up front. The experienced Argentinian striker didn’t have the benefit of much service.But he did show flashes of his undoubted quality, although not at the level that enabled him to score two goals when he helped Inter win the 2010 Champions League,In 52 minutes, Inter introduced their £10million summer signing Palacio in place of Philippe Coutinho.The Argentinian forward had been outstanding for Genoa last season and it prompted the big-money swoop.With no natural and trustworthy defensive partnership on the books, Lennon tried another double act yesterday. This time, Mikael Lustig played alongside Mulgrew.For me, Mulgrew and Victor Wanyama is the best partnership at the club. But with Beram Kayal sidelined, they need Wanyama in the engine room.Wanyama was absolutely solid in this game, his positional play excellent.Mulgrew and Lustig were also more than decent. That said, they weren’t exactly pushed to the limit by Inter. For long spells it looked as though the visitors never got out of third gear, albeit they are very early in to their pre-season preparations.Lustig was replaced in the 65th minute for Aussie kid Jackson Irvine. Ledley and Gary Hooper also came off at that point for Filip Twardzik and Paddy McCourt.A cheeky chip by Commons forced Handanovic into his only save of the second-half in 77 minutes.That was the last meaningful part Commons played in the game as he injured himself trying to cross the ball.Celtic keeper Fraser Foster hadn’t yet made a save but with his side down to 10 men Inter suddenly came alive and the keeper parried away a powerful 35-yard shot from Christian Chivu.He then pulled off a brilliant stop to fist away a Milito effort in 88 minutes but the ball came back across goal and Palacio fired home to snatch the draw.
Andre Villas-Boas was left sweating on the fitness of Gareth Bale after the Tottenham midfielder suffered another fitness scare.Bale, who has found himself in the spotlight after withdrawing from Team GB’s Olympic bid with a back problem, was substituted at half-time during a 0-0 draw with Liverpool after he was caught on the ankle by a crude challenge from Charlie Adam.The Wales international was left crumpled in pain after Adam ran his studs down Bale’s ankle as he tried to stop him surging forward. The tackle, which occurred in the 19th minute of their glamour friendly here in Baltimore, provoked a furious response from Villas-Boas and Tottenham’s staff.It was the only talking point of a mundane game and Villas-Boas, who already has injury worries over Rafael van der Vaart, Kyle Walker and Scott Parker ahead of his first campaign at White Hart Lane, will be hoping Bale has not suffered any lasting damage.Liverpool made a bright start in sweltering conditions and they had the first two opportunities of a game that was played out in front of 42,723 crowd; both Joe Cole and Jonjo Shelvey tested Brad Friedel with shots from outside the area.Yet it was Tottenham who came closest to opening the scoring, when Gylfi Sigurdsson – the man whom Brendan Rodgers wanted to bring to Anfield slipped in Harry Kane but the young striker dragged his effort just across the face of goal.The pattern of the contest was disrupted shortly after, though, when Adam tangled with Bale, his ugly tackle leaving the Welshman writhing in agony.Referee Jose Carlos Rivero showed great lenience in refusing to brandish a card, when the Tottenham bench implored that he be booked.Bale required treatment for a couple of minutes and there is little doubt that the incident shook him up, as he spent the remainder of the half on the fringes, occasionally telling his team-mates not to pass to him as he tried to run off the knock.Despite his movement being limited, Bale actually provided the best opportunity of the first half; his right-footed cross found Aaron Lennon via a glancing header from Kane but, somehow, the England winger shot against the post from three yards in the 44th minute.As the teams walked off, there were two interesting exchanges: Rodgers and Sigurdsson strolled away together, exchanging pleasantries. Further away from them, Villas-Boas marched towards Adam and headed down the tunnel with him, jabbering into his ear.Not surprisingly, Bale failed to appear for the second half but he was not the only one. Witch pitchside temperatures reaching 100 degrees, both managers made wholesale substitutions and that, inevitably, led to a fracturing of play.Clear chances were few and far between after the break and the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock was when Martin Skrtel thumped a 20-yard drive at Friedel in the 55th minute, having carried the ball impressively up the field.If local supporters were disappointed that there were no goals, they did at least get a first glimpse of Liverpool’s new £11million striker Fabio Borini, along with England captain Steven Gerrard and the much talked about Andy Carroll. Despite their introduction, they failed to create a chance.
IT was an altogether different spectacle to that 1,000 miles away in East London.While the opening ceremony took place at a sold-out Olympic Stadium in Stratford, Alan Pardew’s Newcastle United side took to the field at a near-deserted ground in Portugal.Played out in front of a few hundred fans, most from Tyneside, the low-key game went to a penalty shootout after it ended 1-1.Even that couldn’t separate the two sides.Defender Steven Taylor marked his comeback from long-term injury with a first-half goal for a dominant Newcastle at the Algarve Stadium.But Kostas Mitroglou netted 11 minutes from time for Olympiakos in the Torneo Guadiana match.And the two sides couldn’t be separated by spot kicks, the shoot-out ending 4-4.Pardew, who will field an entirely different starting XI for tonight’s game against Braga, handed Taylor his first game in eight months, while Tim Krul made his seasonal debut in goal.Shola Ameobi forced a decent save from former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll in the ninth-minute with a diving header from a Davide Santon free-kick.Ameobi was at the centre of another attack seven minutes later when, at the second attempt, he found strike partner Haris Vuckic in the box, but the foward’s close-range effort was easily gathered by Carroll.The few hundred United fans in the stadium had something to celebrate when Taylor broke the deadlock in the 24th minute, the 25-year-old marking his return with a goal after good work from Dan Gosling, again impressive in central midfield.At the other end, Krul save a free-kick from Marinaldo da Silva with his legs, and Giannis Fetzatzidis bent a shot well wide of Krul’s goal.Gabriel Obertan’s pace troubled Olympiakos – who offered very little going forward themselves – and Newcastle more than deserved their one-goal lead at the break.However, the Greek side were much-improved after the break, and Kostas Mitroglou forced an early save from Krul in what turned out to be an at times niggly half.Olympiakos, a physical and powerful team, had United on the back foot for the first 10 minutes, though Obertan set up a shot for advancing right-back James Perch, whose effort was fumbled by Carroll.Newcastle struggled to keep possession, and Pardew, frustrated at the way his team had lost their rhythm, stood bellowing instructions from the bench.Referee Joao Ferreira sent off Marko Pantelic for a foul on Romain Amalfitano, but Olympiakos weren’t finished, and after Mitroglou levelled in the 79th minute, the match went to penalties.Papiss Demba Cisse was the only one of United’s five kick-takers to miss – he put his effort over Carroll – and Newcastle go into the Braga game knowing a win would see them lift the Torneo Guadiana trophy.
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