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Harry Kane scored his 30th goal of the season in their 3-1 Premier League win against Newcastle United. ||| London - Harry Kane was the toast of Tottenham Hotspur once again as the England striker scored his 30th goal of the season in their 3-1 Premier League win against Newcastle United on Sunday. The 21-year-old has reached that total in all competitions, including 20 in the Premier League, and is the first Spurs player since Gary Lineker in 1991-92 to reach 30 in a season. Kane, who has been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, has become a fans' favourite at White Hart Lane this term, lauded as “one of our own” after coming through the youth ranks since the age of 11. “I'm very proud but there are five games left and, hopefully, I'll get a few more goals,” Kane told Sky Sports. “We deserved it today. We played well. We've had some disappointing performances in the last couple of weeks and we wanted to put that right. “I h...

Aston Villa ended Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard's dream of bringing his 17-year career at Anfield to a close with a cup winner's medal. ||| London - Aston Villa will meet holders Arsenal in the FA Cup final next month after goals from Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph gave them a 2-1 win over Liverpool in a pulsating semi-final at Wembley on Sunday. Villa's unexpected but thoroughly deserved come-from-behind victory ended Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard's dream of bringing his 17-year career at Anfield to a close with a cup winner's medal on his 35th birthday in the final on May 30. Tim Sherwood, who has revitalised Villa since replacing Paul Lambert as manager in February, told reporters: “We bamboozled them. They could not cope with our tactics and I think we were the better side.” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said: “We were nervous for some reason. Maybe when you want to win something so much, perhaps it plays on your mind. We were second best today.” L...

Louis van Gaal hailed the best performance of his Manchester United tenure even after seeing his side lose to Chelsea. ||| London - Louis van Gaal hailed the best performance of his Manchester United tenure even after seeing his side lose to title-chasing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. United's six-game Premier League winning streak came to an end, but Van Gaal said: “I am not frustrated, I am very proud of my team. We played the best match of this season. But in football you can lose in spite of being the better team. “We were the dominant team on the pitch. We created more chances. We were always in their half. It was an unbelievable performance.” Jose Mourinho was just as pleased after seeing his team move so close to the title. “The team was fantastic,” he said. When asked about John Terry saying the players almost felt champions, however, he warned that they were not there yet. “I am not happy if John said that,” he said. “We need eight points to be champions. Football is not abo...

Bayern Munich's long-time team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt has surprisingly resigned following their Champions League loss to Porto. ||| Berlin - Bayern Munich's long-time team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt has surprisingly resigned following their Champions League loss to Porto, saying the medical department was blamed for the defeat. Mueller-Wohlfahrt, a respected doctor, has been in charge since 1977 and has also treated many other top global athletes, including sprinter Usain Bolt, while also being the German national soccer team doctor as well. “After the Champions League game at Porto for unexplained reasons it was the medical department that was chiefly blamed for the defeat,” Mueller-Wohlfahrt said in a late night statement on Thursday. He said “the relationship of trust has been permanently damaged.” Bayern have been struggling with injuries in recent weeks with Bastian Schweinstieger, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and David Alaba all missing the game a...

Chelsea pair Diego Costa and Eden Hazard were named on the shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award. ||| London - Chelsea pair Diego Costa and Eden Hazard were named on the shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year award. The Premier League leaders are the only club to have two players nominated for the end-of-season accolade. Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho, Manchester United keeper David de Gea, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane and Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez are also on the shortlist. Brazilian-born Spain striker Costa is the league's top scorer with 19 goals, having joined Jose Mourinho's side from Atletico Madrid in the close season. Belgian international Hazard has flourished in the playmaker role, helping Chelsea open a seven-point gap at the top of the table with a game in hand and seven matches still to play. Hazard also makes the Young Player of the Year shortlist where he ...

Napoli put a foot in the Europa League semi-finals with a perfectly crafted 4-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg. ||| London - Napoli put a foot in the Europa League semi-finals with a perfectly crafted 4-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg as Marek Hamsik scored twice in an Italian masterclass to bring cheer to beleaguered coach Rafa Benitez. Napoli are seven points adrift of the Serie A Champions League places but their chances of reaching Europe's elite competition by winning its second-tier cousin look strong after they crushed the German side in their quarter-final first leg. The other three ties are in the balance with holders Sevilla coming back to beat Zenit St Petersburg 2-1 in Spain, Dynamo Kiev conceding late in a 1-1 home draw with Fiorentina and Club Bruges drawing 0-0 with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Sevilla's hopes of retaining their title looked under threat when Aleksandr Ryazantsev lashed home for the visitors but Carlos Bacca equalised and fellow substitute Denis Suarez grabbed an 88th-mi...

Bloemfontein Celtic demolished Mamelodi Sundowns 5-0 in their Premiership match at Lucas Moripe Stadium. ||| Pretoria – Bloemfontein Celtic demolished Mamelodi Sundowns 5-0 in their Premiership match at Lucas Moripe Stadium, in Atteridgeville. The result equalled the biggest margin of defeat in the history of Sundowns football, but the real blow came with the dropped points in their slim title challenge. Sundowns remain on 47 points, 13 behind the table-topping Kaizer Chiefs with five games left for the Brazilians. The huge margin means Chiefs need only three points from their four games remaining this season to secure top-honours. For Celtic, the massive result moves them to 37 points as they strengthen their fifth spot on the log. Earlier, the Sundowns defence gave the ball away carelessly within the first minute, and Celtic midfielder Musa Nyatama burst through into the area on the left hand side and his cross was parried away by keeper Dennis Onyango. Lerato Lamola was on hand to s...

Championship strugglers Reading will have to produce one of the great FA Cup upsets to beat holders Arsenal in their semi-final at Wembley. ||| London - Championship strugglers Reading will have to produce one of the great FA Cup upsets to beat holders Arsenal in their semi-final at Wembley and reach the final for the first time. Arsenal, winners of 16 of their last 18 matches in all competitions and victorious over Reading in all 12 competitive meetings, will be overwhelming favourites to face Liverpool or Aston Villa in an all-Premier League final on May 30. Arsenal's run of eight successive wins, which has surprised even manager Arsene Wenger, has opened up an outside chance of the League and Cup double as they have climbed to second in the table, albeit still seven points behind Chelsea. About the only thing in Reading's favour is the FA Cup's enduring capacity to deliver the most unlikely upsets, as illustrated by third tier Bradford City's stunning 4-2 fourth-roun...

Well-taken goals from Goodman Dlamini and Bonginkosi Ntuli lifted AmaZulu off the foot of the league table when they ran out 2-0 winners over Polokwane City 2-0. ||| Kwamashu, KZN – Well-taken goals from Goodman Dlamini and Bonginkosi Ntuli lifted AmaZulu off the foot of the league table when they ran out 2-0 winners over Polokwane City 2-0 at the Princess Magogo Stadium in the PSL Absa Premiership match on Wednesday night. Steve Barker’s AmaZulu side opened the scoring in the 29th minute, as Mbulelo Mabizela’s header knockdown rolled tamely in the path of Goodman Dlamini, who rifled home a low effort into the far corner. The home side continued to search for second goal in the second half and they scored the insurance goal in the 83rd minute when Ntuli steered the ball past City’s Botswana-born goalkeeper Modiri Marumo with a right-footed effort, after being set up by Robyn Johannes. – ANA from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1J5O4RT via IFTTT

Porto completed a stunning home victory over a sloppy Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final first leg. ||| Porto, Portugal - Ricardo Quaresma's two early goals and a second-half strike from Jackson Martinez helped a slick Porto complete a stunning 3-1 home victory over a sloppy Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. The Portuguese side exploded into action with two goals in the opening 10 minutes, with Quaresma converting from the penalty spot and finishing neatly as Bayern's sluggish defending was punished. Five-times champions Bayern, decimated by injuries, clawed their way back into the tie when midfielder Thiago Alcantara steered home at the far post after 28 minutes. But Martinez pounced on an error by Jerome Boateng after 65 minutes and rounded Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer to re-establish Porto's two-goal advantage heading into the return leg on April 21. Bayern came into the game, a repeat of the 1987 European Cup ...

The wheels started to come off Manchester City's season during their defeat by Arsenal in the middle of January - and they have never been the same since. ||| London - Joint leaders of the Premier League on New Year's Day, the wheels started to come off Manchester City's season during their 2-0 defeat by Arsenal in the middle of January - and they have never been the same since. City had been challenging Chelsea at the top of the table and at the start of 2015, the two clubs had been separated only by alphabetical order. Although there had been some earlier indications that Manuel Pellegrini's well-oiled machine was not running quite as smoothly as it could, City looked set to maintain their push for a second successive title. A few doubts were raised during the Christmas and New Year programme when they allowed Burnley to come back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium. They also squandered a 2-0 lead against Sunderland before eventually winning 3-2 tha...

Kaizer Chiefs continued their march towards the Premiership title with a hard-fought win over a resilient University of Pretoria. ||| Pretoria – Kaizer Chiefs continued their march towards the Premiership title with a hard-fought 1-0 win over a resilient University of Pretoria side at Tuks Stadium, in Pretoria. Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the only goal of the match through a trademark wonder strike with 20 minutes remaining in the clash. The win means the AmaKhosi moved to 60 points, and were just six points away from clinching league honours with four games remaining in their season. For Tuks, the loss at home comes as a blow to their top eight ambitions as they remain in 10th spot on the log with 30 points with five games remain. The home side began fast from the first whistle with a chance to open the scoring in the first 30 seconds. Thabo Mnyamane made his way into the area and from close range could not get proper contact as he made contact with his knee, but a touch by a Chiefs cor...

A two-goal burst from Calvin Kadi helped Wits to a 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates in their Premiership match at Bidvest Stadium. ||| Johannesburg – A two-goal burst from Calvin Kadi helped Wits to a 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates in their Premiership match at Bidvest Stadium, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday evening. Wits stunned the much-fancied Buccaneers with a brace coming in the first 16 minutes from Kadi. With the win, Wits join Pirates on the third-placed Pirates on 44 points, behind only on goal difference but with a game in hand. With Kaizer Chiefs winning against University of Pretoria 1-0 in the other clash on the evening, Pirates mathematical chance of winning the league was ended. Pirates were behind almost from the opening whistle. A shocking piece of defending by Patrick Phungwayo saw the ball passed straight into the path of Kadi, who could not believe his luck, and from the edge of the area slotted the ball with his right foot into the back of the net inside the first minute. B...

Bayern Munich are confident they have enough firepwer to overcome Porto in their Champions League quarter-final first leg clash. ||| Berlin - Bayern Munich may be missing some of their biggest names when they travel to Porto for the first leg of their Champions League last eight but the Germans are confident they have enough firepower to defend their favourites tag. Chasing a second treble after 2013, Bayern will be without Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger among others but they know their season will not be a success if they do not advance in the Champions League. Bayern left a day earlier than usual, arriving in the Portuguese city on Monday for Wednesday's game as coach Pep Guardiola shifts the focus away from injuries to their dominant domestic season. Porto beat them in a memorable European Cup final in 1987 - their only win in five matches against Bayern. But the only thing on the Germans' mind is taking an advantage back to Munich for the return leg ...

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that his team would give everything to qualify for the Champions League. ||| Liverpool, England - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that his team would give everything to qualify for the Champions League after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday left them four points behind Manchester City in the Premier League. With fourth-placed City reeling after defeat by Manchester United continued a torrid run in which the champions have lost six of their last eight games, Liverpool needed a win over Newcastle to retain hope of a Champions League spot. Liverpool fans would have been excused for feeling a little jittery after back-to-back league defeats, but Raheem Sterling set Rodgers's side on their way before Joe Allen scored a late second to close the gap on struggling City with six games left. “We are going to fight till the very end,” Rodgers told reporters. “There is always a price when you lose big games. We are a group that...

Manchester City have decided to listen to offers for Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri this summer. ||| Manchester City have decided to listen to offers for Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri this summer as the Barclays Premier League champions look to repair the damage of a disastrous title defence. City manager Manuel Pellegrini is under intense scrutiny following Sunday’s 4-2 defeat by neighbours Manchester United. But as the City board refuse to give up on their manager just yet the decision has been made to jettison high-profile players who the club believe have failed them. Toure will be made available before his value in the market dwindles. Nasri, meanwhile, has barely played since his lame showing in the Champions League at Barcelona. Defender Aleksandar Kolarov and striker Edin Dzeko are also short of admirers within the club, while midfielder James Milner is out of contract this summer. Toure may be difficult to sell as he earns in excess of £1million a month. Pellegrini is vulnerable but ...

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has pledged to question Raheem Sterling about footage of him apparently using nitrous oxide. ||| Liverpool - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will speak to striker Raheem Sterling after footage emerged of the England international apparently taking nitrous oxide. Images published on The Sun's website appeared to show the 20-year-old Sterling passing out unconscious after taking the substance, which is described as a legal high. Sterling, who scored the opening goal in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at Anfield on Monday, is currently stalling on a new contract and admitted recently that he had rejected a new 100 000 pounds-a-week deal. “He's a young kid who has been in the spotlight now so he knows the demands of being a top class player and a top class professional,” Rodgers told reporters after Liverpool's victory over Newcastle. “When you are a professional sports person it's not something you should be doing, but I...

Raheem Sterling is the latest footballer to be embroiled in a smoking storm after he was caught on camera puffing on a shisha pipe. ||| Raheem Sterling is the latest Premier League star to be embroiled in a smoking storm after he was caught on camera puffing on a shisha pipe. A photograph of the Liverpool forward using the pipe emerged in a national newspaper yesterday. The image, on the social networking app Snapchat, shows Sterling inhaling the pipe with the message ‘1 down another 3 to go’. Sterling’s representatives have refused to comment on the photo. Having already irked Liverpool and their supporters by stalling on signing a new contract, the latest controversy will further overshadow his end to the season. Meanwhile winger Jordon Ibe is on the brink of signing a new long-term contract with the club and could figure in tonight’s clash with Newcastle after recovering from knee ligament damage. Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has conceded that Daniel Sturridge is unlikely to find ...

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini saw his side blown away by Manchester United at Old Trafford despite taking an early lead. ||| Manchester, England - When fans sing “you're getting sacked in the morning” it is galling enough for the opposing manager, but when he is the coach of the champions and they have just been thumped by their derby rivals you know there is a big problem. Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini saw his side blown away 4-2 by Manchester United at Old Trafford despite taking an early lead and having won the last four derbies. They have now lost six of their last eight games and their realistic hopes of retaining the Premier League title are over with leaders Chelsea 12 points ahead of fourth-placed City. Chilean Pellegrini always manages to retain a calm demeanour and it worked wonders when his side stayed cool to snatch the Premier League title off Liverpool last year. This season, though, that same mild-mannered approach seems completely amiss when hard t...

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has failed in his bid to be fit for the derby against Manchester City, manager Louis van Gaal said. ||| London - Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has failed in his bid to be fit for Sunday's Premier League derby against Manchester City, manager Louis van Gaal said. Van Persie scored the winner the last time United beat City - a 3-2 away victory in December 2012. The Netherlands international has returned to training after suffering an ankle injury in United's defeat by Swansea City in February, but Van Gaal said the game against City at Old Trafford had come too soon for his compatriot. “Van Persie is not fit enough to play,” the Dutchman told a news conference. “I don't think (defender) Luke Shaw is fit enough to play. But I cannot say they are not fit. In my opinion, they are not fit to play.” United's recent fine form - they have won their last five Premier League games - has lifted them to third in the table, eigh...