Munich thief leaves Madrid flat-footed

 

Prior to the first leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena, a mystery thief reportedly stole six pairs of boots and some shirts from the visitors' dressing room. Three pairs allegedly belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo, while the others belonged to Mesut Ozil and Karim Benzema.

It may have made a difference, as in the end Bayern managed to win the match 2-1 courtesy of a last-minute winner from Mario Gomez, while Ronaldo, along with defenders Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentrao, endured a night to forget.

Meanwhile, Marca are reporting that Bayern have failed to give any sort of explanation for the theft, despite the fact there are security cameras monitoring the dressing rooms. While it may well be a case of people going to extreme lengths for a piece of Madrid memorabilia, there is the nagging possibility that it was all just a bit of gamesmanship from the hosts.

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Robben seeks spinach strength

 

It has not been the best of weeks for Arjen Robben. After missing a penalty in Bayern Munich's potential title-deciding defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga last Wednesday, he then failed to inspire his side past Mainz at home on Saturday.

Now the Bavarians face the visit of a far more dangerous outfit in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final: Robben's former club, Real Madrid. The Dutchman has acknowledged that his side will have to be at their best to defeat Jose Mourinho's men and reach the final, which will be played at the Allianz Arena.

For Robben the tie against Real Madrid is also a chance to finally defeat goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who famously denied him in a one-on-one in the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Much like Popeye, the winger could well use a can of spinach to help him through this hardest of challenges ...

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#بينوكيو_الرياضة_والشباب

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Mata's 'ghost goal' spooks Spurs

 

Juan Mata scored a 'phantom goal' for Chelsea when they beat Tottenham 5-1 at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.

The Spain international's shot didn't seem to cross the line, but referee Martin Atkinson was quick to award the goal that took the Blues 2-0 up early in the second half.

Three more strikes from Ramires, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda followed, but it was the controversial decision to allow the second goal that had fans up in arms, with John Terry admitting after the game that he didn't think the ball had crossed the line.

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'Donkey' Carroll wins the derby by a head

 

A late header from Andy Carroll earned Liverpool a 2-1 victory against city rivals Everton and a place in the FA Cup final versus the winner of the other semi-final between Chelsea and Tottenham.

It was a rare demonstration of the 23-year-old's scoring abilities, as the former Newcastle United striker has, at times, failed to justify his hefty €41 million price tag. But in the Liverpool derby, Carroll's strike proved decisive - a goal he celebrated like he had won the famous Grand National.


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Team Anelka to the rescue!

 

With big-spending Shanghai Shenhua struggling in the Chinese Super League, the Asian outfit turned to Nicolas Anelka, nicknamed 'Le Sulk', appointing him player-coach for the fixture against Tianjin Ted.

Although the team succumbed to a loss 1-0, the veteran French forward assumed the captain’s armband and played the entire 90 minutes. One cannot help but wonder what role at Shanghai Shenhua is in store for him in the future ...
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Bombs away!

 

The 2011-12 season promised so much for Liverpool. The permanent appointment of Kenny Dalglish in the Anfield hot seat, coupled with the hiring of former Tottenham director of football Damien Comolli and over €120 million (£100m) being splashed out on new players since the Frenchman's arrival 15 months ago seemed to be the right way of going about things following the dismal reign of Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

However, despite lifting the League Cup in February, the plan has gone into disarray. The Reds suffered their worst form in over 50 years after a run of six defeats in seven matches, while many of their new signings have failed to justify their hefty price tags. But with the God-like status of 'King Kenny' on Merseyside, Comolli appears to have been earmarked as the fall guy. Question is, will he now be walking alone at the club ...?

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Plain sailing in Madrid and Turin ...

 

As the season enters its crucial period, individuals can become heroes in key moments.

That was the story in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night when Cristiano Ronaldo netted yet another hat-trick to guide Real Madrid past city rivals Atletico, and in Turin where Alessandro Del Piero came off the bench to seal a vital win for Juventus over Lazio to send his side to the top of the Serie A table.

However, in Germany it was a different state of affairs when Arjen Robben sunk his Bayern Munich side in the defeat at Borussia Dortmund. 

First the Dutchman played Robert Lewandowski onside for the only goal of the game, before he twice cost his team a point when he failed to convert a penalty and then missed from close range. It's sink-or-swim time for Bayern in the title race, but it looks like Arjen is doing both.

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Pele set to unleash his jinx online

 

Brazilian football icon Pele caused a stir in the Twittersphere on Monday by becoming the latest high-profile figure within the game to join the micro-blogging site, instantly amassing over 145,000 followers. The 71-year-old launched his account by tweeting: "Hello world, thank you for welcoming me to Twitter. I am very excited to share my life with you. Love, Pele."

So far, so banal. While widely regarded as one of the greatest to have ever played the game, the 71-year-old has also earned a reputation for quirky sound bites and dubious predictions. It is only a matter of time before he refers to himself in the third person, calls out Diego Maradona and predicts the USA to be the next superpowers in world football - although the 140 character limit might prove to be a bit of a hindrance.
 

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Di Matteo forced into juggling act in Chelsea fixture circus

 

Victory would have seen Chelsea rise to fourth position in the league, taking a huge step towards qualification for next season's Champions League. However, the result meant that the west Londoners remain in sixth position, two points behind the vital cut-off spot for Europe's premier club competition.

With the team still competing on three fronts, the pressure on Chelsea is increasing by the week. It will need to be a fine balancing act if Di Matteo is to mastermind his side to success in the FA Cup and Champions League, as well as a top-four finish.

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