Small Spanish side draws Real Madrid in the King's Cup, damn near hold an impromptu parade.
If this is how Alcayano celebrates getting the probability of an absolute beatdown by Mourinho's minions, one would hate to see their dungeons basements. (Yeah, chance of a lifetime, et cetera.)
Luka Modric will be fined by Tottenham after refusing to train and his absence from their
pre-season tour.
Whether you bet on politics or sport, you will know that this is perhaps a combination of both.
The Croatian midfielder has expressed his desire to leave White Hart Lane for Real Madrid and did
not turn up for training or travel on the tour of America.
Brendan Rodgers is yet to make a new signing for Liverpool but there is a growing belief that he
will look to implement a number of young players into the first team squad next season.
Liverpool admitted that they missed out on signing Gylfi Sigurdsson because they could not meet his
wage demands and there is some concern that the club will struggle to bring many new faces to the
club over the summer months.
Real Madrid's Summer 2012 Transfer Targets - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Jose Mourinho has a successful season in charge of Real Madrid. The Spanish side have become the
deserved winners of the La Liga and fell just short in the Champions League.
Despite this, the Portuguese manager will look to strengthen his squad even further going into
next season, as Madrid seek European glory.
2012 Europa League Final Preview: Which revived Spanish side will triumph in Bucharest? -
originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Coming into this season, many expected the UEFA Champions League final to be an all-Spanish
affair between Barcelona and Real Madrid. That hasn't come to pass, as Bayern Munich and Chelsea
had other plans.
2012 Europa League Final Preview: Which revived Spanish side will triumph in Bucharest? -
originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Coming into this season, many expected the UEFA Champions League final to be an all-Spanish
affair between Barcelona and Real Madrid. That hasn't come to pass, as Bayern Munich and Chelsea
had other plans.
Don't get too excited, it's not Falcao. However, all the media attention devoted to the Colombian
striker, Radamel Falcao, could be a blessing. Madrid's other striker, Adrian Lopez Alvarez, has
passed under the radar, despite hitting 11 goals in 18 European matches for the Spanish side.
Commonly known as Adrian, the striker has declined to [.
Arsenal have already waved goodbye to Nicklas Bendtner and Park Chu-Young today. There are offers
from Turkish club Besiktas and Spanish side Malaga to take Marouane Chamakh on loan for the next
year. So what happens if Olivier Giroud picks up an injury? I really hope that by the end of today,
Arsene Wenger can [.
Arsenal Finally Confirm The Sale Of Carlos Vela by AH Arsenal finally announced the sale of Carlos
Vela to Spanish side Real Socidad. The deal had been in the mix for weeks, but now Arsenal have
confirmed the completion of the deal. The Mexican international spent 2011/12 season on loan with
the Spanish club and [.
This question could refer to three different Arsenal players. Reports have linked Barcelona to
Thomas Vermaelen, Ignasi Miquel and now Laurent Koscielny. Don't the Spanish side know any other
teams to look at? The worry for me is that Koscielny, like a couple of other Gunners, only has a
year to run on his current [.
Juan Manuel Vargas' agent claims that Liverpool is interested in the winger and that he could leave
Fiorentina over the summer.
The Peru international has one season left to run on his current contract and he was reportedly a
target for Arsenal 12 months ago.
He is again attracting interest from the Premier League, according to his representative Jorge
Cyterszpiler, with Liverpool keeping tabs on his situation.
Liverpool has knocked back a loan request for Hungarian keeper Peter Gulacsi from Spanish side
Xerez.
The move was expected to go through but Xerez say Liverpool rejected it at the last minute.
The young keeper is yet to feature for Liverpool's first team but has been loaned out to Hereford,
Tranmere and Hull.
News today from France and Spain  that Newcastle are still interested in 24 year-old Lyon
left-back Aly Cissokho, but it could be that the 24 year-old is on his way to Spanish side
Valencia, and the Magpies may miss out on the French International always assuming Newcastle were
interested in him in the first [.
News today from France and Spain  that Newcastle are still interested in 24 year-old Lyon
left-back Aly Cissokho, but it could be that the 24 year-old is on his way to Spanish side
Valencia, and the Magpies may miss out on the French International always assuming Newcastle were
interested in him in the first [.
If reports are to be believed, Tottenham outcast Giovani dos Santos was set for a summer
transfer to Villarreal which has been scuppered due to the Spanish side's shock relegation. Gio has
barely been a fringe player this season and even without this deal, surely his White Hart Lane
agony must be coming to an end?
Anderlecht, BATE Borisov, Dinamo Zagreb, Malaga, and Braga all advanced to the Group Stage in
the UEFA Champions League on August 28, 2012.
Anderlecht 2-0 AEL
The home side scored two late goals to secure their place in the Group Stage. AEL were able to
hold onto their 2-1 lead from the first lead until the 81st minute when Anderlecht's Deiudonne
Mbokani scored.
AEL edged Anderlecht, BATE defeated Hapoel, Malaga blanked Panathinaikos, Dinamo beat Maribor,
and Udinese held Braga in the UEFA Champions League on August 22, 2012.
AEL 2-1 Anderlecht
Greek side AEL got goals from Dossa Junior and Melo Rui Miguel to get the narrow victory.
Anderlecht did level the match for 11 minutes but a 75th minute Milan Jovanovic red card ended any
realistic chance of a draw.
Lionel Messi missed a penalty kick and was denied by the post on another chance, but that still
do not stop him and Argentina from going into Germany and cruising to victory.
The Albiceleste extended their current winning streak to five games after picking up a 3-1 win
over Germany in  one of the marquee matches of Wednesday's busy international FIFA date.
TORONTO -- Julian and Jonathan de Guzman are polarizing figures -– two of
Canada's most gifted players who continue to pull Canadian supporters in opposite directions.
Following CONCACAF's second round of World Cup qualifying, Julian acknowledged that his brother,
Jonathan, who is currently under contract with Spanish side Villarreal, was looking to take steps
to become eligible for selection by head coach Stephen Hart and the Canadian national team.
In the aftermath of Spain's memorable Euro 2012 triumph earlier this month, there have been many
comparisons between the current Spanish side and England's under-achieving Three Lions.
A little over four years ago, both teams were considered to be on par: extremely talented but
unable to shine at the big stage.
TweetSpain became the first ever side to retain the European Cup with In The Stands' Rolly
Pelovangu arguing that this Spanish side are now in the football hall of fame. Forget the criticism
of boring tiki-taka football, ignore the haters, excuse Vicente Del Bosque's often bizarre
decisions to line up his team with no striker, [.
If there was ever any doubt about tonight's result of the Euro 2012 final they were thoroughly put
to rest by a splendid Spanish side, that gave the most crushing victory in a major international
final ever, 4-0 against an Italian side, where hopes (if not expectations) had been high after
their victory against Germany in the semifinal.
Just finished watching the Spain and Portugal match, which was a very interesting spectacle
despite having barely any goal mouth action until late on with Spain looking most likely to score
in extra-time.
What I really can't understand though is the decision of Cristiano Ronaldo or the coach to take the
5th penalty for Portugal was it that he wanted to score the glory goal, the winning penalty which
could take Portugal through to the Euro 2012 finals?
There has been plenty of quality on display throughout Euro 2012 but there also haven't been
many surprises, leaving four of the continent's biggest sides still fighting for the chance to be
crowned champions.
Germany, Italy, Portugal and reigning champs Spain are the remaining teams who will look to
advance to the tournament finale in Kiev on June 1, a chance to be etched into European soccer
history looming for all.
Four years of Spain's tiki-taka passing and possession heavy domination has left many football
fans (excluding all Spain supporters, of course) bored with the foregone conclusion that is their
success. But while spectators and opponents often forget that a bit of egalitarian belief and
discipline can, at times, get a result against Spain (see: the U.
I've never seen a side as comfortably in control with a one-goal lead as this Spanish side.
Compare today with yesterday's quarterfinal. No matter how dominant Germany were, they still
conceded an unlikely equalizer and had to furiously rally in the final 30 minutes.
Before Euro 2012 began, the common consensus was that Spain and Italy would progress to the
knockout stages from Group C, with Spain winning the group and Italy finishing second.
That is what happened, but neither Spain or Italy were convincing in their third group match and
Croatia has to consider itself really unlucky to be heading home today.
Thursday continued what's been a fantastic tournament overall, with a tightly-contested first
match and a fairly easy romp for the defending champions in the nightcap. Nearly every match to
this point has been eminently entertaining those that have lacked for goals have made up for it
with a mostly watchable pace of play, even from the sides that you wouldn't normally expect to
provide entertainment.
Spain's title defense is off to an underwhelming start.
The reigning Euro champions were held to a 1-1 draw with Italy on Sunday in a Euro 2012 Group C
opener that was full of frustration for the Spanish side. Italy scored first through a finish from
Antonio Di Natale in the 61st minute, but Spain leveled the scored when Cesc Fabregas netted three
minutes later.
He may be all smiles at The Netherlands' Euro 2012 training camp in
Hoenderloo, but Robin van Persie has undoubtedly been thinking
about his future in English football. The question at the top of everyone's minds right now, of
course, is will he stay at Arsenal or move to a Spanish side next season?
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are reportedly battling it out over Malaga star Salomon Rondon,
according to the player's agent.
Rondon has caught the eye of a whole host of clubs following a stellar season in which he helped
the Spanish side gain Champions League status for next year by banging in 11 goals.
Around 12 months ago the asking price for Italian striker Giuseppi Rossi was around ÂŁ30m but
what a difference a year can make in football. Injuries and an unexpected relegation for his club
side Villarreal has got the rumour mills speaking in terms of around ÂŁ10m for his services.
While these suggestions continue however, the player himself is likely to be out until December
2012 at least.
On this week\'s review section we salute the champions of Italy and the Europa League, while
relegated Blackburn and Spanish side Granada both feature in our bad and ugly sections.
Either way, a Spanish side will be lifting a trophy in Romania today, as Atletico Madrid and
Athletic Bilbao tangle for the UEFA Europa League championship (2:45 p.m., DirecTV/7 p.m. replay,
GOLTV).
For Atletico Madrid, led by red-hot Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, the match marks a chance
to win the Europa League for the second time in three years.
Levante enjoyed its first European Cup game in the club's over 100-year history, as it beat
Scottish side Motherwell 2-0 in Scotland to all but secure a place in the Europa League group
stages is practically secured.
The Valencian club only took a few minutes to settle its early nerves in Scotland and assert its
superiority.
Benfica have their eye on Portuguese International and Malaga winger Eliseu. The 28 year old has
played 133 games for the Spanish side, scoring 16 goals and with Malaga suffering from financial
woes at the moment the Eagles are hoping that they can land Eliseu at a discounted price.
Roberto Mancini helped give Manchester City the ultimate reward in English soccer this past
season by helping them lift the Premier League title.
Now, they are rewarding him.
Mancini signed a five-year deal worth an estimated $38.7 million with the wealthy club on
Monday, meaning the Italian's contract runs through the 2016-2017 season.
Two of the grand masters of European football cancelled each other out this evening in Gdansk in
other match which gave away almost entirely nothing about where the Henri Delaunay Trophy will end
up this year. Spain, about whom so many superlatives have been written that it is almost impossible
to say anything new about them, and Italy's enigmatic 2012 edition played out a 1-1 draw which at
times had the feel of an exhibition match, a demonstration of technical ability at its absolute
highest but which ultimately ended unresolved.
With only three days before their next game, a friendly against Spanish side Valencia, on
Wednesday, the Timbers had a regeneration day at Jeld-Wen Field to recover from their win over the
Chicago Fire. Most of the Timbers starters were absent from practice today, instead spending time
in the gym with the team's trainers.
