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Dzeko denied as City earn draw


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Updated Feb 15, 2011 3:51 PM ET
Edin Dzeko was denied by two fine saves as Manchester City earned a 0-0 draw with Aris Salonika in their Europa League last-32 first leg.
City took a step towards the last 16 by keeping a clean sheet in Greece.

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It was a professional performance given that Aris have never be been beaten in 40 years of European competition at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium.
It could have been even better but former Wolfsburg striker Dzeko was out of luck in the second half.
Dzeko was one of four changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Manchester United in the derby on Saturday. Jerome Boateng, Kolo Toure and Shaun-Wright Phillips were all recalled to the side.
The atmosphere in the stadium was electric as the game got under way with fireworks lighting up the night sky just before kick-off.
It was easy to see why some many teams have failed to cope with surroundings over the years.
City had the majority of possession in the first half but had nothing to show for their efforts.
They showed their intentions early on and David Silva cracked in a shot from 20 yards after nine minutes that was turned away at the post by goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis.
Then Carlos Tevez tried his luck from distance five minutes later but his effort finished wide of the target.
Tevez was playing a deeper role than normal with former Wolfsburg striker Dzeko on his own up front.
City stepped up the pace and Dzeko almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute.
He got on the end of a driven cross from Aleksandar Kolarov but saw his close range shot gathered by the goalkeeper at the second attempt.
City were keeping possession well and frustrating an Aris side who came into the match on the back of a home defeat by Olympiacos.
City launched a swift counter-attack in the 28th minute but Dzeko only succeeded in drilling his shot into the body of Sifakis.

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Dzeko was finding plenty of room and four minutes later latched on to a ball from Gareth Barry but his finish was wayward.
Aris were finding it a struggle to get going but won a free-kick after goalkeeper Joe Hart handled outside the area.
Referee Alberto Mallenco allowed play to continue in the 39th minute but after consulting with his assistant brought Hart to book.
That appeased Aris, whose players surrounded the assistant after the ball ran out of play.
Neto took the free-kick but his effort went the wrong side of the post.
Wright-Phillips was becoming more involved and cut inside in the 57th minute only to send his effort into the body of Sifakis.
Back came Aris and Neto sent a free-kick over the wall but Hart was able to take it cleanly.
The home side were growing in confidence and Juan Toja sprinted forward in the 63rd minute and fired in a shot that Hart was equal to.
Dzeko again came close to giving City the lead a minute later following a cross from Barry. Dzeko got in a towering header but Sifakis somehow managed to tip it over the top of the bar.
Play then switched back down the other end and Neto was denied by Hart as the game suddenly opened up and Barry did well to block a shot from Michel.
City now knew they were in a game as the crowd cranked up the atmosphere even further.
Mario Balotelli was then handed his first outing in six weeks following a knee injury when he replaced Wright-Phillips late on.
Even though City failed to make the breakthrough they will be expected to complete the job in the second leg.

 

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Life's a pitch, moans Mancini


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Updated Feb 15, 2011 3:49 PM ET
Roberto Mancini felt Manchester City had been hindered by a poor pitch as they were held to a goalless draw by Aris Thessaloniki in Greece.
City enjoyed the better of the Europa League last-32 tie at Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, with striker Edin Dzeko going close on several occasions for the visitors - but Mancini felt the playing surface had denied his side the chance to make their superiority pay.
He said: "I think we had control of the game but this pitch was difficult to play on, and I think if we had scored in the first half with Dzeko things may have changed. But they defended with nine or 10 men behind the ball so it was difficult."

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But the Italian was pleased to see his side keep a clean sheet ahead of next week's second leg at Eastlands.
"It would have been better if we'd won this game," he added. "We tried but it was difficult as they defended well, but I think this is a good result.
"At Eastlands we will have a good pitch to play better football with the ball on the floor."
Shaun Wright-Phillips agreed with his manager's assessment of the playing surface.
"It was very hard, we had to watch the ball to the last minute and sometimes we missed out on some passes. But after the tough result on the weekend to come and get this is a good result."
Wright-Phillips has been tipped to leave Eastlands in the summer after struggling for opportunities but dismissed such talk, saying: "It's not about my future at the minute, I'm happy playing at the moment."
Goalkeeper Joe Hart told ITV4: "It's not a bad result and we needed to make sure we did not get beaten, and the only reason it was 0-0 was because their goalkeeper made two great saves."
Hart escaped punishment after appearing to handle the ball outside the box and said: "It looked like it, but I didn't.
"We've checked it back and obviously there was a bit of a mix-up with me and Gareth Barry, but I wouldn't have caught it if I thought it was outside the box and I knew I wasn't.
"I thought the referee got bullied a little bit but that's what happens in situations like this. The crowd tends to get on top of things, but what can you do?"

 

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Kelly keen on Europa triumph


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Updated Feb 15, 2011 1:44 PM ET
Liverpool defender Martin Kelly has set his sights on Europa League glory ahead of Thursday's last-32 first-leg tie at Sparta Prague.
Having gone unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches, Kelly believes re-starting their European programme in Prague on Thursday should hold no fears for them.

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In the group phase, then manager Roy Hodgson chose to use fringe players in order to ensure his first-teamers were not overwhelmed by an arduous campaign which had disappointed in the early stages.
Kenny Dalglish will have no such concerns, however, as - buoyed by their unbeaten run which has lifted them to sixth and having a free weekend because of the FA Cup - he will select a strong squad.
And with morale high and very few injuries to contend with Kelly believes there is no reason why they cannot be competitive on two fronts - even after the disappointment of a 1-1 draw against Wigan at the weekend ended a four-match winning streak.
"We would have wanted to get the win against Wigan but we have to put it behind us and look to our game against Sparta Prague on Thursday now," said the England Under-21 international.
"We've done well to progress and we want to go on to win it but we have to take it one game at a time.
"Any club can go on and win it so any game as a professional you want to win.
"That's our aim, but we'll take one game at a time. Our next one is the Sparta Prague one and that's what we're focused on.
"The knockout phase provides a different test than the group stages, you know you are up against good sides.
"We've got to get a good result over there so the second leg will be easier here at Anfield.
"I think the squad is pulling together now and you can see that on the pitch.

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"We are trying to play our football, which is what we have been told to do, and hopefully we can get the result in the future."
Dalglish will make late decisions on the fitness of Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel as they both missed the game against Wigan through injury.
He still will not be able to call on club record signing Andy Carroll, who is continuing his rehabilitation work from a thigh problem at the club's Melwood training ground.
The former Newcastle striker could be set for a debut early next month and vice-captain Jamie Carragher is confident the new arrival will add an extra dimension to Liverpool's play.
"We've had big tall lads, people like Emile Heskey or Peter Crouch, who have done very well for us," said the defender.
"But Carroll has that aggression that makes defenders fear him.
"As a defender you know when you go into certain games against particular players that you're going to have a hard day.
"There aren't too many of them but I know few people will relish playing against Andy.
"You wake up in the morning and think, 'Ah God - I don't want to play against him.' Everyone who has faced him probably thinks, 'I don't need this today'."
Carragher also believes Carroll will work well alongside fellow new signing Luis Suarez, who has already made an impression after just two matches.
"They can become a partnership and bring other things to the team as a target man and someone who can feed off the pieces," Carragher told LFC Weekly.
"Likewise if one is injured, the other is still capable of playing on their own through the middle."




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Europa League draw: Reds to battle Sparta


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Updated Dec 17, 2010 5:10 PM ET
Liverpool will face Sparta Prague in the Europa League round of 32, while Manchester City meet Aris Thessaloniki and Rangers take on Sporting.
Should Roy Hodgson's Reds make it past Sparta to the round of 16, they will meet Lech Poznan or Braga.

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Lying in wait for City after their Greek test would be Besiktas or Dynamo Kiev, while the reward for the Gers for seeing off Lisbon opposition would be a tie against Lille or PSV Eindhoven.
Aris' coach is the vastly-experienced Argentinian Hector Cuper, who like Mancini once managed Inter Milan.
Man City's football administrator Brian Marwood told Sky Sports News: "It's two former Inter Milan coaches going head to head and I'm looking forward to it.
"With the preparation time we have, we feel we're in a very strong position in terms of our squad. Roberto has had the opportunity to rotate the group which allows players to be rested before certain games.
"It will be a difficult period, I think we play Manchester United before the away trip but as we get close we will prepare accordingly.
"The beauty of having a squad like ours, when we have important games, if we can stay clear of injuries and suspensions, we feel we're in good shape.
"You saw last night even with a lot of players who are not playing regularly, they were very sharp, very bright and there was a good intensity to the game."
Rangers beat Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals en route to the UEFA Cup final in 2008, clinched by a 2-0 win in Portugal.
Rangers manager Walter Smith told the club's website: "We know we will face two really tough games because they are playing well at the moment and we had to play well to win there last time out.
"We played some good football against them across the two legs and we will really have to repeat those kinds of levels to have success in the Europa League.
"Of course Pedro Mendes is there so we know the quality of player that we will face."
Steven Whittaker scored the second goal against Sporting in 2008 and he added: "There is no doubt that is the best I have scored, purely because of the importance of it and what it meant to the team.
"To see the ball hit the net was an unbelievable feeling, the best ever, and the atmosphere in the dressing room was fantastic."

 

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Valera upbeat despite defeat


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Updated Dec 17, 2010 7:52 AM ET
Juan Valera believes Atletico Madrid can hold their heads high after the defending champions bid farewell to the Europa League on Thursday.
Defender Valera also urged the Rojiblancos to put their European exit behind them as soon as possible and focus on domestic objectives, which will be to finish in the top four of La Liga and try and reach the final of the Copa del Rey for the second year in succession.

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Atletico went into Thursday night's final round of group fixtures knowing they did not control their own destiny after suffering what was a costly 3-2 home defeat to Aris Thessaloniki in their previous outing in Group B.
That result meant Atletico, who were level on seven points with Aris but with an inferior head-to-head record prior to the games, needed to better the result Aris got at home to already-eliminated Rosenborg in their match away to group winners Bayer Leverkusen.
It was a tough task and in the end neither result went Atletico's way, with Quique Sanchez Flores' men being held 1-1 at a snow-covered BayArena while Aris defeated Rosenborg 2-0.
Valera felt his team deserved more though, saying: "Everything was lost the day against Aris. We didn't depend on ourselves, but we still had a great game against a difficult team. I honestly think that although we've been knocked out, we are going with our heads high. I think we deserved the victory."
Atletico now have two more matches before the short winter break. On Sunday they will try to improve on their sixth-placed position in La Liga when they face lowly Malaga before then meeting Espanyol in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie.
"We must resolve this situation by winning the next games against Malaga and Espanyol. It's very important to turn the page as soon as possible and forget this elimination," Valera added.
"We started well (against Leverkusen) and we played a great game, we did enough to win and we weren't ever thinking of the game at Aris. The only thing we wanted to do was win and even up until the final minutes we could have done that.
"Now more than ever we need the fans. We must give it everything in the two competitions that we're still in."
Striker Diego Forlan, who scored both goals in last season's Europa League final win over Fulham, added on his club's website: "It's not the first time we've been knocked out of a competition. In other years we've tumbled out and in the end we've achieved the objectives that were set out for us at the start of the season. We must try to achieve them and try to forget this as soon as possible.
"We knew that it was going to be complicated because we lost everything when we played against Aris. We depended on other teams, but even so we gave it everything to try and win."

 

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Atletico knocked out of Europa League

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Updated Dec 16, 2010 5:39 PM ET
Europa League title holder Atletico Madrid crashed out of the competition after a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday.
Substitute Fran Merida scored with his first touch of the ball in the 72nd to level the score but the draw was not enough for Atletico to move past Aris in Group B. Aris won 2-0 at home over Rosenborg and advanced to the last 32.

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Patrick Helmes had given Leverkusen the lead after 69 minutes. Leverkusen was already assured of winning the group and advancing ahead of Aris.
Heavy snowfall made the conditions difficult throughout the match.
Diego Forlan, whose two goals gave Atletico the title in the final in May in a 2-1 win over Fulham, wasted the first big opportunity of the match in the 32nd, with backup goalkeeper Fabian Giefer making a smart save with his legs. Giefer was playing instead of the injured Rene Adler.
Giefer was beaten a few minutes later, but Forlan's shot from 20 meters (yards) just missed the target.
Helmes had a good chance in the 57th after a failed clearance by Atletico but his shot from close range at the far post went wide.
Forlan left the game in the 67th with Diego Costa coming on.
But it was Leverkusen that scored two minutes later with the simplest of moves. Stefan Kiessling rose to meet a long free kick and headed on to Helmes, who broke through between two defenders and scored.
The lead lasted three minutes. Danny da Costa tried to knock the ball away from Sergio Aguero but put it right in front of substitute Fran Merida, who scored with his first touch of the ball less than a minute after coming on. Shortly before, Atletico had a lucky break when the ball bounced Aguero's way after hitting the referee accidentally.
Helmes has another good attempt kicked out by David de Gea in the 84th and Aguero shot high from six meters (yards) out in the 88th to waste the final opportunity.

 

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Today's Games

Today's Games Qualifier: 07/01/10 Qualifier: 07/08/10 Qualifier: 07/15/10 Qualifier: 07/22/10 - 07/23/10 Qualifier: 07/27/10 - 07/29/10 Qualifier: 08/03/10 - 08/05/10 First Round: 08/17/10 - 08/19/10 First Round: 08/24/10 - 08/26/10 Group Stage 9: 09/16/10 Group Stage 10: 09/30/10 Group Stage 11: 10/21/10 Group Stage 12: 11/04/10 Group Stage 13: 12/01/10 - 12/02/10 Group Stage 14: 12/15/10 - 12/16/10 Round of 32: 02/15/11 - 02/17/11 Round of 32: 02/22/11 - 02/24/11​

Tuesday, February 15, 2011​

Round of 32​

Kleanthis Vikelidis

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Aris​

0 : 0
Final

Manchester City​

Match Stats | Match Trax
Goals Cards Edin Dzeko (77')

(72') Danijel Cesarec

Raul Bobadilla

(88') Nery Castillo

Neto

Substitutions Mario Balotelli (77')

Shaun Wright-Phillips

Pablo Zabaleta (84')

Edin Dzeko

Upcoming Games

Thursday, February 17, 2011​

Round of 32​

Central Stadium

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Rubin Kazan​

7:00 AM ET

FC Twente​

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da Luz

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Benfica​

1:00 PM ET

VfB Stuttgart​

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Tannadice Park

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BATE​

1:00 PM ET

Paris SG​

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Metalist Stadium

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FC Metalist Kharkiv​

11:00 AM ET

Bayer Leverkusen​

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San Paolo

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Napoli​

1:00 PM ET

Villarreal​

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Constant Vanden Stock

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Anderlecht​

1:00 PM ET

Ajax​

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Stadion Miejski

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Lech Poznan​

1:00 PM ET

Sporting Braga​

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Besiktas Inönü

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Besiktas​

1:00 PM ET

Dynamo Kiev​

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Ibrox

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Rangers​

3:05 PM ET

Sporting Lisbon​

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Sánchez Pizjuán

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Sevilla​

3:05 PM ET

FC Porto​

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St. Jakob-Park

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FC Basel​

3:05 PM ET

Spartak Moscow​

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Generali Arena

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Sparta Prague​

3:05 PM ET

Liverpool​

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Stade de Suisse Wankdorf

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Young Boys​

3:05 PM ET

Zenit St. Petersburg​

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Metropole

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Lille​

3:05 PM ET

PSV Eindhoven​

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Toumba Stadium

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PAOK​

3:05 PM ET

CSKA Moscow​

 

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