Schalke 04 3 - 1 Valencia (agg 4 - 2)

Farfan (centre) and Gavranovic scored Schalke's key goals

Two goals from Jefferson Farfan and one from Mario Gavranovic saw Schalke come from behind to beat Valencia and reach the last eight of the Champions League.

Valencia took just 17 minutes to cancel out Schalke's first-leg away goal as Ricardo Costa produced a smart header.

But Farfan levelled just before half-time with a superb free-kick.

Gavronovic then put Schalke ahead with a scrambled effort which hit both posts and went in before Farfan sealed things in injury-time with a clever chip.

Schalke came into the game in disappointing form and with question marks over the long-term future of coach Felix Magath.

They began brightly, but their early confidence evaporated when Mehmet Topal found space down the left and fired in a cross to which Costa reacted superbly, controlling a header past Manuel Neuer at his near post.

Schalke striker Raul headed wide soon after, but Valencia attacked against and Christoph Metzelder did well to block Aritz Aduriz's effort.

The Royal Blues looked set to go into the break still trailing but, with five minutes to go, they won a free-kick just outside the area.

It was a dangerous position, and Farfan made the most of it as he curled a superb free-kick into the top corner past Vicente Guaita, who got a fingertip to the ball but could not keep it out.

After the interval, Guaita could only push a cross down to Farfan inside the area, and although the Valencia goalkeeper managed to save the Schalke goalscorer's resulting shot, the ball fell perfectly for Gavranovic, whose effort hit the inside of the near post, rolled across the line and hit the far post as well before going in.

Schalke knew that a Valencia goal would put the Spanish side ahead on away goals, and they survived some nervy moments before the end.

Within four minutes of Gavranovic's goal Aduriz had two great chances to score, but he fired his first into the side netting with Neuer out of position and then, after being put clean through, he was denied by a brilliant save by the Schalke goalkeeper and captain.

Tino Costa then missed another good opening for Valencia while Neuer was called into action again to save a Juan Mata shot.

But Valencia could not force an equaliser and Schalke twice came close to killing the game off late on when Gavranovic hit the woodwork on separate occasions.

The first saw his thunderous drive deflected onto the near post by Guaita, and he then saw a brilliant 35-yard lob hit the Valencia crossbar with Guaita struggling.

Schalke were celebrating a third goal late on though as Farfan broke away before dinking the ball over Guaita to settle the contest.

---

Schalke double goalscorer Jefferson Farfan:
"Two goals. That is very good but I am just happy the team is through, that is the most important thing.

"I hope I gave our fans something to smile about."

Schalke coach Felix Magath on rumours the board will end his contract at the end of the season:
"It doesn't interest us, and it shouldn't interest us. The truth was plain to see on the field. I plan to continue my work until 2013.

"I am proud with how my players outplayed a top quality national team. We showed we are better when we face top teams."

Live text and stats

Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Champions League

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Time
Schalke 04	3-1	Valencia	FT
(HT 1-1)(agg 4-2)
Farfan 40 Gavranovic 52 Farfan 90+4		Costa 17

Hide team line-ups and match stats

Schalke 04

• 01 Neuer
• 03 Escuderoyellow card
• 04 Howedes
• 21 Metzelder
• 22 Uchida
• 32 Matip (Papadopoulos 60)
• 12 Klugeyellow card (Sarpei 81)
• 18 Jurado (Draxler 76)
• 19 Gavranovic
• 07 Raul
• 17 Farfanyellow card

Substitutes

• 33 Schober, 
• 02 Sarpei,
• 14 Papadopoulos, 
• 31 Draxler,
• 09 Goncalves Edu, 
• 15 Charisteas,
• 16 Ali Karimi

Valencia

• 13 Guaita
• 02 Bruno
• 04 Navarro
• 20 Costa
• 22 Mathieuyellow card
• 05 Topal
• 07 Joaquin
• 19 Pablo (Soldado 64)
• 21 Banega (Facundo Costa 70)
• 10 Mata
• 11 Aduriz (Oliveira 75)

Substitutes

• 01 Cesar, 
• 06 Albelda, 
• 14 Vicente,
• 24 Facundo Costa, 
• 28 Ramos Jordi Alba, 
• 09 Soldado, 
• 16 Oliveira

Ref: ErikssonAtt: 55,000

SCHALKE 04

VALENCIA

Possession

• Schalke 0450%
• Valencia50%

Attempts on target

• Schalke 040
• Valencia0

Attempts off target

• Schalke 040
• Valencia0

Corners

• Schalke 040
• Valencia0

Fouls

• Schalke 040
• Valencia0

Read More

Barcelona go 10 points clear in Spain; Milan beat sorry Juve in Turin

Spanish champions Barcelona continued their relentless pace at the top of La Liga with a 1-0 home win over Real Zaragoza Saturday night.

It was their third league win in eight days and took them 10 points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid, who play at Racing Santander Sunday.

Mali international midfielder Seydou Keita scored the only goal in the Nou Camp shortly before halftime, set up by Lionel Messi.

With Barca looking to overcome a 2-1 deficit in the home leg of their Champions League last 16 tie to Arsenal in three days time, coach Pep Guardiola rested Spanish stars David Villa and Andres Iniesta, giving 31-year-old Keita and Bojan Krkic a rare starting chance.

Zaragoza worked hard to keep Barcelona at bay and succeeded until two minutes before the break as Messi worked his way to the touchline before crossing for Keita to score his second league goal of the season.

Zaragoza, two points above the relegation zone, almost equalized early in the second half with Bertolo getting the better of Gerard Pique but his curling effort went just wide.

Pique had a header stopped on the line before Victor Valdes in the away goal denied Florent Sinama Pongolle with an outstretched leg.

Substitute Villa wasted a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 but the hosts were content to play out time.

Earlier Saturday, Spain winger Pablo Hernandez scored twice as Valencia came from behind to win 2-1 at Real Mallorca to move four points clear of fourth-placed Villarreal in the battle for Champions League spots.

In Serie A, AC Milan continue to set the pace and increased their lead to eight points with a 1-0 win over Juventus in Turin Saturday night.

Gennaro Gattuso scored the winning goal after 68 minutes, firing under Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon for Milan's second vital win in a week, having accounted for fellow title challengers Napoli 3-0 on Monday.

It was a rare goal for midfielder Gattuso, who is suspended for Wednesday's Champions League clash against Tottenham after his antics in the 1-0 defeat to the English Premier League side in the first leg.

But it was Juve's third defeat in the row and they have slipped to seventh, seven points of the Champions League spots.

Milan should have been ahead before Gattuso's goal as Zlatan Ibrahimovic threatened, but it was the Swedish striker who set him up, chesting down a long ball into his path.

Read More

Win puts Dortmund 15 points clear at top

Borussia Dortmund are now a massive 15 points clear at the top of the German Bundesliga after a 1-0 victory over Cologne on Friday -- their 19th win from 25 games this season.

The only goal came a minute before half-time when Polish striker Robert Lewandowski chested down a long pass, before slamming the ball into the corner of the net.

The home side schould have added a second goal in the closing stages but striker Lucas Barrios fired against the crossbar.

The result leaves Juergen Klopp's side on the verge of their first league title since 2002, with just nine games still to play.

"This was probably one of the most deserved 1-0 wins of all time," Klopp told reporters. "The boys created so many chances over the 90 minutes."

Second-placed Bayer Leverkusen have a chance to close the gap when they host Wolfsburg on Saturday, while champions Bayern Munich -- who are fourth -- take on third-placed Hanover in the match of the weekend.

Meanwhile, in Italy's Serie A, Roma needed a last-minute penalty to claim a 2-1 victory at Lecce.

David Pizarro made no mistake from the spot as Roma remain sixth in the table, while Lecce are fourth bottom.

Match highlights:

Read More

Michigan High School Basketball Star Dies After Winning Shot

A western Michigan high school basketball player collapsed on the court and later died after making the game-winning shot to finish off his team's perfect season.
Wes Leonard, a 16-year-old Fennville High School basketball player, died Thursday night, Holland Hospital spokeswoman Deb Patterson said. The medical examiner says that Leonard died from an enlarged heart.
"It's tough to take in," Leonard's teammate Shane Bale, told The Holland Sentinel. "It's like somebody from your family, you know?"
Paramedics performed CPR on Leonard before he was pronounced dead at the hospital, Patterson said. Leonard had scored the game-winning layup in a 57-55 win over Bridgman in overtime to cap Fennville's 20-0 season. He fell to the ground after teammates and fans rushed the court.Immediately after the game, dozens of classmates, friends and family members posted on Facebook, asking for prayers and support, Fox17.com reported.The final Facebook posting from the standout athlete was Wednesday night when he posted, "Got a good long shower...ready for bed and game tomorrow!"Fennville Public Schools Superintendent Dirk Weeldryer remembered Leonard as "a wonderful kid" during a press conference Friday morning.
"Even with the accolades and people calling him a star ... he was very humble and down to earth, widely liked and admired," Weeldryer said.
Leonard also was a quarterback for the high school football team.
He's the second Fennville athlete to die in 14 months. Wrestler Nathaniel Hernandez died in January of 2010 after suffering a seizure at home following his participation in a high school wrestling match. He was 14.In an interview with the Sentinel at Tuesday's practice, Fennville coach Ryan Klingler talked about how Leonard had a great drive to succeed and that he saw the "bigger picture."
"That's what makes him a little different. He takes care of his body better than probably anybody I've ever coached," Klingler said. "Spends a lot of time on his own in the weight room. He's a special kid."Weeldryer said a crisis team was assembled early Friday, and counselors were being made available to help students.
"There are things you never, ever want to have to address ... particularly with a situation like this, where Wes was so widely known and respected and revered," he said.

Read More

David Haye targets Wladimir Klitschko for July bout

WBA heavyweight champion David Haye hopes to take on WBO and IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko in July after rescheduling his next fight.
Haye claims a mandatory defence against Ruslan Chagaev in May has been cancelled, allowing time for the bout. The Briton, 30, aims to unify the titles before retiring later this year.
"One way or another my next fight is going to be in July. I am hoping it is going to be against Wladimir Klitschko," he told BBC Sport.

Negotiations over the staging of the fight stalled in December with the two camps wrangling over the details of the contest. But Haye is hopeful that a deal could now be struck, with a 2 July date most likely.

"I believe we are pretty close to agreeing. That's what I believe. Whether we are or not is a whole different matter," he added.

"It seems at this stage that we are ready to do it, so hopefully they are. We should know something more in the next few days."

Haye confirmed that he still intends to take on Wladimir's brother Vitali, the WBC champion, in his final fight before retiring ahead of turning 31 in October. The Londoner was due to fight Chagaev in May, but the Uzbek has had problems obtaining a boxing licence in Britain as he suffers from hepatitis B. A potential obstacle to Haye's plans is Wladimir's voluntary defence against Britain's Derek Chisora on 30 April - a little over two months before a proposed fight with Haye. Haye admitted in January that a 2 July meeting was "effectively impossible" unless Wladimir stepped away from his fight with Chisora.

Read More

Manchester City defender Kolo Toure positive drug test

Manchester City defender Kolo Toure has been suspended after testing positive for a specified substance.

The 29-year-old was informed by the Football Association that an A sample he provided had returned positive. City confirmed in a statement that Toure had been suspended "pending the outcome of the legal process". Ivory Coast international Toure, whose brother Yaya also plays for City, is a former club captain who joined City from Arsenal in July 2009. The defender has gone on to make more than 50 appearances for City, although he was not involved in Wednesday's FA Cup victory over Aston Villa. The failed test automatically triggered the suspension and it is understood that Toure was left out of the squad because the club had been made aware of the situation.

The City statement added: "There will be no further comment from the football club at this stage."

And on Thursday evening an FA statement said: "The FA can confirm that a player has been provisionally suspended from playing pending investigation, having tested positive for the use of a prohibited substance." The World Anti-Doping Agency defines a specified substance as one that is "more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation". The Wada punishment for such a positive test ranges from a warning to a two-year ban. Hamilton Academicals midfielder Simon Mensing recently served a four-week ban after a specified substance was detected in his system. The 28-year-old tested positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine at the end of January and subsequently missed five matches after a period of ineligibility was imposed on him. The player maintained he was unaware he had ingested the substance while using a dietary supplement - an explanation which was accepted by UK Anti-Doping. Toure was the skipper of City until the start of the current campaign, when the armband was passed to Carlos Tevez.

The Ivorian defender was brought to the Premier League by Arsenal in 2002 and he remained with the London club until his £14m transfer to City. Toure, who is under contract with City until the summer of 2013, was one of several high-profile arrivals in the summer of 2009 as then-manager Mark Hughes spent more than £100m on new players. City are currently pursuing trophies on three fronts. They will play Reading in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, are set to take on Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League and lie third in the Premier League, 10 points behind leaders Manchester United.

Read More