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| Real Salt Lake faces a third match in eight days, but having leading scorer Fabian Espindola and top defender Jamison Olave back from suspension should give the club a nice lift. |
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| Winger Anthony Mounier scored his eighth goal of the season as Nice beat visiting Lorient 2-0 on Sunday to ease its relegation worries. Mounier scored just after halftime and central defender Renato Civelli got the second in the 57th minute as Nice moved up to 13th place. Lorient's chances of making a comeback where all but over after midfielder Alaixys Romoa was sent off in the 78th. |
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Being the incredibly nice guy that he is, you probably wouldn't think of Kaka as much of a practical joker, but since his mark here is the man many consider to be the embodiment of footballing evil, it's a bit more understandable.
Teaming up with Marcelo, Kaka curled up behind Pepe at Real Madrid's training ground while the finger-stomping defender did keepie-uppies for the camera. And right after Pepe finished and seemed to be feeling quite pleased with himself, Marcelo shoved him over the Kaka stumbling block before they both ran off giggling.
Since this prank involved an act of violence, Pepe found it quite enjoyable even though he was the victim. He gave the camera a thumbs up as a show of approval and when he did his routine a second time, he checked behind him to make sure it wouldn't happen again. Who would've ever guessed that Kaka would be the one to put The Fear into Pepe? |
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| Those in the United States who chose to sleep in on Easter Saturday morning made the right decision. There's really no nice way to say it: This was a rather dreadful, missable contest. Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur played to a lackluster scoreless draw on Saturday. |
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| Two consecutive wins are nice, but a "winning streak" they are not. They were two victories Tottenham Hotspur were happy to earn, however, as Spurs desperately needed to put an end to what was (hopefully) their worst spell of the campaign. |
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Growing up on the opposite side of the bitter Tyne-Wear derby was always going to be a problem a certain segment of Sunderland fans would have with Newcastle boy Steve Bruce when he was named manager in 2009. And when the club sank down towards the relegation zone after significant investment during the 2011 summer transfer window, that problem was exacerbated to the point where Bruce was sacked in November.
Of course, Martin O'Neill came in and immediately turned the club's fortunes around, bringing them back to the top half of the table, but Steve Bruce believes he was forced out not because of abysmal results, but because of that tribal hatred.
From the Newcastle Evening Chronicle :
"I must admit that being a Geordie came back to haunt me," said Bruce, now ready to open his heart on a painful experience in an exclusive interview.
"The hatred I suffered was unbelievable. It was brutal, it really was.
"In fairness it was a minority of Sunderland fans who abused me but it was way over the top and very hurtful.
"I can't change my upbringing. I am who I am and proud of it. But I paid a big price. [...]
"I had to batten down the hatches and lie low. I didn't go out to my local pub.
"I didn't want to invite abuse."
The man couldn't go to his local pub! Well, he didn't want to go to his local pub. The horror! Sure, with the money he was making he probably could've just built his own pub inside his house like Peter in that one episode of Family Guy and invited only people who would be nice to him, but this is still an unspeakable travesty.
Steve: Knowing football fans, you probably did receive some terrible abuse, but if you want to illustrate just how bad it was, the pub example probably isn't the best one to use. |
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Dundee United signed 21-year-old Liverpool youth team wash-out Gary Mackay-Steven from second-division Airdrie United last summer and the winger has been a revelation for the club in just his first season. Winning the Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Month award for February and earning his first cap for the Scotland U-21 team after scoring and pulling off a breath-taking bit of skill (later dubbed the "Gazgetaway") against St. Johnstone, Mackay-Steven has prompted fans to sing "Are you Messi in disguise?" during matches.
This has not gone unnoticed by his teammates, though. From the Daily Record :
Mackay-Steven said: "I heard the fans chanting and I'm a bit embarrassed because you see what [Lionel] Messi does every week. He's in a league of his own, the best player in the world and possibly ever.
"I like watching Messi because the things he does with the ball are amazing.
"It's nice to hear the fans saying that but it has given the lads in the dressing room plenty of ammunition.
"They give me a lot of stick. They've been calling me Lionel every day. And some of them are even saying they'll be chanting 'GMS' in the Nou Camp soon.
At 5'9", Mackay-Steven is a little taller than Messi. He's also a bit blonder and his Lego collection probably comes nowhere near the size of Messi's. But that's nothing a leg shortening surgery, a little hair dye and a trip to the toy shop can't fix. |
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Following the failed appointment of youth team coach Andrea Stramaccioni as Inter's caretaker manager, the club announced that Canadian meteorologist Ted Flangies has been hired on a five-year deal to take charge of the struggling squad. Flangies, hired solely for his striking resemblance to former Inter manager Jose Mourinho, claims he has never watched a football match in his life.
"Finding a manager that can live up to Mourinho has been difficult," said Inter owner Massimo Moratti. "We have tried men with great knowledge of the game, but they have all failed. So, we found a person who looks exactly like Mourinho. Seriously, it's scary how much he looks like Jose. Also, he has an innate distrust of UNICEF. He's perfect."
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Souleymane Diawara's season could be over after tests revealed that the Marseille centre-back tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the 1-1 draw at Nice on Saturday. The Senegalese international defender was forced off after just six minutes at Stade du Ray...
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| Olympique Marseille and Senegal
centre back Souleymane Diawara is set to miss the rest of the
season after seriously injuring his knee in Saturday's game at
Nice, the Ligue 1 club said on Sunday.
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