Boring United?

Van Gaal's
team in 3-3 thriller at
Newcastle
Steve Douglas, Associated Press, Manchester,
England | Sports | Wed, January 13 2016, 1:04 PM
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (left),
celebrates his goal during the English Premier
League soccer match between Newcastle United
and Manchester United at St James' Park,
Newcastle, England, Tuesday. (AP/Scott Heppell)
Sports News

So much for Manchester United being boring.

In one of the most entertaining matches of the English Premier League, United
squandered a two-goal lead, went back in front through an exquisite shot from
Wayne Rooney, and then conceded a 90th-minute goal to draw at Newcastle 3-3
on Tuesday.
The thriller at St. James' Park might briefly silence the many critics who have
been criticizing United's often ponderous style of play, but that will come as little
comfort to under-pressure manager Louis van Gaal, whose side slipped to sixth
place in the standings.
"It feels like a defeat," said Van Gaal, who acknowledged before the game that
even he was "very bored" during some United matches. "We have given it away."
A positive for United was the performance of Rooney, who scored twice, set up
the other goal by Jesse Lingard, and put in an impressive all-round performance.
He has four goals in three matches in 2016, having struggled for form in the first
half of the season.
Last-place Aston Villa collected its first win since the opening day, beating
Crystal Palace 1-0 courtesy of a goalkeeper error by Wayne Hennessey. The
Wales international let Joleon Lescott's header slip through his grasp and over
the line, ending Villa's 19-game winless run and giving the team renewed hope of
surviving relegation.
Villa provisionally is eight points from safety.
Also, West Ham came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1, with Enner Valencia
scoring twice and fit-again playmaker Dimitri Payet scoring the other goal for the
visitors.
West Ham moved into fifth place, above Man United.

With Newcastle struggling for goals of late and United seemingly restricted by
Van Gaal's suffocating approach, few would have foreseen their end-to-end
match. It was a throwback to many of the exciting games in Alex Ferguson's
reign at United.
Rooney's ninth-minute goal from the penalty spot set the tone, before the
England striker led a counterattack that ended with Lingard scoring from a low
shot.
Goals by Georginio Wijnaldum and Aleksandar Mitrovic, also from a penalty,
brought Newcastle level, only for Rooney to restore United's lead by curling
home a screamer from 20 meters in the 79th.
With seconds left of regulation time, United failed to clear and Paul Dummett
advanced from left back to fire in a fierce shot from the edge of the area that
deflected into the top corner.
"It is the best feeling in the world," the Newcastle-born Dummett said.
The result keeps the pressure on Van Gaal, whose job appeared to be on the line
over the festive period when United was on an eight-match winless run. The 20time English champions won back-to-back games to start 2016, against Swansea
in the league and third-tier Sheffield United in the FA Cup, but both performances
were unconvincing.
United plays its biggest rival, Liverpool, on Sunday. (kes)(+)

Lionel Messi
wins FIFA
world player
award for
5th time
Graham Dunbar, Associated Press, Zurich | Sports | Tue, January 12 2016, 8:07 AM
Argentina's Lionel Messi delivers a speech after winning the FIFA Men's soccer player of the
year 2015 prize during the FIFA Ballon d'Or awarding ceremony at the Kongresshaus in
Zurich, Switzerland, Monday. (Valeriano Di Domenico/KEYSTONE via AP)
Sports News

Now score it Lionel Messi 5, Cristiano Ronaldo 3.

Messi won the Ballon d'Or trophy on Monday as the world's best player in 2015, ending
Cristiano Ronaldo's two-year hold on soccer's top individual honor.
"It's incredible that it's my fifth," said the 28-year-old Barcelona and Argentina forward, who
won four straight FIFA awards from 2009-12.
Messi earned his record-extending fifth after being runner-up to his great rival for the past
two years.
"It's a very special moment for me to be back here on the stage," Messi said in Spanish in his
acceptance speech, "after being there in the audience watching Cristiano win."
Five major titles for Barcelona last year leaving none for Ronaldo's Real Madrid
brought the golden ball back into Messi's hands. It was not even close.
Messi got 41.33 percent of total voting points in a 23-candidate ballot. Ronaldo received
27.76 percent and third-place Neymar, Messi's Barcelona teammate from Brazil, got 7.86
percent. Voting was by national team captains and coaches, plus invited journalists, from
FIFA member countries.
As usual, Argentina captain Messi and Portugal captain Ronaldo ignored each other on their
own ballot papers. Messi voted for three Barcelona teammates and Ronaldo listed three
Madrid colleagues. However, Portugal coach Fernando Santos did put Messi second to
Ronaldo.
It was a stellar night for Barcelona and the World Cup-winning United States women's team.

Luis Enrique was named best coach after guiding Barcelona to win the Champions League,
Spain's La Liga and cup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
The women's awards were won by U.S. captain Carli Lloyd and coach Jill Ellis.
Lloyd stood out by scoring six World Cup goals, including a stunning hat trick in the opening
16 minutes of a 5-2 rout of Japan in the final.
At first unable to speak with emotion, Lloyd was loudly applauded as she prepared to begin
her acceptance speech.
"I honestly wouldn't be sitting up here, standing up here, without my incredible teammates,"
said Lloyd, who made the three-player shortlist for the first time at age 33.
Lloyd got 35.28% of the voting points, ahead of Germany's Celia Sasic with 12.6 percent.
Third-place Aya Miyama of Japan got 9.88 percent. Sasic also scored six goals in Canada to
win the tournament Golden Boot, then retired aged just 27.
Ellis won the coaching award in women's football ahead of two men: Japan coach Norio
Sasaki and Mark Sampson, who led England to third place at the World Cup.
English-born Ellis got the most dominating win. She scored 42.98 percent, ahead of Sasaki
on 17.79 percent and Sampson's 10.68 percent.
The Americans last swept the women's awards after its 2012 Olympic title, when forward
Abby Wambach and Swedish coach Pia Sundhage were rewarded.
Barcelona also swept the 2011 men's awards when Messi and then-coach Pep Guardiola won
following the club's previous Champions League title.
Guardiola, now coaching Bayern Munich, placed second to his former teammate Monday,
getting 22.97 percent against for 31.08 percent for Luis Enrique. Neither could attend due to
team commitments.
Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli placed third, on 9.47 percent, for guiding the host to a first Copa
America title.
Messi lost out in the Puskas Award for most beautiful goal to Wendell Lira of Brazil. Lira's
bicycle kick for Goianesia against Atletico-GO in a league game topped an online poll that
logged more than 1.6 million votes.
The gala night allowed FIFA to forget its corruption crisis and many legal problems in 2015
to focus on soccer highlights.
Still, FIFA withheld the Presidential Award that Sepp Blatter would traditionally pick and
present. The outgoing Blatter was absent Monday due to this eight-year ban imposed by the
FIFA ethics committee last month.

Four of the five candidates competing to succeed Blatter in the Feb. 26 election attended on
Monday: Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino and Tokyo
Sexwale. Only Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al Khalifa skipped the event.
In Blatter's absence, acting FIFA President Issa Hayatou of Cameroon made the formal
opening speech. He noted the election meeting in Zurich where 209 member federations will
also vote on restructuring and modernizing the embattled soccer body.
"After these last few difficult months we can now focus fully on the main mission that is
FIFA's," Hayatou said in French, referring to developing the game worldwide.
A players' vote organized by international union FIFPro gave a World XI of: Manuel Neuer
(Germany, Bayern Munich); Dani Alves (Brazil, Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real
Madrid), Thiago Silva (Brazil, Paris Saint-Germain), Marcelo (Brazil, Real Madrid); Andres
Iniesta (Spain, Barcelona), Luka Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid), Paul Pogba (France,
Juventus); Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo.
FIFA dedicated its Fair Play Award to "clubs and associations helping refugees." (kes)

Real Madrid wins in Zidane's

debut as head coach
Tales Azzoni, Associated Press, Madrid | Sports | Mon, January 11 2016, 4:26 PM

Real Madrid's new head coach Zinedine Zidane gives instructions from the side line during a
Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Deportivo Coruna at the Santiago
Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Saturday. (AP/Francisco Seco)
Sports News

Zinedine Zidane's head-coaching career got off to a winning start as Real Madrid defeated
Deportivo La Coruna 5-0 in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Gareth Bale had a hat trick and Karim Benzema scored twice, including with a back-heel
flick.
Zidane received a warm welcome at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, with fans loudly cheering
the former galactico before and after the game. It was a completely different atmosphere
compared to when Rafa Benitez was in charge. Benitez was jeered in nearly every game since
a demoralizing 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in November, a result that ignited a crisis at the
Spanish giant.
"The fans were behind the team from the first minute until the end. It was a great
atmosphere," Zidane said. "But we have to understand that this was only the first game, we
have to keep winning. The goal is to keep playing well and keep winning games."
Real Madrid moved to within two points of Barcelona, which earlier defeated Granada 4-0
with a hat trick by Lionel Messi and a goal by Neymar.
Third-place Atletico Madrid was one point behind Barcelona and can regain the lead when it
plays at fifth-place Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Barcelona will have a game in hand after the 19th round this weekend.
Zidane, who thrived at Madrid until retiring in 2006, stepped up from Madrid's B team when
Benitez was fired this week after seven months on the job.

"It means a lot to me to be here," Zidane said. "I want to enjoy this win."
Benzema opened the scoring by using his back heel to redirect Sergio Ramos' shot off a
corner, then Bale headed in a cross from Dani Carvajal seven minutes later, and found the net
from close range after a cross by Cristiano Ronaldo to open the second half. Bale's third goal
was another header, and Benzema's second came in the game's last play.
Ronaldo's best opportunity was when he struck the post with a first-half header.
At the Camp Nou, Messi scored twice within the first 15 minutes and added his third in the
second half. Neymar closed the scoring late.
Barcelona had drawn four of its last six matches but was coming off a 4-1 win over city rival
Espanyol in the Copa del Rey. It had been held by Espanyol to a scoreless draw in the
previous league round.
"I'm very satisfied with how the team played today," Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said.
"Everybody was focused from the beginning. The players knew how important it was to win
these three points."
Barcelona dominated Granada, which was only 17th in the 20-team standings.
"We could have scored more," Barcelona defender Aleix Vidal said. "But the main thing was
to get the three points. We are back in the lead, now we'll see what happens in the other
matches."
Messi found the net from close range in the eighth minute after a pass from Arda Turan, then
bagged his second six minutes later by striking an open net after a pass by Suarez.Messi's
third goal came after Neymar struck the post and the ball rebounded to Messiinside the area
for his ninth league goal.
It was Messi's first hat trick of the season, and 33rd of his career. He is favored to win a
record fifth Ballon d'Or on Monday, from a shortlist with Neymar and Ronaldo.
Neymar sealed Barcelona's victory from close range, scoring his 15th league goal to tie
Suarez as the competition's leading scorer. Ronaldo has 14.
Dani Alves, who this week called Spanish media "garbage" for the way it covers soccer, came
off the bench in the second half and was loudly cheered by the Barcelona fans.
The club initially condemned Alves' comments, but late Friday said it would give its support
to the player in case a local association of sports media went ahead with its threat to sue the
Brazilian right back.
Also, Sevilla defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 to win its eighth straight home game and move to
sixth in the standings. (kes)(+)