Spain wary as Norway eye another surprise

Spain wary as Norway eye another surprise

Julen Lopetegui believes holders Spain will face their "hardest match" in the semi-final against a Norway side aiming to take "another big jump" according to coach Tor Ole Skullerud.

Norway coach Tor Ole Skullerud admitted that Spain were "big favourites" to win Saturday's UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-final in Netanya but is hopeful his team might be ready to take "another big jump" forward by upsetting the holders. His Spain counterpart, Julen Lopetegui, believes his team will face their toughest test yet against the Scandinavians.

Julen Lopetegui, Spain coach
For me, tomorrow will be the hardest match of the tournament. We're in the semi-finals of a European Championship and have the chance to get to the final, but so do Norway. We have as much respect for Norway as for Italy or any other team. They're a complete team in every aspect, they have great tactical discipline, and have been reinforced by four players from their national team.

They're the team who've had the most corners and one of the teams with the most shots on goal. They knocked out France [in the play-offs] and have beaten England. They have a lot of good players, who have experience with the full national team. They are players with different styles who combine well together. Their attacking play is very good and they defend with great intensity and real unity – they're a proper team.

[On starting with Rodrigo or Álvaro Morata] I've already decided in my mind who will start. We have the two options and we'll decide at each moment. Whichever of the two plays will do a fantastic job.

Group stage results
Spain 1-0 Russia (Morata 82)
Germany 0-1 Spain (Morata 86)
Spain 3-0 Netherlands (Morata 26, Isco 32, Álvaro Vázquez 90+1)

• Spain sealed a semi-final berth with a game to spare thanks to two late Álvaro Morata goals. The Real Madrid CF forward chalked up three goals in 70 minutes after coming off the bench against Russia and Germany and scoring a 26th-minute opener in the final Group B match against the Netherlands. Morata subsequently leads the race for the adidas Golden Boot award.

Team news
Lopetegui said he is hopeful midfielder Ignacio Camacho will recover from the ankle injury he suffered against the Netherlands. "He's got a chance of being fit and that's what we're working towards," said the coach, who otherwise has no injury doubts.

Tor Ole Skullerud, Norway coach
We have made several breakthroughs which have given us confidence and helped us build a strong squad. I feel very strongly that if we are to make another big jump it has to be tomorrow.

Spain are big favourites going into the game. They have played three good games so far, we have studied them and we are going to try to make a good game plan. We can be the big surprise of the tournament, maybe we already are. I have lots of good players and we have a fantastic mentality but you don't get much better than Spain – they're probably one of the best teams in the world at this level. It's a fantastic opportunity for us to see what we can do against the best.

We don't want only to defend but also to attack and give them as much trouble as we can with our own play – we'll try to interrupt their passing and moving, their rhythm. If we let them play all the time and can't get in tackles and win the ball then we're going to struggle. I am sure Spain will have more of the ball, but the problem is if we let them come too far up the pitch, let them play through and there's lots of movement in the last third of the pitch. It's not a problem to have less possession but we need to cause them trouble as well. Against England we were clinical, we did well on the counter but I want to keep the ball better than we did against them.

[On the 5-2 friendly loss to Spain in March] We had a poor game but our team was very different and we hadn't started our league back in Norway. I am sure we'll be closer to the level of Spain this time.

Group stage results
Israel 2-2 Norway (Biton 16pen, Turgeman 71; Pedersen 24, Singh 90+1)
England 1-3 Norway (Dawson 57pen; Semb Berge 15, Berget 34, Eikrem 52)
Norway 1-1 Italy (Strandberg 90pen; Bertolacci 90+4)

• The Scandinavian side needed a late Harmeet Singh equaliser to prise a point from hosts Israel in the opening game and moved to within a point of qualification with victory against England in Petah Tikva. A point against Italy in their final Group A game was enough to seal only Norway’s second U21 semi-final appearance.

Team news
Fredrik Semb Berge came through his first full training session on Thursday since the England game and Skullerud confirmed in his press conference he has a full squad to choose from. "We go into tomorrow with all 23 players ready to play," he said.

Match fact
Unbeaten in 24 competitive matches, a run which includes 22 wins, Spain are looking to win the U21 trophy for the fourth time after previous triumphs in 1986, 1998 and 2011.

Did you know?
Julen Lopetegui experienced Norwegian football as a player for Rayo Vallecano de Madrid in the 2000 UEFA Cup first round against Molde FK. The Spain coach played 90 minutes as the capital club triumphed 1-0 in Scandinavia but was an unused substitute in the return leg which finished 1-1.

Skënderbeu seal third straight Albanian title

Skënderbeu seal third straight Albanian title

It feels good – a deserved accomplishment after an interesting season," said coach Mirel Josa after KS Skënderbeu wrapped up a third successive Albanian Super League title.

"1933 ... 2011, 2012, 2013, to be continued," read the banner unfurled by KS Skënderbeu supporters prior to their Albanian title-clinching win against KS Kastrioti.

Skënderbeu headed into the game needing only a draw to be crowned champions once more. They wrapped up a third successive championship in style, however, recording a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Ditmar Bici and Sabien Lilaj. "It is the sweetest title because I can celebrate it for the first time with my newborn daughter," said Skënderbeu defender Endrit Vrapi.

It has not been all plain sailing for Skënderbeu, who made themselves sweat by losing three of their last four games with the title in sight. They also suffered defeat in the Albanian Cup semi-finals to miss out on the chance of a domestic double.

"It feels good – a deserved accomplishment after an interesting season," said coach Mirel Josa, who also guided KF Tirana to their top-flight triumph in 2004.

Neymar excited by Messi alliance

Neymar excited by Messi alliance

After signing a five-year deal with FC Barcelona, Brazil attacker Neymar said he was looking forward to teaming up with Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández and Lionel Messi at his new club.

FC Barcelona attacker Neymar said he found it "hard to hold back the tears," after the 21-year-old completed his €57m move to Spain from FC Santos. 



After featuring in Brazil's 2-2 friendly international draw against England in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night, Neymar traveled to the Catalan capital where he passed a medical before being presented to the world's media and around 55,000 supporters at the Camp Nou.

"I was very emotional on entering the stadium and receiving the applause from the fans," the São Paulo native explained during his press conference. "I found it hard to hold back the tears. This is a great day for me and my family and I am so happy to be realising a dream," the 2011 and 2012 South American Footballer of the Year added.

The deal to take the Brazilian to Barcelona was announced a little over a week ago and after signing a five-year contract with the four-time European champions, Neymar said he was looking forward to combining forces with some illustrious team-mates.

"Having the opportunity to play alongside so many important players like [Andrés] Iniesta, [Xavi] Hernández and [Lionel] Messi, players I have admired since my youth, is something I owe to God," he said. "I have never worried about being the best in the world because the best is Messi and I hope to be able to help him continue to be so."

The signing represents Barcelona's first ahead of the 2013/14 season when the Liga champions will start their UEFA Champions League challenge from the tournament's group stage.

Spain morale delights Del Bosque

Spain morale delights Del Bosque

Spain concluded their tour of the United States with a 2-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland and now travel to Brazil for Sunday's FIFA Confederations Cup opener against Uruguay.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said his side were heading to Brazil for this week's FIFA Confederations Cup "in confident mood" after La Roja enjoyed a 2-0 friendly win against the Republic of Ireland in New York.

Spain defeated Ireland 4-0 en route to UEFA EURO 2012 success in Poland and Ukraine last summer, and second half goals from substitutes Roberto Soldado and Juan Mata at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday ensured the World and European Champions stretched their unbeaten run against the Irish to five games. 

"We have completed our objectives," Del Bosque explained of Spain's trip to the United States, which also featured a 2-1 win against Haiti in Florida. "There were no injuries while a good atmosphere within the group has been created. We've also advanced physically. We are better now than when we arrived."

Believing that the Spanish "had possession of the ball and dominated the game," against Giovanni Trapattoni's men, the former Real Madrid CF tactician added: "If there was one thing missing it was that final pass. We played well overall, however, and I don't think it would have been unjust had the victory come by one more goal."

Spain now travel to Brazil where they begin their Confederations Cup campaign against Uruguay in Recife on Sunday before concluding Group B with games against Tahiti and Nigeria. "We are going into the tournament in eager and confident mood but we know there are seven other teams who have the same chances of winning the title as we do," the coach concluded.  

Currently top of their FIFA World Cup qualifying section, Spain resume their campaign away to Finland on 6 September, the same day Ireland – who are also in the running for a place at next summer's finals – host Sweden.

Season review: England

Season review: England

Uefa

Manchester United FC reclaimed the Premier League title as Sir Alex Ferguson departed on a high while Wigan Athletic FC and Swansea City AFC lifted their first major honours.

Champions: Manchester United FCStung by Manchester City's added-time clincher last season, Sir Alex bolstered his forward line with the summer recruitment of Robin van Persie from Arsenal FC. The Dutchman made an immediate impact, scoring within ten minutes of his home debut before topping the goals chart with 26 Premier League strikes.

After battling for supremacy with City and Chelsea throughout the opening months, United's 3-2 victory at their derby rivals in early December put them in a position from which they did not look back. Following that success at the City of Manchester Stadium, Ferguson's men went 15 games unbeaten, and a 3-0 win against Aston Villa FC clinched the championship with four matches to spare – providing a fitting stage from which the 71-year-old manager could depart. 

Cup final: Manchester City FC 0-1 Wigan Athletic FCWith their league crown lost and after an early exit from the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup presented a last chance for Roberto Mancini's squad to claim silverware. Having seen off Chelsea in the semi-finals, the Manchester club simply had to dispose of relegation-bound Wigan Athletic in the Wembley showpiece to lift the trophy for a second time in three years. However, with a first major honour in their sights, Wigan ran the favourites ragged, with young winger Callum McManaman outstanding. Ben Watson's added-time header completed the fairy tale for Roberto Martínez's Latics.

European places*Manchester United FC — UEFA Champions League, group stage
Manchester City FC — UEFA Champions League, group stage
Chelsea FC — UEFA Champions League, group stage
Arsenal FC — UEFA Champions League, play-off
Tottenham Hotspur FC — UEFA Europa League, group stage
Swansea City AFC — UEFA Europa League, group stage
Wigan Athletic FC — UEFA Europa League, group stage

*Subject to final confirmation from UEFA

Player of the year: Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur FC)Tottenham missed out on a UEFA Champions League play-off place by a point, but that margain would have been much greater without the outstanding Wales forward. Seen solely as a winger before this campaign, the 23-year-old stepped up his game once more, playing centrally or down either flank to pose a constant threat to opposition defences.

Bale has had an impressive season

With Spurs' attacking resources limited by injuries to Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe, Bale assumed the goalscoring responsibilities, hitting 21 in the Premier League to trail only Van Persie and Luis Suárez. It was not just the number of goals that caught the eye, but the style in which he scored them. He rifled in countless efforts from range and important match-winning strikes, often in the dying moments of games.

One to watch: Callum McManaman (Wigan Athletic FC)Given he had featured only as a substitute in the Premier League until 17 March, when he made his full debut in a 2-1 win over Newcastle United FC, very few would have predicted McManaman's stock being so high come the end of term. However, his thrilling displays in Wigan's FA Cup triumph – notably against boyhood team Everton FC in the quarter-finals and against City in the final – earned the winger a call-up to Stuart Pearce's squad for June's UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Israel. At this rate of development, the 22-year-old will be menacing defences for years to come.

Surprise package: Bradford City AFCThe side that beat Bradford in February's League Cup final, Swansea City, would be many people's surprise team of 2012/13 as they lifted a first trophy and played some fine football under Michael Laudrup to finish ninth in the Premier League. However, fourth-division Bradford's run to the Wembley showcase was the stuff dreams are made of.

In steady decline since dropping out of the top tier in 2001, the Yorkshire club captured the public imagination by overcoming Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa FC en route to the final. And if their eventual 5-0 defeat in the showpiece suggested an unhappy ending to the adventure, Phil Parkinson's men used their momentum to earn promotion to the third tier – returning to Wembley to beat Northampton Town FC in a play-off decider.

Leading scorer: Robin van Persie, Manchester United FC (26)

Relegated: Wigan Athletic FC, Reading FC, Queens Park Rangers FC

Promoted: Cardiff City FC, Hull City AFC, Crystal Palace FC.

Number: 49The number of trophies won by Sir Alex during his 41-year managerial career, including two UEFA Champions Leagues, 13 English Premier League titles and five FA Cups. 

Quote"August 17." Ferguson responds to a query asking when he knew the title was safe. That was the day Van Persie signed on the dotted line at Old Trafford, three days before the season began.