Atletico Mineiro wins their first ever Copa Libertadores title

At last Atletico Mineiro wins in Copa Libertadores. 

Both teams are strong and wants the title. But its Atletico Mineiro who wins. The match was a tremendous, both teams are giving all what they have got, when the time become shorts the game gone into extra time, when extra time also found short the game was then taken into penalties.

Atletico Mineiro lossos their first leg in Olimpia by 2-0. They are behind by 2 goals in the 2nd leg.

As the game start the pressure was on Atletico as they have to get a early goal. But it was all Olimpia's defence in first half although most of the possession was in Atletico's end.

After the 2nd half starts it was all Atletico. In the 46th minute JO converted a goal an all the groun got mad in celebrations.

After that goal Atletico tries several shots but couldn't convert them into goals. It was Ronaldinho who was encouraging his team so that he also gets into the special list and also if he could make his team to won the title for his team.

In the 86th minute Ronaldinho gets a free kick from around 25mitre from the goal. alleyes were on Ronaldinho if he could convert that free kick into goal but he fails and ball after striking the defender went towards Bernard who makes a beautiful cross and Alexendro who converts his header into far corner of the post.

After that finally extra time starts and Olimpia was playing with only 9 players as their 1 player got injured and one player got a two yellow card which means red card. Its all Atletico Miniero in extra time but Olimpia's defence was too good that with 9 players on the field the samba boys couldn't get a goal.

Now the game goes into the penalties.
Its Olimpia first who taken the first penalty.

Olimpia:- X O O O X
Atletico:- O O O O

Its Victor who saved the first penalty and took his team into the lead.
After which none of the Atletico Player failed and wins the game.

It was Jo who gets the top goal scorer and gets the trophy.  

Barcelona can again focus on soccer under Martino

Barcelona's swift decision to replace Tito Vilanova with Gerardo Martino is a bold move not without risk but should at least allow the players to refocus on football after the unwelcome distractions of recent months.

The Spanish champions announced on Friday that Vilanova, 44, was unable to continue because of the demands of his cancer treatment and the club said on Tuesday they had hired 50-year-old Argentine Martino, a former Newell's Old Boys coach in his native Rosario, on a two-year contract.

Barca's Argentina forward Lionel Messi is also from Rosario and the 26-year-old World Player of the Year, increasingly influential thanks to his phenomenal goalscoring record in recent years, reportedly had a hand in Martino's appointment.

The silver-haired former Newell's player is a self-confessed admirer of Barca's most successful coach, Pep Guardiola, who handed the reins to his friend Vilanova at the end of the 2011-12 season and is now at Bayern Munich.

Martino's football philosophy, rooted in ball possession and relying on players with outstanding technical ability, is considered a snug fit with Barca's playing style.

"My priority is possession," Martino said in an interview in May 2012, according to Barca's website.
"Attack, get a lot of players in the opposition half, take risks," he added.

Vilanova's debut season after succeeding Guardiola was a disappointment by Barca's high standards even though they wrested the La Liga title back from arch rivals Real Madrid with a record-equalling points haul.

Towards the end of the campaign, there was a sense some of the players had lost their focus because of Vilanova's illness.

He was away in New York having treatment for two months in February and March and although he was back on the bench for the end of the season Barca's Champions League campaign was brutally cut short by Bayern Munich.

The players seemed spent and barely put up a fight against the aggressive Bundesliga side in the two-legged semi-final and their 7-0 aggregate reverse was the club's worst in Europe by some distance.

COOL PROPERTIES

In recent weeks as Real began to regroup for next season under new coach Carlo Ancelotti, Barca's preparations were again overshadowed by the issue of Vilanova's health.

Guardiola, the club's most successful coach, accused the Barca board of using Vilanova's illness to damage him and the issue dominated media coverage for several days.

When it became clear Vilanova could not continue, president Sandro Rosell and sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta knew they had to move rapidly to fill the gap with the new La Liga season less than a month away.

Luis Enrique, a former Barca player who has just taken charge at Celta Vigo, was said to be in the running but they opted instead for Martino, a relative unknown in Europe but who won plaudits for taking Paraguay to the last eight of the 2010 World Cup.

Martino's link to Messi will help him settle and win the confidence of the other players, while in new signing Neymar he has one of the hottest properties in the game.

With Real having reinforced their squad with a couple of astute purchases and apparently recovering quickly from the turbulence of the Jose Mourinho years, Barca will have to be at the top of their game if they are to defend their La Liga title.

It is the Champions League that counts, however, and one of Martino's first jobs will be to make sure Barca find the centre back they need to strengthen the defence that let them down badly at times last season.

When the action starts, maintaining Barca's entertaining, attacking style while making sure the players are not bullied out of a match like they were against Bayern is likely to be his main challenge.

"I think he will fit in with our model," Barca's Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta told Marca on Tuesday. "Whatever the club decides is best for Barca."

Jones can play anywhere wherever Moyes wants

Long touted as a high-class central defender, at times Jones has been doing anything but occupying his favourite position i.e as a midfielder like he used to play in Blackburn.

None of his seven England caps have come in that preferred role, and Sir Alex Ferguson liked to use the former Blackburn man as a defensive screen in front of his back four.

Privately, Moyes has voiced his belief Jones will eventually slot into central defence and that was where the 21-year-old figured inTuesday 's 3-2 defeat to Yokohama F Marinos.

Yet Jones knows he could be moved about again once the important games start next month.
"I have said from day one I see myself as a centre-back," he said. "But if I am asked to play in midfield or at right-back I am happy to do so. As long as I am in the team, it doesn't matter whether I am in goal.

"Of course, towards the middle and end of my career I will want to start cementing a place in a certain position but at the moment I am happy."

Whether it be difficulties in bringing in new players, Wayne Rooney situation or a worrying groing injury collected by Robin van Persie during the first half of Tuesday's game, problems are piling up for Moyes.

On the transfers front, a move for Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas has stalled, Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini remain at Everton, Yohan Cabaye at Newcastle, and a seismic shift in the present situation would be required to secure the services of Gareth Bale or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Yet, inside the changing room, all is going well.

Insiders have confirmed Moyes' training regime has been impressive and while Jones could hardly be expected to say anything else under the circumstances, he reports a keen desire to succeed for the new boss.
"I am more than happy the new manager has come in," he said.

"He is a great manager. We all know what he has done that at Everton. I am sure he will do well for Manchester United as well.

"The training has been as sharp as nails. There is that willingness to impress.
"That is the case with all the players, not just myself. Every training session has been very competitive."

Moyes has reiterated that Wayne Rooney is not for sale, and said the striker is on track to make his
comeback in Sweden next month.

United have already turned down one bid from Chelsea for Rooney, although it is expected Jose Mourinho will be back with another long before the transfer window closes.

Rooney did not do much to dampen down speculation over his future by heading to the south east for a round of golf at a course close to the Chelsea training ground at the weekend.

United's expectation remains that Rooney, having had treatment for a hamstring injury, will be in Stockholm for the friendly against AIK Solna on August 6.

''We have said and the club have said he is not for sale,'' said Moyes. ''That has not changed.
''I do expect Wayne to be in Stockholm. As far as I know he is coming on. 'He has started light jogging and the feedback from the physios is that he is progressing."

Messi influenced Barca's call Martino

Gerardo Martino recieves a joining letter from barcelona as a coach. He believes a recommendation from fellow Argentine Lionel Messi was behind his surprise appointment as Barcelona coach on Monday.

 "The details of how the situation developed I don't know (but) I have no doubt Jorge (Messi's father) and Lionel had some influence," Martino, the former Paraguay coach, told in a conference in Rosario.

"I'm sure they were asked their opinion and we've come to this outcome," added Martino, who comes from Rosario.

Martino, who led Newell's Old Boys to the Argentine "Final" championship last month, added: "I was expecting some job proposals and I can't say I was expecting this one." He is surprised by the barca move but he is ready and accept this one.

"The situation was unexpected and of course it took me by surprise," added Martino, who quit Newell's after they lost their Libertadores Cup semi-final two weeks ago by Atletico Mineiro.

Barcelona went in search of a new coach after Tito Vilanova had to step aside to undergo more treatment for throat cancer.

"This is a very important job opportunity which came about due to a very unfortunate occurrence (Vilanova's illness)," Martino said.

"I'm very grateful they considered me, my staff and my work. The quality of the Barcelona squad, with Messi, is something any coach desires.

"I'm sure in our day-to-day work we'll find ways to support Messi so he continues to be the extraordinary player he is."

Martino, who will travel to Barcelona on Thursday, said he hoped to be up to the high demands
of coaching one of the world's best club sides.

"We'll try to fit in quickly... Barcelona is an institution that has a way of life, a footballing development. We are the ones who are going to step into that world."

One of Martino's staff is Adrian Coria, the man credited with discovering and coaching Messi from the age of 11 to 13 at Newell's.

Martino misses Barcelona's friendly on Wednesday against European champions Bayern Munich, now under the Spanish giants' former coach Pep Guardiola.

Saturday's friendly with Norway's Valerenga in Oslo could be his debut on the bench.

Kagawa returned to Japan to join play for Manchester United

Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa promised on Monday to pull out all the stops against Yokohama Marinos, in his first game at his home ground since he joined the English Premier League.

"I'm really happy that I can play a game in Japan as one of the players of a great team like Manchester United. I expect many supporters will come. I want to show them an excellent game," said Shinji Kagawa.

Shinji Kagawa also wants to impress United's new manager David Moyes, whom he met for the first time on Monday. As he also wants to join United.

"We still need more time to get to know each other, but I'm looking forward to building up our relations," he said.

"As a player, I feel every game is important and I want to give my very best to give a good impression to the coach." said Kagawa

United play Yokohama on Tuesday and Cerezo Osaka on Friday after losing to Singha All-Stars 1-0 in Bangkok in the opening game of their Asian tour.

Moyes said he knows a little about Kagawa as a player and had discussed him with his predecessor at United, Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Sir Alex spoke in glowing terms about Shinji and how good a player he is. I've just met him today, so we're getting to know each other. I'm trying to learn Japanese and he's trying to understand my Scottish," Moyes joked.

"It was his first season in the Premier League last year. He's a young player so we hope his development continues." Moyes is also looking for Kagawa to join Manchester United.