Below par Messi and Argentina fail to impress

Below par Messi and Argentina fail to impress  - Argentina didn't do their tag as World Cup contenders much good on Wednesday as they laboured to a 0-0 draw against Romania in a friendly which also saw Lionel Messi struggle with illness.

Who are grouped with Iran, debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina and African champions Nigeria in Brazil -- were hindered by a clearly under the weather Messi, who played the whole of the match despite being physically sick seven minutes in. 

Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during the International friendly football match Romania vs Argentina in Bucharest, Romania on March 5, 2014 (AFP Photo/Daniel Mihailescu)

Argentinian coach Alex Sabella started with pretty much his first choice side with Messi in the playmaking role while Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain were the strikeforce and other regulars such as Angel di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabaleta also featured.

With Messi not at his best little of note was created in a first-half which saw few chances for either side.

However, Romanian midfielder Alexandre Maxim should have done better when he was found unmarked in the 33rd minute but he aimed his downward header straight at Monaco 'keeper Sergio Romero who kept it out with his legs.

The Romanian midfielder thought he had atoned for that miss when he fired home into the far corner five minutes later but the linesman ruled that the ball had gone out when it was crossed into the box.

The visitors had their best chance of the first-half a minute later as a piece of individual magic from Aguero saw him slip past two defenders and into the box only to miss the target.

Maxim was withdrawn at half-time -- one of two Romanian changes -- while Sabella kept his side unchanged with Messi seemingly recovered.

Aguero had an early chance in the second-half as he slipped free of the home defence but he took the ball too wide and his shot was cleared for a corner which was the last piece of notable action for him as he was taken off and replaced by Rodrigo Palacio.

Messi was still not 100% and it was left to others to trouble the Romanians with Zabaleta and Palacios combining in the 65th minute to set up Higuain but his shot shaved the post.

The ponderous Palacios was at fault for a terrible miss with 20 minutes remaining.

Di Maria got free on the left and found Palacios five yards out but he stumbled over the ball and saw it drift wide.

Di Maria also let a golden opportunity go abegging as Zabaleta found him with a brilliant 60 yard ball but his volley went high over the bar.

Argentina nearly won it five minutes from time as Messi chipped over the defence to find Palacios who then sent over a teasing cross but Higuain's volley was tipped over the bar. ( AFP )

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Leo Messi vomits on the field again during Argentina friendly

Leo Messi vomits on the field again during Argentina friendly - Argentina played out a goalless draw with Romania in Bucharest on Wednesday, with Leo Messi unable to find the net because he was marked out of the game by a resilient home side.

The match didn't get off to a great start for the Barcelona star, as he was seen doubling over and throwing up after just seven minutes of play.

Leo did not approve of Romanian cuisine             

The Albiceleste captain powered through and played the full 90 minutes, but this is by no means the first time he has struggled to keep his dinner down on the field.

El Pulga yacked up during the 2011 Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid, he blew chunks during a high-altitude clash with Bolivia in March 2013 and he dry heaved like he had just seen Arsene Wenger in lingerie during a game with Levante last August.

At this rate, the World Cup in Brazil is going to need more sawdust than Disney World. ( Dirty Tackle )

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Gunning for them! Arsenal players brawl with armed riot police as ugly scenes mar Ronaldinho's super strike in Brazil

Gunning for them! Arsenal players brawl with armed riot police as ugly scenes mar Ronaldinho's super strike in Brazil - At least four players from Argentine club Arsenal were detained for interrogation after a confrontation with Brazilian police at a Copa Libertadores match on Wednesday.

Police said at least two officers and a journalist sustained minor injuries in the brawl after Atletico Mineiro's 5-2 win over the Argentine club in the city of Belo Horizonte.

The players will likely be charged after throwing punches and kicking the officers who were trying to protect the referees as the final whistle blew at the Independencia Stadium.

Scroll down for video

Violence: Arsenal players clash with riot police who came onto the pitch to protect the referee

Fight: Disturbing scenes took place when the players tried to voice their dissatisfaction with the officials

Armed: A Brazilian anti-riot police officer aims his pellet shotgun at Arsenal players

Television images showed some of the players - who were not immediately identified - attacking the officers, who used shields and batons to protect themselves.

Some officers also had shotguns loaded with rubber bullets, although local police official Claudia Romualdo said no shots were fired at players. Police also were prepared to use tear gas to control the situation but it also wasn't needed.

The altercation began after several Arsenal players approached the officiating crew following the match to complain. Some police officers immediately arrived, shoving the players away and upsetting the Argentines.

Mindless: An Arsenal coach tries to calm down his players as they clash with the riot officers

Protection: The referee and linesman were heavily protected as they left the field

The confrontation continued as police tried to escort the players from the field.

'The officers were positioned to provide safety to the visiting players so they could go into the locker rooms, but inexplicably they attacked the officers again as they left the field,' Romualdo said.

She said one of the players hit her with a kick to her chest.

'What happened here is deplorable,' Romualdo said. 'This is not about sports. When our law is broken, obviously we need to take action.'

Problems: Argentinian clubs are angry with Brazil after Tigre were forced to stay off the field in the final of the 2012 Copa Sudamericana citing safety concerns after allegedly being assaulted by the police at half-time

Fiasco: The trouble continued into the dressing room as Arsenal were still unhappy with their treatment

Recompense: Nicolas Diego Aguirre (back right) of Arsenal and other teammates caused significant damage to the dressing room which Atletico Mineiro have said they will charge them for

Every Arsenal player and the entire Argentine delegation was kept from leaving the stadium until authorities were able to identify those who attacked the officers.

Atletico Mineiro club director Eduardo Maluf told local media that Arsenal's locker room was damaged by the Argentine delegation. He said the club will eventually ask Arsenal to pay for Atletico's losses.

'They came here to fight,' Atletico Mineiro coach Cuca said. 'I was tired of seeing their defensive midfielders kicking (our players) away from the ball.' 

Ronaldinho scored two of the goals for Atletico Mineiro, who has won all of its five matches to lead Group 3 of the Latin American club competition. Arsenal is third in the group. Only two teams will advance to the next round.

Brawl: The trouble started at the end of the first-half between both sets of players

Firing on all cylinders: Ronaldinho scored twice during the game, including one sumptuous finish

Old days: At moments the two-time winner of FIFA's World Player of the Year looked back to his very best

Video: Ronaldinho hits a powerful chip straight into the top corner

Dailymail.co.uk : PUBLISHED: 08:41 GMT, 4 April 2013 | UPDATED: 12:11 GMT, 4 April 2013

READ MORE - Gunning for them! Arsenal players brawl with armed riot police as ugly scenes mar Ronaldinho's super strike in Brazil

Champions League - PSG snatch late draw at home to Barcelona

Champions League - PSG snatch late draw at home to Barcelona - Champions League quarter-final, first leg, Parc des Princes - Paris Saint-Germain 2 (Ibrahimovic 79, Matuidi 90) Barcelona 2 (Messi 38, Xavi 89 pen.) - Lionel Messi scored once again but went off injured before Blaise Matuidi netted with the last kick of the game to give Paris Saint-Germain a 2-2 draw with Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Matuidi's deflected effort was somehow leaked through by Victor Valdes after over four minutes of time added on in an eventful last-eight first-leg tie.

Xavi had restored Barcelona's lead from the penalty spot in the 89th minute shortly after Zlatan Ibrahimovic cancelled out Messi's first-half opener.

Messi, however, did not come back out for the second half after tweaking his hamstring moments before the interval.

Messi's fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano also sustained an injury, of a more serious nature. He left the pitch on a stretcher later in the game with a ligament tear in his right knee.

Despite the disappointing finish to their away leg and an inconsistent performance by their usual high standards, Barcelona very much sit in the driver's seat in the race to the last four with two away goals and the excellent Matuidi suspended for the trip to Camp Nou.

It did not take Barcelona very long to establish a stronghold on the ball, but the home side came with a disciplined gameplan to combat the tiki-taka suffocation – and it almost reaped big rewards.

Eurosport - Paris St Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic (L) celebrates with Blaise Matuidi after scoring against Barcelona during their Champions League quarter-final first leg soccer match at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris, April 2, 2013 (Reuters)

After weathering early Barca control and easing into their formation - complete with former England captain David Beckham in a central midfield role in place of Thiago Motta - PSG had the first real chance of the contest when Ezequiel Lavezzi galloped into the danger zone and sent his shot across Victor Valdes and onto the far upright.

Javier Pastore was next to come close to breaking the deadlock as the Ligue 1 leaders continued to pick off their guests on the break, and only a good stop from Valdes kept his low drive out on the quarter-hour mark.

The keeper had to be alert again four minutes later when Ibrahimovic pulled rank on Beckham to take a 20-yard free-kick. He too went low and across Valdes, who once again met the strike well.

But having found himself well marked for the opening half hour, Messi began to grow into the game and found his 59th Champions League goal in 77 appearances on 39 minutes, courtesy of his side’s best player at that point, Dani Alves.

Alves’s exquisite lofted assist picked out Messi’s run perfectly after PSG had only half-cleared a corner, and the Argentine’s low volleyed finish across Salvatore Sirigu was befitting of the set-up.

After holding off the PSG back line to send another effort just past the top corner, however, Messi required a trip to the sidelines for an injury to his leg.

Though he returned for the dying embers of the half, Messi would be taken off by the Barca management team – which included Tito Vilanova in his return from a 10-week medical absence – with Cesc Fabregas on in his place.

Though the former Arsenal man helped keep the away side on top early in the second 45, PSG soon began to push them back once more after Alexis Sanchez blew a golden chance for 2-0 on 63, taking one touch too many six yards from goal.

And as Barcelona defended their lead into the closing stages, frustration at dealing with heavy pressure and a number of contentious decisions got the better of them.

Ibrahimovic may have been offside when he converted the loose ball after Valdes saved a Thiago Silva header, but 1-1 had been coming for some time.

Nonetheless, it appeared to be mission impossible for Carlo Ancelotti’s men when Sanchez was brought down in the box by Sirigu in the 88th minute and Wolfgang Stark pointed to the spot.

Xavi converted from 12 yards in Messi’s absence but there would be one late twist just as Herr Stark was ready to blow for full-time.

Ibrahimovic showed good vision to head an awkward cross into the path of Matuidi, and though his low strike came off substitute Marc Barta’s leg it really should have been kept out by Valdes.

Instead, the ball flapped past the limp hand of the goalkeeper and the French big-spenders will head to Catalonia hoping to pull off a massive result and reach the semi-finals.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain): Once again, PSG's defenders shone on the European stage and none more so than the Brazilian who helped prevent a typical Barcelona scoreline despite the real test yet to come at Camp Nou.

PLAYER RATINGS

PSG: Sirigu 7; Jallet 5, Alex 7, Silva 8, Maxwell 5, Moura 7, Beckham 6, Matuidi 8, Pastore 7; Lavezzi 7, Ibrahimovic 7. Subs: Menez 6, Gameiro 5, Verratti 5.
BARCELONA: Valdés 7, Alves 8, Mascherano 7, Piqué 6, Alba 6; Busquets 7, Iniesta 7, Xavi 8; Villa 6, Messi 7, Sanchez 5. Subs: Bartra n/a, Fabregas 7, Tello 6.

By Liam Happe - @liamhappe | Eurosport – 6 hours ago

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Bi-polar Barca and the UEFA Celebrity League

Bi-polar Barca and the UEFA Celebrity League - After over 24 hours of tedious political agendas infecting our beautiful game in response to one managerial appointment, it was with a massive sigh of relief that I sat down in a comfortable chair for a mouth-watering double bill of high-end Champions League action.

Though both games delivered - especially PSG-Barcelona - there was nonetheless a touch of the 'Di Canios' about the Parc des Princes contest, or more specifically how it was generally portrayed.

The minute whispers escaped the stadium that a certain 38-year-old marketing powerhouse had been given the nod by Carlo Ancelotti to start the match, anticipation of a rare meeting between two of the world's most powerful clubs was masked by giddy yelps of "BECKHAM STARTS! BECKHAM STARTS!"

And as said contest fascinated purists for this much-maligned sport from start to finish, appreciation of the entertainment on offer became tellingly more difficult at the halfway stage amid widespread fears the world's best footballer had a boo-boo on his leg (Javier Mascherano was injured too, y'know).

Much like with Paolo Di Canio making tabloid front pages for eight-year-old news, the actual matter at hand found itself drowning in a sea of headline-grabbing 'celebrity' names that drummed up more mainstream attention than just trying to get a football over a goal line would do.

Don't get me wrong: I hope Lionel Messi is fine, and doesn't deprive any upcoming Barca fixtures of his brilliance. And I have always appreciated what Becks has brought to the pitch beyond his prime.

But there was so, so much to enjoy about this quarter-final first-leg outside of a lifestyle magazine-esque celebrity quest.

And when the Argentine performs well for approximately 10 minutes of a 45 minute display while the Englishman puts in nothing more than a passable 70-minute shift, do they really warrant the headlines coming out of such a game that they kinda-understandably do going into most matches?

Messi and Barcelona are of course no strangers to this shallow spotlight. Remember when their era was deemed 'over' because they dropped a first-leg 2-0 to Milan last time out?

Yeah. That came from the same Chinese whispers which declared them stronger than ever for beating a frankly poor and wasteful Rossoneri side 4-0 to advance, after all.

It is actually pretty amusing to hear declarations that 'naysayers have been proven wrong' - which are in fact the very same voices performing to a bathroom mirror.

And talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, so I hear.

Forget their blissful possession, world class youth development and generation-defining approach to football, Barcelona's biggest asset in their golden era could well be their ability to ignore an endless stream of bi-polar hype from narrow-minded numpties who want glamour and gossip rather than great sporting action.

I do wonder how many times the consensus swayed from 'dominant' to 'doomed', as far as the Catalonians are concerned, as their back-and-forth opener against PSG went one way, then the other.

Meanwhile, those of us who did not have our view of the forest blocked by all those pesky trees enjoyed tidy possession, exhilarating counter-attacking, some superb point-blank goalkeeping, a few eye-catching errors, a monster performance from Thiago Silva and the very best (and very worst) of Dani Alves.

More often than not, second legs are even more gripping than the first. In that case, roll on April 10. Even if Paris Saint-Germain's chances of advancing are slim, evidence suggests they will go out with a bang if they fail to pull off a huge result.

Lionel Messi may not be fit to start. David Beckham may not get picked for the XI. Hopefully both feature, but if not... so what? It's not make or break for Barcelona. It's not the acid test of PSG's big spending. One team advances, the other will just have to try again next year. And they will.

It's one game of football. One that will (hopefully) keep all us sports freaks entertained. So sit back, relax, and try to appreciate it for what it is.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"There should be no law that says any particular player should play. No one should play for what they have won in the past." - Jose Mourinho lays down the law to Iker Casillas, who will not tend goal for Real Madrid against Galatasaray tonight.

COMING UP

Real-Gala is complemented by Borussia Dortmund v Malaga as the Champions League's last eight round out the first legs. Los Galacticos and the Bundesliga champions will look to join their compatriots in holding the advantage ahead of next week's return fixtures. Join us for LIVE text coverage from 18:45 GMT, with kick-offs at 19:45 GMT.

By Eurosport | Early Doors – 1 hour 35 minutes ago

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Soccer-Little respect for Saints from Easter Sunday visitors

Soccer-Little respect for Saints from Easter Sunday visitors - Newell's Old Boys spoilt San Lorenzo's Easter Sunday with a 1-0 win in the Saints' first Argentine championship home match since Pope Francis became their most famous fan.

Argentina winger Maxi Rodriguez did the damage with a superb goal in the 37th minute of a match at the Nuevo Gasometro that had begun in a party atmosphere.

Striker Ignacio Scocco was inside the Newell's half when he received a clearance from his goalkeeper and he threaded a fine low ball that split the defence for Rodriguez to run onto and steer home under Saints keeper Pablo Migliore.

Newell's went joint top on 16 points from seven matches in the "Final" championship standings, although Lanus can pull three points clear again if they beat Quilmes at home on Monday. San Lorenzo are in mid-table with nine points.

The Saints lined up for a team photo before kickoff in front of a large red and blue banner adorned with a picture of Jorge Bergoglio, the Argentine pope who has been a club member since his childhood.

The Saints had enjoyed a victory, 1-0 away to Colon in Santa Fe, in their first match after the papal annoitment but league action was interrupted last weekend for World Cup qualifiers.

Martin Palermo's Godoy Cruz are third with 14 points after they came from behind to beat San Martin 3-2 away in an exciting Andean "clasico" in San Juan.

Ten-man Boca Juniors held Independiente 1-1 in Sunday's big derby at the Libertadores de America stadium in the capital between two of Argentina's top clubs.

Boca had defender Cristian Cellay sent off in the 11th minute, then had goalkeeper Agustin Orion to thank for saving a 17th minute penalty from midfielder "Rolfi" Montenegro before striker Santiago Silva gave them the lead in the 38th.

Independiente, beset by relegation worries, equalised through Paraguayan defender Claudio Morel Rodriguez in the 63rd minute.

River Plate are fourth with 13 points after being held 0-0 at home on Saturday by title holders Velez Sarsfield, winners of the "Inicial" championship in the first half of the season.

Diego Cagna resigned as coach of Estudiantes after their 1-0 home loss to Racing Club in La Plata on Saturday. Estudiantes have picked up only three points from three draws.

Reuters – Sun, Mar 31, 2013 8:32 PM EDT

READ MORE - Soccer-Little respect for Saints from Easter Sunday visitors