Brazil held by feisty Mexico as Ochoa stands firm

Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa (2nd L) saves a header by Brazil's Thiago Silva (2nd R) during their 2014 World Cup Group A soccer match at the Castelao arena in Fortaleza June 17, 2014. REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo Jun 17 2014

Brazil held by feisty Mexico as Ochoa stands firm - Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa produced a series of superb reflex saves to restrict Brazil to a 0-0 draw at the World Cup on Tuesday and deny the Brazilians their 11th victory in a row.

In an absorbing Group A match in the deafening cauldron of Fortaleza's Castelao arena, Ochoa thwarted Paulinho, Neymar (twice) and Thiago Silva when they seemed certain to score.

He was the last Mexican player to leave the pitch to a standing ovation by thousands of green-shirted supporters before being named man of the match.

"We should congratulate their goalkeeper who performed at least four miracles," Brazilian striker Fred said after a frustrating afternoon for the hosts who failed time and again to unlock a stubborn Mexican defense.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari described Ochoa's performance as "spectacular".

At the other end, the Mexicans had a few decent chances of their own in yet another entertaining game at this World Cup, and they could have snatched a victory had their long-range shots been more accurate.

Jose Vasquez, Hector Herrera and Miguel Layun all tried their luck with powerful drives from outside the box that zipped over Julio Cesar's crossbar.

The draw ended Brazil's 10-match winning streak, dating back to August when they lost to Switzerland in a friendly.

It also meant that to make the second round of the tournament both teams need points from their final group games on June 23 when Brazil face Cameroon in Brasilia and Mexico meet Croatia in Recife.

"There was a chance here, a chance there, it was very tight," Scolari said.

“It wasn’t a question of us evolving or not (from the last game). We’ve been playing this way 20 games, we are up against good teams, we need to understand that.”

CAUSING MISCHIEF

Brazil took control of the match from the outset with Marcelo and Oscar causing mischief down the left and Neymar showing bursts of brilliance when he drifted into the middle.

It was a Neymar header that forced the first of Ochoa's "miracles", the keeper scrambling across his line to beat the ball away at his right hand post.

Oscar floated a free kick into the box and Thiago Silva chested it down into the path of Paulinho with just the keeper to beat but again Ochoa got his body in the way and parried the ball to safety.

Brazil turned the screws after the interval against a Mexican side who have never beaten them at the World Cup and have failed to score a single goal against them in four meetings dating back to 1950.

With a passionate Brazilian crowd roaring them on, Neymar came close again, twisting inside his marker and firing in a left-foot shot which Ochoa blocked with his chest.

In the dying minutes Brazilian captain Thiago Silva looked certain to score with a point-blank header but again Ochoa was in the right place to beat the ball away.

Despite their setback, Brazil will be confident of booking their place in the last 16 by taking points from Cameroon.

The Mexicans, meanwhile, will feel their chaotic qualifying campaign is behind them and that they can get a point from Croatia to put them into the knock-out stages for the sixth consecutive World Cup. (Reuters)

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Balotelli just like Ibrahimovic, says Allegri

Balotelli just like Ibrahimovic, says Allegri - AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has compared Mario Balotelli to his side's former talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Balotelli joined the Rossoneri in January, and he has since scored seven goals in his first six games for the club, leading Allegri to compare the 22-year-old with the Paris Saint-Germain star.

“He’s similar to Ibrahimovic both physically and technically, but he can get better because he’s playing with continuity here," Allegri said at a press conference. "Balotelli still has to improve a lot as a center forwardgiven his potential, but he has all the right ingredients to do it." 

Balotelli just like Ibrahimovic, says Allegri

After a disappointing start to the campaign, which included the sale of star players such as Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to Paris Saint-Germain, Milan now finds itself third in Serie A, two points adrift of Napoli in second.

Allegri admits he is thrilled by the progress shown by his side, but has warned it cannot afford to rest on its laurels just yet.

“The squad is young and I’m happy with the work that the club has done," Allegri said. “If we get into the Champions League, without having to pre-qualify, it’ll have been a good year. One thing is for sure, if we’re to get where we want to be, we’ll need a lot of points.”

On the topic of his own future, Allegri added that he plans remain with Milan beyond the 2013-14 campaign.

“I’m very happy to be at Milan and hope to stay at this club for the long term. For that to happen we need results so let’s hope the team can give us some satisfaction," Allegri said.

Goal.com

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Mourinho relishing war of egos with sidelined Casillas

Mourinho relishing war of egos with sidelined Casillas - There are two lines of questioning that are rolled out before Jose Mourinho at every press conference and interview: which club will you be managing next season, and what game are you playing with Iker Casillas?

The Portuguese's answers to the former are ever more cryptic; his responses to the latter are ever more juvenile.

Last evening, Mourinho decided to respond to both questions at the same time, in one rambling answer that resembled a stream of consciousness.

"I want to come back to Inter, but I will not coach them next year. They won’t be my team next year," he told Sky Italia. "Casillas? If Diego Lopez keeps on playing like this, he will be the regular instead of Casillas. The team always come first."

Lopez spent most of the quarter-final first leg against Galatasaray pacing the edge of his penalty area and flapping unconvincingly at occasional balls into the box - it was hardly a performance that merited particular post-match praise. This was more about Mourinho extolling Lopez's virtues in terms of the selfless team ethic he so clearly believes his more illustrious team-mate lacks.

Casillas is the only player currently at the Bernabeu who has won the Champions League previously with Real Madrid, but if anything that is a deterrent for Mourinho, who is attempting to inspire his players to achieve something he continues to bill as 'against the odds' and 'in the face of recent history'. Indeed, throughout his career he has always targeted and prioritised 'hungry' players without bulging trophy cabinets.

He has even preferred to include Jesus Fernandez and Antonio Adan in his squad ahead of him - much to the ire of the Spanish media and many supporters. But we would be fooling ourselves to think that he even remotely cares about what anyone else thinks, and he is entirely right to not let anything else bother him besides picking the players he deems most focused and determined to achieve success this season.

The former Chelsea manager became the first boss to drop Casillas in over a decade when he left the player out of Real Madrid’s team to play Malaga last year, but what has been more striking of late has been the way that he has been at pains to point out that the keeper is fit and ready to go. As if to say, 'yes, I can pick him - I just don't want to'.

In the build-up to his side's clash with Galatasaray, Mourinho pulled a note out of his pocket in contrived Benitez-esque fashion and proceeded to project his voice in reading out a series of statements made by the journalist who had the audacity to ask the question and had accused him of not being particularly impartial.

"There should be no law that says any particular player should play," Mourinho read out. "No one should play for what they have won in the past." This did not sound like a coach in any great rush to positively nurture a previously injured player back to match fitness with the intention of introducing them back into the side.

How long will the Spanish number one have to wait? At this stage it has gone way beyond simply picking the best available goalkeeper, and Mourinho is off at the end of the season. Who can blame him for only having the short term in mind? He is not exactly renowned for his long-term development projects at clubs. His only focus should be on galvanising his squad to produce the best possible results in the few big matches still to come.

When the keeper broke his hand two months ago he pushed for the signing of Sevilla's Lopez. It was the perfect opportunity to make his point, and he fully intends to stick with his new man until the bitter end of a very mixed campaign that he hopes - and no doubt fully expects - will culminate in a glorious triumph at Wembley Stadium on May 25.

It is, of course, patently clear to anyone that the Casillas issue will remain the elephant in the room for the remainder of the campaign, and Mourinho will no doubt take great delight in praising Lopez at every opportunity as he retains his place in the side. This Champions League run is all about the manager - in the manager's eyes - and not the return of the harshly neglected club captain.

As barbed remarks go, Mourinho's curt answer to the 377th Casillas question earlier in the week was a pretty prickly one: "Individuals are not important". Indeed, the only important individual to Mourinho is himself, and he uses his stubbornness as an additional motivation for proving people wrong.

Mourinho's assistant Aitor Karanka said last week Casillas lacked the "competitive edge" necessary to return to the team, further suggesting that either the keeper is not mentally ready to play - which is unlikely - or that his continued omission will be justified by any means possible. If he was to be considered for a comeback, the 1-1 draw at Real Zaragoza in La Liga on the weekend would have been an ideal opportunity, but despite having been passed fit, he was not.

Spanish newspaper Marca reported in January that Casillas - and Sergio Ramos, incidentally - informed club officials that they would be handing in transfer requests should Mourinho remain in charge at the beginning of next season. Well, he won't be in charge next season, and he will continue to enjoy the tumultuous relationship he has with an ego that has clashed with his own so publicly.

This season is increasingly looking to be a write off for Spain's number one, as Mourinho eyes the glorious sign off.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: 

"In the last few hours, on social networks, unacceptable remarks have been made by Marseille player Joey Barton against Paris St Germain player Thiago Silva. These attacks are serious and go beyond mere verbal jousting. The directors of the club, the players and the coaching staff are supportive of Thiago Silva and cannot accept such statements. They reaffirm their unwavering commitment to the values of respect that should govern our sport. Thiago Silva and Paris St Germain reserve the right to take any action they deem necessary." - PSG criticise and threaten legal action against Joey Barton after the Marseille midfielder used Twitter to liken Thiago Silva to an "overweight ladyboy", as you do. It was never going to get him into any trouble, was it...

FOREIGN VIEW: 

A Brazilian player has been banned for six games for entering the pitch without permission and stopping a certain goal by heading the ball off the line - one of the most heroic, and well... stupid, acts. Bangu defender Celsinho had been receiving treatment for cramp behind the goal when he leapt up and intervened after goalkeeper Getulio Vargas dribbled the ball out and was left looking remarkably silly as he lost the ball. Celsinho, for saving his goalkeeper's blushes with an extraordinary diving header, was found guilty of 'unethical behaviour'.

COMING UP: 

Three Premier League clubs are in Europa League quarter-final action as Chelsea take on Rubin Kazan, Newcastle host Benfica and Tottenham face FC Basel. Oh, and Lazio are up against Fenerbahce. Big Jan Molby will also file for us in the afternoon.

By Eurosport | Early Doors – 5 hours ago

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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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