Mexico claim gold as Brazil's Olympic jinx continues

Brazil's Olympic curse struck again as Mexico secured arguably the greatest triumph in their history by winning London 2012 gold at Wembley.

Oribe Peralta wrote his name into Mexican folklore with a deadly double against the five-time world champions, who many believed were destined finally to end their agonising wait for Olympic glory.

But despite Hulk pulling a goal back in stoppage-time and Chelsea new boy Oscar missing a last-gasp sitter, Brazil were a shadow of the attacking force that had smashed in 15 goals en route to the final and displayed the defensive frailty that has long dogged them.

In sharp contrast, Mexico completed their transformation from one of the most notorious also-rans in world football to a side capable of delivering on the biggest stage.

And they could not have picked a better time than in front of 86,162 at the home of football in what was their first truly global major final.

The game promised to be a goal-fest, with Brazil having scored three times in all five of their matches and their opponents netting seven in their last two.

But few would have predicted the fastest goal ever in a FIFA tournament final - also thought to be the quickest in Olympic history - after just 28 seconds.

Manchester United right-back Rafael's hospital pass was intercepted by Javier Aquino and the ball broke for Peralta to race goal-ward unchallenged and fire home.

It was not the first time Brazil had been behind at London 2012 and they might have levelled in the 13th minute when Thiago Silva headed Neymar's free-kick over.

Oscar also should have done better than find Jose Corona when he was allowed to turn and shoot eight yards out.

Brazil's sloppiness continued as they found it hard to penetrate a fiercely committed opposition and made poor decisions when they did.

They made an attacking change just past the half-hour mark when midfielder Alex Sandro was withdrawn for Porto team-mate Hulk.

And the substitute almost caught out Corona with a piledriver from nearly 35 yards but the goalkeeper recovered well to foil Leandro Damiao's rebound.

Marcelo should have tested him again when he flashed wide from Damiao's lay-off and his timing was all wrong again moments later when he went through the back of Peralta, rightly earning a booking.

Hulk was making a real impact, winning a free-kick that Romulo ultimately glanced wide in first-half stoppage-time.

The urgency Brazil had been lacking arrived straight from the restart and Neymar was so close to sending a screamer into the top corner before being left with a nosebleed after colliding with Corona.

Mexico's response to the threat was to send on Miguel Ponce for Aquino, while continuing to target Neymar, Israel Jimenez the next to be booked for doing so.

Santos star Neymar skied a good chance when the ball fell to him 10 yards out but Mexico weathered the storm and were unlucky not to double their lead in the 64th minute after another defensive howler.

Marco Fabian robbed Thiago Silva and although Gabriel came rushing out, his save set up an overhead kick Fabian smashed against the crossbar.

Leandro Damiao had a good chance nicked off his toe and powered a free header wide from a corner before Peralta rightly had a second goal ruled out for offside.

Fabian almost scored legitimately when he nodded over Jorge Enriquez's flick-on from a corner but made amends 15 minutes from time with a free-kick that Peralta netted with a bullet header thanks to simply non-existent marking.

Thiago Silva failed to connect properly from a flick on with a corner but Brazil were showing little sign of a remarkable comeback and even began arguing amongst themselves, with Rafael and Juan Jesus involved in a furious exchange.

However, they should have staged an amazing comeback in stoppage-time, Hulk racing on to a long ball from Marcelo and rifling into the net before crossing for an unmarked Oscar to somehow nod wide from six yards.

Hulk: This could be the time to move

FC Porto striker Hulk has revealed he is ready to quit the Portuguese club this summer and move to England, with Chelsea rumoured to be keen on signing him.

Hulk, 26, has been linked with a move for some time and Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and most recently Zenit St Petersburg are all said to be interested along with the West London club.

However the Brazilian has now given them hope that he may leave Porto this summer after scoring a consolation goal for his country in the Olympic final defeat to Mexico.

"This could be the time for me to move," he said. "I would feel comfortable with moving clubs and the English league is one that appeals to me."

However, earlier Porto president Pinto da Costa insisted he has not spoken to Hulk's agent about the striker's future, reiterating he will not be allowed to leave for less than his €100 million release clause.

"I didn't meet Hulk's agent. Hulk is a player with a buyout fee and if any club want him, they just need to pay that, they don't need to come here," said da Costa.

"Hulk will only leave if it interests both Porto and the player. But so far nothing happened to make me think we'll reach that point. Therefore, I expect that for this season Hulk will remain a Porto player."

Hulk's agent Teodoro Fonseca told Radio Renascenca that you can never rule out a move.

"Hulk has a contract, he likes FC Porto, but at the moment everything has a question mark," he said. "We sometimes want a player to stay, but the conditions aren't the best. Sometimes clubs have to give up a right, a player, or a person to keep their structure. People come and go, but the clubs stay. Everything is possible in the world of football."

Silva: Torres facing moment of truth

Manchester City playmaker David Silva believes Chelsea's Fernando Torres is set to embark on "the most important season of his life" as the duo prepare for Sunday's Community Shield clash.

Silva and Torres helped Spain to the Euro 2012 title earlier this summer, capping a memorable 12 months for the pair. However, Silva insists Torres' true test will come next season as he aims to fill the void left by Didier Drogba.

"Chelsea will notice Drogba's absence because he was important for them. But in football things come to an end and now is the moment of truth for Torres.

"It may be the most important season of his life, because he will have more minutes on the field," Silva is quoted as saying in the Mirror.

Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo has added midfielders Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar to the squad for next season, but the Italian says he has faith in Torres to spearhead the Blues' attack.

"I was very happy with him at the end of last season," Di Matteo said. "There are great expectations on the team and he is part of it.

"He was brought in to be a fantastic striker and hopefully he will be able to fit in and show the qualities that he has. He is full of confidence. He's not been back long but he's looking good in training."

Olympics football: Mexico shock Brazil to win gold

Mexico stunned favourites Brazil 2-1 at Wembley to win the men's Olympic football gold medal for the first time.

Oribe Peralta struck from the 18-yard box after 32 seconds following some poor Brazilian defending.Fabian Marco hit the Brazil crossbar before a completely unmarked Peralta headed his team's second goal.

Brazil, also hoping to win gold for the first time, pulled a goal back through Hulk in injury-time, before Oscar headed wide when well positioned.But the South American side scarcely deserved to take the game into extra-time after a very patchy performance, particularly in defence.

Mano Menezes's team had scored three in each of their previous five games and were treating the tournament as an important staging post ahead of hosting the World Cup in 2014.But if they are to succeed on home soil they will have to show a significant improvement from what they produced at Wembley, with star forward Neymar a largely peripheral figure.

Menezes went into Saturday's match under huge pressure to deliver gold and fill the one significant missing blank for the Brazilian team, but if the game was to be Brazil's coronation as Olympic champions then Mexico clearly had not read the script.They defeated Brazil 2-0 in a friendly earlier in the summer and stunned Wembley when Peralta's low strike nestled in the bottom corner while many inside the stadium were still taking their seats.Manchester United defender Rafael was partly at fault for the goal, his sloppy pass allowing Javier Aquino to nip in and dispossess Sandro, with the ball running invitingly into the path of Peralta.

Brazil could not find their stride - a situation not helped by a series of niggly fouls that broke up play and angered coach Menezes, who could be seen waving an imaginary card on the touchline.And their disappointing start was put into stark perspective when Menezes made a change just after the half-hour mark, bringing on Hulk for Alex Sandro.The substitution made a difference and Jose Corona managed to palm clear a swerving strike from Hulk while Marcelo shot wastefully wide after he had linked with Oscar and Leandro Damiao to carve open the left side of the Mexican defence.By the early stages of the second half it was obvious that Mexico had opted to try to defend their lead.

This seemed to play into the hands of their opponents, particularly Neymar, who had disappointed in the opening half but briefly relished the chance to repeatedly run at the Mexico defence.He twice shot wide and saw another effort blocked, but his influence soon faded and Mexico almost struck with a swift break.There was more shoddy Brazilian defending involved too, as Fabian dispossessed an opponent far too easily and eventually saw his overhead effort rebound off the crossbar.

An unmarked Peralta later slotted home from six yards but Brazil were saved by the offside flag. There was to be no reprieve with 15 minutes remaining.A free-kick was delivered from the right and the Mexico striker was left completely alone to head home from eight yards.

Brazil's frustrating afternoon saw team-mates Juan Jesus and Rafael square up to each other in the final minutes.Hulk's injury-time strike into the bottom corner briefly ignited hope of a spectacular comeback and Oscar then headed wastefully wide at the near post as Mexico held on.

Craig Bellamy set to complete free transfer from Liverpool to Cardiff

Craig Bellamy will complete a free transfer move from Liverpool to Cardiff City, after he passed a medical on Friday morning.

Bellamy, 33, returns to the club where he spent a season on loan in 2010-11.The Cardiff-born forward, who scored 11 goals that season, will again wear the number 39 shirt.Cardiff boss Malky Mackay confirmed the club were in talks with the striker, who had a year to run on his contract at Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool.

"We're in advanced talks with both Liverpool and Craig," Mackay told BBC Sport Wales on Thursday.

"Brendan's [Rodgers] a good friend of mine and he's been fantastic to deal with in this situation.

"It's something we're progressing at the moment and we're hoping to have some more news in the next couple of days."

Rumours of Bellamy's return were fuelled this week when Liverpool manager Rodgers confirmed he had given the Welshman permission to move closer to his family in Cardiff.Bellamy played and scored for the Great Britain Olympic football team this summer and the forward's talents are well known to the current Bluebirds' manager.

"We've known each other our whole careers," said Mackay.

"We were together a long time ago at Norwich City.

"He's a proud lad from the area and he's a top player, a top talent."

Cardiff captain Mark Hudson thinks Bellamy can have a positive affect ono his side's bid to win promotion to the Premier League next season.

"He'll try and lead us with his experience and the knowledge that he's got of the game to get to that next level," said 30-year-old centre-back Hudson.

"That's what we want, we want to get there.

"The ambition of the club to bring someone like him in matches [the ambition of] everyone that's playing in the Cardiff shirt at the moment.

"We want to get to that next level and if we bring him in then it's going to help us, definitely."

Bellamy, who was captain of the 2010-11 side, scored 11 goals in a year that ended with the Bluebirds losing to Reading in the play-off semi-finals.Hudson remembers that season well and hopes the 33-year-old frontman finalises his move to Malky Mackay's team.

"He's an international and he's been at the top level for a long time," added Hudson, who joined Cardiff from Charlton Athletic in 2009.

"To be able to work with someone like that was beneficial to everyone that was playing with him at the time.

"I learnt a lot from him, the way he conducted himself and went about his day-to-day business.

"You look at him now, he's a role model.

"He's been to the Olympics and he's been captain of the Olympics [football] team.

"To have that experience can only help us."

Cardiff have won three of four pre-season friendlies so far this summer, as the squad prepares for the Capital One Cup first-round match at Northampton Town on Tuesday, 14 August.City face Newcastle United at home in their final warm-up game before that and as he assesses the season ahead, Hudson hopes his team will go one better than last season's play-off final defeat .

"Top two is the main aim for us," he said. "I don't think anyone wants to see us go through the play-offs again and I definitely don't.

"But with the squad we've got this year and the way we've gelled over the last 12 to 13 months, as a group we're a lot more solid now."

Meanwhile, Mackay has also confirmed that defender Darcy Blake is still in his plans for next season, even though the youth team product has not signed a contract extension.

"We offered Darcy a contract extension and he's turned that down, which he's got the ability to do that," said Mackay.

"Darcy probably feels that he needs first team football.

"He's not been able to get that through one reason or another... but he's part of my squad."

Juventus manager Antonio Conte gets 10-month match-fixing ban

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has been banned for 10 months after an investigation into match-fixing.

Last year Conte, 43, led the club to the Serie A title in his first season in charge without losing a single game.He was accused of failing to report alleged match-fixing involving former club Siena in the 2010-11 season.Conte, whose assistant coach Angelo Alessio was also banned, is set to appeal the decision and Juventus said both retained their full support.

Charges against Conte of direct involvement in match-fixing were dismissed last month, but the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said it was satisfied Conte was aware it was taking place during his time with Siena.Conte had a plea bargain deal rejected by the FIGC earlier this month. He put forward a proposal which would have seen him serve a three-month suspension and pay a fine of 200,000 euros.

The federation has now confirmed the 10-month sanction.Police had previously said Conte was being investigated on suspicion of sporting fraud and fraudulent association over allegations concerning a match between his Serie B side Siena and Novara in April 2011.In addition to the ban for Alessio, who was Conte's assistant at Siena, former Lecce president Giovanni Semeraro and ex-Grosseto president Piero Camilli are also facing suspensions.

"Juventus reiterates its full support for Antonio Conte and Angelo Alessio in the hope the next stage of the process will finally prove their innocence," read a Juventus statement.

"A group of legal professionals have been appointed by the individuals concerned and, with the full support of the club, is already working to prepare grounds for an appeal."Grosseto and Lecce have both been excluded from Serie B, the Italian second tier, for the 2012-13 season for their part in the scandal of direct involvement in match-fixing. Both clubs have been relegated to Lega Pro, which covers Italy's third and fourth divisions.

Six other players - Leonardo Bonucci, Simone Pepe, Marco di Vaio, Salvatore Masiello, Daniele Padelli and Giuseppe Vives - have been acquitted of the charges against them.In May, police searched more than 30 homes, including those of players, trainers and administrators of clubs in Serie A, Serie B and the lower divisions.

Lazio captain Stefano Mauri, 32, was held along with former Genoa midfielder Omar Milanetto, while officers visited Italy's pre-Euro 2012 training camp to question left-back Domenico Criscito, 25.Five people were also arrested in Hungary on suspicion of being part of an illegal international betting ring.

Markus Rosenberg joins West Bromwich Albion

West Brom have signed Sweden international striker Markus Rosenberg on a three-year deal after his exit from Werder Bremen.

The 29-year-old is Albion's fourth summer signing, following keeper Ben Foster, midfielder Claudio Yacob and winger Yassine El Ghanassy .Rosenberg started his career at hometown club Malmo and spent two years with Ajax between 2005 and 2007.He has also played in Spain, with Racing Santander in 2010-11.Baggies boss Steve Clarke told the club website: "I'm delighted to welcome Markus to the club.

"He is an experienced striker who has scored goals in three of Europe's top leagues, as well as in the top European competitions, and is determined to prove himself in the Premier League.

"Markus will really increase competition for places in the forward areas and hopefully spur on the strikers we already have here.

"He had several other offers this summer but he made it clear that joining West Bromwich Albion was his first choice and we're really pleased we've been able to conclude a deal."

Robin van Persie: Roberto Mancini not expecting Man City switch

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said he does not expect Arsenal captain Robin van Persie to join the Premier League champions.

Van Persie, whose current contract expires next summer, revealed in July he would not be signing a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.

City, Manchester United and Juventus have failed with offers for the Netherlands striker, 29.Mancini said: "Van Persie? No, I don't think he will come here."The Dutch international is in the Arsenal squad that travels to Germany for the club's pre-season training camp this week.However, it remains to be seen if he will be involved in the friendly match against Cologne on Sunday.Arsenal will sell Van Persie if they receive the right offer, rather than risk losing their captain for nothing next summer.Although City appear to have given up, Manchester United and Juventus continue to pursue the player but have not increased their opening bids.Privately, Van Persie is understood to have expressed a preference for the prestige and tradition of United and Juventus.He won both the Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' Association player of the year prizes in recognition of his 36-goal contribution for Arsenal last season.Arsenal expect to complete a deal for Santi Cazorla this week, after the move was held up by financial complications at the selling club Malaga.Last month Mancini, who is yet to make a single addition to his squad this summer, warned that City need new signings to boost their Premier League title defence.

Arsenal set to confirm Santi Cazorla deal

Arsenal are set to confirm the signing of Malaga midfielder Santi Carzola after he passed a medical and joined the club at their pre-season training camp in Germany.

The 27-year-old Spain international will sign a long-term contract for a fee below £15m.Malaga's financial problems delayed the move, but it is likely to be announced on Tuesday.

Arsenal are also working on a loan deal for 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin.

They hope to add the Turkey international to a squad already boosted by the arrivals ofGermany forward Lukas Podolski andFrance striker Olivier Giroud from Montpellier.

Doubts remain over the future of captain Robin van Persie, who has said he will not extend his current contract when it expires in 2013.

But the Dutch striker is with the squad in Germany ahead of Sunday's friendly against Cologne on, which was agreed as part of the Podolski transfer.

The Cazorla and Sahin deals are unrelated to Van Persie, but were accelerated by news that Jack Wilshere will not play before Octoberas he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.

Cazorla, who joined Malaga from Villarreal last summer, stands at 5ft 6ins and featured for Spain at the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

Real Madrid signed Sahin from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year contract in May 2011 but he has struggled to establish himself at the Bernabeu and Real boss Jose Mourinho would let him leave on loan.

The formation here is the best in the world ...

ESM or otherwise known European Sports Media has announced the formation of which is best possible in their 2011-2012 season.


Formation is 4-3-3. Formation players are:

Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer

Defenders: Daniel Alves, Mats Hummels, 

Vincent Kompany, Sergio Ramos

Midfielder: Shinji Kagawa, Andrea Pirlo, Xavi

Forwards: Robin Van Why, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nasri banned for three games

The French Football Federation has suspended Samir Nasri for three international matches, and Jeremy Menez for one, following an investigation into incidents at Euro 2012.

Nasri has been banned after a four-letter tirade at journalists in the mixed zone following the quarter-final defeat to Spain, while Menez clashed with Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli and his own goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris during the same game.

The FFF also warned Yann M'Vila, who refused to shake manager Laurent Blanc's hand when substituted against the Spanish, and Hatem Ben Arfa, who argued with the coach after France lost to Sweden, about their future conduct.

FFF discipline commission president Jean Mazzella told L'Equipe: "The meeting was calm, the players gave explanations and showed a very good attitude. They defended themselves but they answered all the questions we asked them. They showed regret.''

Both players will now miss the first game for new coach Didier Deschamps, an international friendly against Uruguay on August 15.

Nasri will also be sidelined for their first two World Cup qualifying matches, away to Finland on September 7 and at home to Belarus four days later.

Menez was represented by his lawyer Carlos Alberto Brusa, who said: "He (Menez) regrets what happened and wants to put this difficult time behind him. It was a youthful error. He is not there, I am there to represent him and pass on his message.

"It is a big responsibility, in front of the commission, to represent a player and to tell his story.''

Andriy Shevchenko retires to pursue politics career

Andriy Shevchenko retires to pursue politics career

-Former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has announced his retirement from football in order to pursue a career in politics.
-The 35-year-old Ukrainian revealed the news in a statement released by his club, Dynamo Kiev."This could shock everyone," he said. "My future is no longer in football."
-He won his 111th and final cap for Ukraine on home soil at Euro 2012 when he came on as a substitute during his side's 1-0 group stage loss to England.At club level, he made his debut for Dynamo Kiev in 1994 and went on to earn a reputation as one of Europe's most lethal strikers after he moved to AC Milan in 1999.He won the Champions League with them in 2003 - scoring the winning penalty in the shoot-out - in a playing career that also saw him collect domestic silverware in Italy, England and Ukraine.As a 29-year-old, Shevchenko signed for Jose Mourinho's Chelsea for £30m in May 2006, but spent a largely unproductive two-season spell in the Premier League before returning to Milan.After he was unable to reproduce the deadly form of his previous spell at the San Siro, he signed a two-year deal with Dynamo in August 2009.Shevchenko was his country's talisman for more than a decade, and registered a national record 48 goals. He captained his country to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2006 and won the Ballon d'Or in 2004 as European player of the year."I will be going into politics," he said when announcing his retirement, and is expected to elaborate on his plans in the near future.

Juventus plan Robin van Persie, or Luis Suarez for their attack

Juventus have told Robin van Persie they want to pair him with Liverpool's Luis Suarez, as they bid to lure him to Italy in the face of strong interest from Manchester United and City.

The Serie A champions have had an initial enquiry rebuffed by Arsenal, who also dismissed an opening formal bid from United out of hand on Friday.

United's bid is believed to be around £10m, £15m below Arsenal's valuation.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has repeated his desire to keep Van Persie.

"For me, Van Persie is one of the best strikers in the world, if not the best, and I want to keep him at the club," Wenger told Arsenal Player.

"As for the rest I will do what is in the best interests of Arsenal Football Club. That, at the moment, is where we are. There is not a lot more to say than that."

Continue reading the main story

“We've shown an interest and that's where we're at at the moment”

Sir Alex Ferguson

The Gunners' 28-year-old captain has a year left on his contract with all three interested clubs offering lucrative financial packages, more than doubling Van Persie's current wage.

Van Persie scored 41 goals in 53 games for club and country last season and was named Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' player of the year of playing alongside Suarez that could sway his thinking.

If Juventus can secure a deal for Van Persie they will turn their attentions to Suarez and intend to raise the necessary funds by selling striker Alessandro Matri to AC Milan.

Liverpool will take a dim view of Juventus's interest in Suarez and have no intention of allowing their prized Uruguayan forward to leave the club.

Suarez is under contract at Anfield until 2016 - but the Reds are keen to tie him down to an even longer deal.