Cavani scores penalty as PSG go top in France

Striker Edinson Cavani came off the bench to score a controversial penalty as Paris St Germain went top of the Ligue 1 table thanks to a 2-0 home win over Toulouse on Saturday.

The Uruguayan, who scored the winner at Valenciennes on Wednesday, sealed the victory 11 minutes from time with his fourth goal of the season after centre back Marquinhos had put the French champions ahead four minutes before the break.

PSG started the game with a revamped team as Ezequiel Lavezzi, Cavani and Blaise Matuidi were all rested ahead of their Champions League Group C home clash against Benfica on Wednesday.

Four days after labouring at Valenciennes, they again struggled to create chances despite dominating the possession until Marquinhos broke the deadlock by tapping home the ball from close range.

Cavani, who replaced Zlatan Ibrahimovic midway through the second half, converted a penalty the referee had awarded for a foul on him although Toulouse centre back Uros Spajic had clearly gone for the ball as he slid in to tackle.

PSG climbed to top on 18 points from eight games, one ahead of Monaco, who visit midtable Stade Reims on Sunday, and third-placed Olympique Marseille, who won at 2-0 Lorient in the day's early game thanks to goals from Mathieu Valbuena and Andre Ayew.

Real lose to Atletico, go five points behind leaders

 Atletico Madrid Saturday kept pace with Barcelona
atop the Spanish Liga with a 1-0 derby win at neighbours Real, on a
goal from Brazilian striker Diego Costa.
It was Atletico's first league defeat of Real since 1999 and
confirmed their best ever start to a season, with seven wins out of
seven.
Earlier, Barca had scored their own seventh win, 2-0 at lowly
Almeria.
Atletico were determined to repeat their May cup final triumph
against Real in the Estadio Bernabeu, and made an aggressive start.
The only goal came in the 12th minute, when Costa calmly beat Real
keeper Diego Lopez after being played through by man-of-the-match
Koke.
Tiago came close to increasing Atletico's lead, with Real looking
uninspired and short on ideas.
Real dominated the second half, with Atletico content to soak up
the pressure and play on the break. Costa should have made it 2-0 but
was foiled by Lopez, then Koke hit the Real crossbar with an elegant
shot.
Real brought on record signing Gareth Bale but still could not
break down a resolute Atletico defence.
The whites are now five points behind Atletico and Barcelona.
Barca had few problems in Almeria, despite Lionel Messi limping
off with a pulled right hamstring shortly after scoring the first
goal.
It is a similar injury to the one that plagued him throughout last
spring.
He had broken the deadlock in the 21st minute with yet another of
his left-foot drives, after taking a clever short pass from Pedro. It
was Messi's eight goal and leaves him one ahead of Atletico's Diego
Costa in the scorers' chart.
Adriano made it 2-0 from close range after a precise move down the
left between Xavi and Cesc Fabregas. Barca then lifted their foot off
the pedal and took it easy until the end.
"I was pleased to score today, at just the moment when the game
was becoming dangerous for us," said Adriano.
"Let's hope that Messi's injury is nothing and that he can be with
us in the next few games, because he is a really important player for
us. With him, we are a different team."
Meanwhile, Barca coach Gerardo Martino said about Messi: "He has a
pulled muscle in his right leg but we will not know exactly what it
is until we do more tests.
"We are trying to control matches for 90 minutes. We were less
imprecise in the second half and Adriano's goal helped us to take
control."
Later Saturday, Real Sociedad and Sevilla played out an
interesting 1-1 draw.
Youngster Jairo gave Sevilla the lead in the 18th minute after
being set up by Ivan Rakitic, only for Antoine Griezmann to equalize
for the hosts in the 66th minute after good work down the right by
Carlos Vela.
The draw left Sociedad ninth and Sevilla 12th.
Earlier on, Valencia moved up to sixth with a 1-0 home defeat of
bottom team Rayo Vallecano.
In-form Brazilian striker Jonas scored the only goal in the 38th
minute, taking advantage of a serious blunder by Rayo defender Saul
Niguez.
Valencia are now sixth, level on 12 points with fifth-placed
Athletic Bilbao. Rayo, in contrast, are bottom with just three

Messi helps Barca set club record, then limps off

 Champions Barcelona made it seven wins out of seven in La Liga, setting a club record start to a campaign, with a 2-0 victory at promoted Almeria on Saturday.

World Player of the Year Lionel Messi struck the opener after 21 minutes with a wonderful solo effort but was forced to leave the pitch soon after with a hamstring problem in his right thigh.

Brazil full back Adriano added a second goal in the 56th minute to help move Barca on to 21 points, three ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid who visit third-placed Real Madrid in the capital city derby later on Saturday.

New coach Gerardo Martino played down his own influence on his record-breaking team.

"All I have done is profit from what these guys have achieved," Martino told a news conference.

"They have been breaking records for years. Mine is merely circumstantial."

Valencia continued to recover from their poor start to the season with a 1-0 home win over basement side Rayo Vallecano.

Brazilian striker Jonas pounced on an error in the Rayo defence to net the only goal after 37 minutes, earning Miroslav Djukic's team a third consecutive victory that put them sixth with 12 points.

Real Sociedad are ninth with seven points after a 1-1 draw at home to Sevilla.

Antoine Griezmann levelled for Socieded in the 66th minute to cancel out a great finish from Jairo in the 18th.

The Basques have now gone six games in La Liga and the Champions League without a win.

Martino rang the changes for Barca once again, leaving Neymar and Xavi on the bench, perhaps with an eye on next week's trip to Celtic in the Champions League.

Almeria gave little away at first, apart from a long-range Andres Iniesta volley that was turned over the bar, until Messi picked up the ball from a short corner on the right and ran across the edge of the area.

The Argentine played a one-two with Pedro and curled a left-foot shot in off the far post.

Messi then picked up his hamstring problem and was replaced by Xavi in the 29th minute.

The club said they would carry out tests on Sunday to determine the extent of the injury, though the forward did not seem unduly concerned as he remained in the dugout to watch the rest of the game.

"Lionel has a little muscle problem in his right leg, something he did while scoring his goal," Martino added. "Until they do the tests we won't know anything more."

After a shaky spell just before halftime, Barca doubled their lead when Cesc Fabregas squared for Adriano to slide in and divert the ball into the corner to continue the home team's winless start to the season.

Flying Dortmund, dull Bayern stay neck and neck

Borussia Dortmund steam-rollered hapless Freiburg 5-0 while Bayern Munich plodded past VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 as the two unbeaten arch-rivals remained level on points at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The two wins could not have been more different, with Dortmund creating countless chances against outclassed Freiburg and Bayern struggling to get into gear against well-organised but toothless opponents.

Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski each scored twice for Dortmund and Jakub Blaszczykowski completed the rout while win-less Freiburg had Fallou Diagne sent off before halftime.

Bayern, who only came to life after Xherdan Shaqiri came on as a second-half substitute, took the three points thanks to Thomas Mueller's first league goal of the season but coach Pep Guardiola was far from satisfied.

"We won the match but we have to improve some things," he told the club's website (www.fcbayern.telecom.de).

Both teams have 19 points from seven games with Dortmund, who have scored 21 goals to Bayern's 14, ahead on goal difference.

Hamburg SV, with former Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk making his first appearance in the hot seat, twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Marcell Jansen grabbed a point for the visitors with four minutes to play.

Bayer Leverkusen's 2-0 win over Hanover 96 kept them one point behind the leaders in third spot while Hertha Berlin came from behind to beat Mainz 05 3-1 and Hoffenheim rallied from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Schalke 04.

Dortmund, who scored six goals in their previous home game against Hamburg, were so dominant that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could easily have had a hat-trick against Freiburg.

Last season's Bundesliga and Champions League runners-up created at least half a dozen chances before Reus snapped up a rebound to put them ahead in the 35th minute.

THEATRICAL FALL

Dortmund increased their lead on the stroke of halftime when Lewandowski was pushed by Diagne, fell theatrically backwards and was awarded a penalty while the Senegalese defender was sent off.

Reus converted the penalty and the rest was a foregone conclusion.

Lewandowski opened his account just before the hour with a brilliantly-taken goal. He controlled Reus's long pass on his chest with his back to goal, held off two defenders and dinked the ball into the net.

The Pole then turned in Jonas Hofmann's cross and compatriot Blaszczykowski completed the scoring with 11 minutes to go.

Bayern's uninspired win was in complete contrast, the only goal coming when Shaqiri sliced open the Wolfsburg defence with a diagonal pass to Franck Ribery and the Frenchman's low cross was turned in at the far post by Mueller.

First-half goals from Simon Rolfes and Sidney Sam were enough for Leverkusen to down Hanover while Sami Allagui scored twice for promoted Hertha in their 3-1 win over Mainz.

Schalke failed to build on an excellent start at Hoffenheim where Kevin-Prince Boateng sidefooted the visitors ahead and Joel Matip headed a second in the 13th minute.

Anthony Modeste pulled one back from close-range but Marco Hoeger burst through the Hoffenheim defence to restore Schalke's two-goal advantage five minutes before the break.

A Roberto Firmino penalty and David Abraham free kick gave Hoffenheim their second 3-3 home draw of the season while Firmino also hit the bar near the end.

Hamburg, who have the league's worst defensive record, fell behind to a Johannes Flum goal for Eintracht in the 31st minute before Pierre-Michel Lasogga headed them level in first-half stoppage time.

Marco Russ put Eintracht back in front nine minutes after the restart but Jansen curled in the last-gasp equaliser to haul Hamburg out of the bottom three.

Man City's Pellegrini vows to keep calm despite defeat

 Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini refused to panic after his side lost 3-2 at Aston Villa on Saturday as their wait for a first away win in the Premier League this season goes on.

The Chilean coach refused to let his stuttering side's form on the road worry him despite a run of only three victories from their last 11 away league games dating back to last season.

City have picked up only one point from three of those games this term after defeat to Cardiff City and a draw at Stoke City and have slipped to fifth spot, five points off leaders Arsenal.

"It's important to keep calm. In general I was very happy with the way my team played today and we deserved a different score," he said. "We played very well and deserved to win."

They started well against Villa and dominated the first half but missed lots of chances before Yaya Toure opened the scoring with his fourth goal in their six league games this season.

Pellegrini's side would come to rue their profligacy in front of goal as they twice squandered the lead.

Villa's Karim El Ahmadi equalised early in the second half before Edin Dzeko restored City's lead. The hosts then scored twice in three minutes to turn the game on its head with Leandro Bacuna's magnificent free-kick and Andreas Weimann's winner.

"We played very well and deserved to win," a frustrated Pellegrini told Sky Sports. "We deserved another score in the match, but in five minutes we did two things that threw away everything good we had done in the rest of the match.

"The way we lost this game was incredible. We led twice, and we had control of the game."

Villa manager Paul Lambert praised the way his side overcame a crippling injury list to claim a third league win of the season that takes them up to ninth place with nine points.

"I thought we were outstanding. The injury list is pretty horrendous. We've lost two lads (forwards Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor) who have scored a lot of goals for us and we've lost (Ashley) Westwood who has been fantastic.

"We're up against one of the best teams in the country. Not just for the Barclays Premier League but for Champions League football so that says a lot about the magnitude of the result.

"I know from experience reputation will never win you the game. Their two lads (Toure and Brazilian Fernandinho) played well but El Ahmadi, (Yacouba Sylla) and (Fabian) Delph were absolutely brilliant."

Pandev's quickfire double puts Napoli top

Goran Pandev scored two goals in 11 first-half minutes to lift Napoli to the top of Serie A with a 2-0 victory at Genoa on Saturday.

Rafael Benitez's unbeaten side, who started with strikers Gonzalo Higuain and Marek Hamsik on the bench ahead of Tuesday's Champions League trip to Arsenal, have 16 points from six games.

Napoli lead by one point from AS Roma who host Bologna on Sunday.

Macedonian forward Pandev fluffed one chance on the break before breaking through in the 14th minute. He pounced on an errant pass from Genoa midfielder Juraj Kucka and skipped past Alessandro Gamberini to calmly shoot his team in front.

With Genoa rocking, Pandev then played a neat one-two with Lorenzo Insigne before finishing well with his right foot from a tight angle.

Pandev's match-winning display came after he was played behind the centre forward, the position he had been asking Benitez to put him.

"I said to him that he has no excuses, he was playing in the centre and he had to score goals, and he did," said the coach.

Benitez was criticised in midweek when he rotated his team and they could only muster a 1-1 home draw in the league against lowly Sassuolo.

"We really wanted three points after the horrible night on Wednesday but those nights can happen to anyone," said Pandev. "Tonight we played really well and deserved the win.

Genoa, who are 15th in the table, put Napoli under a lot of pressure in the second half and the visitors looked a lot less secure especially as injured defender Raul Albiol had made way for Paolo Cannavaro at halftime.

Higuain replaced new signing Duvan Zapata, who had a disappointing debut, with an hour gone and the former Real Madrid frontman had a chance to make it 3-0 in injury time but blazed his shot over the bar.

Struggling AC Milan host third from bottom Sampdoria in Saturday's late game, hoping to grab their second win of the season.

Southampton fourth after strikers end barren runs

A palpable wave of relief pulsed through St Mary's on Saturday after Southampton beat a gritty Crystal Palace side 2-0 and the home team's two talismanic strikers ended barren spells in front of goal.

Record signing Dani Osvaldo scored his first for the south coast club when he sent a left-foot shot beyond keeper Julian Speroni in the 47th minute.

The Italy international then won a free kick 90 seconds later for Rickie Lambert to grab his first Premier League goal since the opening day of the season.

Lambert struck his effort perfectly from 20 metres, lofting the ball over the wall and in off the post.

"I was desperate to get on the scoresheet sooner rather than later," the England centre forward told reporters. "I am over the moon.

"We knew if we kept going, kept passing around the box, we would get chances and those chances would go in."

Lambert paid tribute to Osvaldo, a 12.8 million pounds ($20.64 million) buy from AS Roma in August.

"Dani did fantastically for his goal and it has given him the confidence he needs," said the England striker.

It was the first time Southampton had scored two goals in a league game this season and it lifted the team to fourth place in the table.

"To be fourth ... it's very nice, very nice ... let's try to stay there," said Lambert.

"It's a hard league. I won't be too fussed if I don't score 15 like last season so long as the lads do their stuff."

Federation official questions Real penalty referee

The referee who awarded Real Madrid the stoppage-time penalty that secured a 2-1 La Liga win at Elche on Wednesday may not have been in the right state of mind to take charge of the game, the head of Spain's referees' committee said on Thursday.

Victoriano Sanchez Arminio told reporters referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez probably got it wrong when he ruled Elche midfielder Carlos Sanchez had obstructed Pepe at a 94th-minute corner and pointed to the spot.

The Elche players were furious with the decision, also because the allocated three minutes of added time had already ended and their plucky performance had been rewarded with a dramatic equaliser three minutes earlier.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who had put Real ahead with a 51st-minute free kick, drove the penalty into the corner and a host of angry Elche players confronted Muniz Fernandez on the final whistle.

Television replays showed Pepe and Sanchez grappling with each other before tumbling together to the floor and the Elche players' fury appeared justified.

"I don't think he got it right," Sanchez Arminio said.

"But there you go, sometimes we get it right and sometimes not, that's football," he added.

"When someone is not on form on the pitch it's one thing after the other.

"The best person to ask about it is him (Muniz Fernandez). I don't know how he was feeling, if he maybe had some family issue that meant he wasn't in the right frame of mind."

Muniz Fernandez has already been mired in controversy once this season when he disallowed what appeared a perfectly legitimate goal scored by Sevilla defender Cala against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

Wednesday's decision prompted an ironic comment from Barca's Spain centre back Gerard Pique, who referred to the match on his Twitter feed as a "comedy film".

Barca president Sandro Rosell was quoted as saying in local media on Thursday he "still couldn't believe it" and "the evidence speaks for itself".

Spanish media reported the referees' committee had decided Muniz Fernandez would not officiate at another Elche match this season.

Germany striker Klose doubtful for World Cup qualifiers

Germany forward Miroslav Klose could miss the World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Sweden next month after undergoing foot surgery late on Wednesday, Germany coach Joachim Loew said on Thursday.

"I have been informed about his surgery and will directly speak with him," Loew said of Klose, who plays for Italian club Lazio.

Lazio said on its website Klose would start his recovery immediately after the surgery. Klose's Germany team mate Mario Gomez has already been ruled out of those games with a knee injury.

Max Kruse had been called up for the last two internationals earlier this month.

"I still do not know what kind of impact his absence will have on the nominations for the games against Ireland and Sweden. I will name the squad at the end of next week," Loew said.

Germany, top of Group C next host Ireland on Oct. 11 before finishing off away to Sweden four days later. They need two points from the two games to guarantee top spot

Mata rebuff shows Spurs are a threat - Villas-Boas

Chelsea's decision to block Tottenham Hotspur's move for Juan Mata in the recent transfer window shows the clubs are now genuine rivals, Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas said on Thursday.

Mata is currently out of favour under Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, with the Spain international left under no illusion that he will have to change his game if he wants to win back his place at Stamford Bridge.

Villas-Boas said Tottenham, who face Chelsea at White Hart Lane on Saturday, enquired about signing the playmaker, but were rebuffed in their efforts to get him to move across London.

"We did not pursue it to be fair," Villas-Boas told reporters at Tottenham's training ground.

"When top players become available when their situation changes at a club, particularly for a player like Juan Mata, you enquire about the situation, but nothing went further than a simple enquiry...

"It is normal, last year we were fighting for the same objectives in the beginning the title and after that Champions League qualification, so I suppose after that they did not want to strengthen a rival.

"I suppose it is a sign of evolution from Tottenham as well."

Chelsea also sought to scupper Tottenham's transfer plans by poaching Brazil international Willian from under their noses, signing him after he had undergone a medical in north London.

"I have no idea what motivated them to sign Willian, but I am sure he has strengthened an already very good squad," Villas-Boas added.

"In the end, everybody agrees in that sector they are very strong already, but they decided to do that and he is such a young talent with so much potential that he can always compliment them."

Mourinho blocked my progress, says Villas-Boas

Extra spice was added to Tottenham's clash with Chelsea on Saturday after Andre Villas-Boas said he went into management when his coaching ambitions were thwarted by Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan.

The two Portuguese managers will be in opposing dugouts for the first time when their teams meet in the Premier League, four years after Villas-Boas quit Mourinho's backroom staff at Inter to take a job back home with Academica.

The pair had been close, Villas-Boas working under Mourinho at Porto and Chelsea before the spell together in Serie A signalled the end of their working relationship.

The Tottenham manager had been an opposition scout for Mourinho but wanted a more hands-on coaching role, only to be rebuffed.

"My relationship with him professionally and personally was excellent, as you can imagine, because we worked so many years together," he told reporters at Tottenham's training facilities in Enfield on Friday.

"Our break-up point was because I was full of ambition to give him something extra and I wanted further involvement to the job that I was doing at the time which was scouting and match preparation.

"I felt that I could give him much more so my initial idea was to keep working with him but he did not feel the need for someone near to him or in another position as an assistant and because of that we both decided it was time."

Villas-Boas denied there was any on-going feud between the coaches who have strikingly similar career paths with varying degrees of success.

They are on speaking terms, but are no longer close friends.

"We talked at the Premier League managers meeting when we were there in August, but since then no," Villas-Boas added.

The Tottenham boss may feel he has a point to prove at White Hart Lane against the team who sacked him after only eight months in the job.

EXCELLENT START

Tottenham's excellent start to the season has put them two points clear of their London rivals, having won eight of their nine competitive games this campaign and conceding a solitary goal.

Victory would provide them with a healthy cushion and might also offer food for thought to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich who was quick to pull the trigger on Villas-Boas's reign at Stamford Bridge having tasked him with rejuvenating the squad.

The Tottenham manager, who set out his stall to challenge for the title when he took the job last year, feels Saturday's match is unlikely to have a decisive impact on the final table and what he believes could be the tightest title race in years.

"It can change very quickly, at the moment we are on a good run. There aren't any teams on maximum points, so this year it will be very tight at the top," he added.

"We could have the tightest Premier League in years. What is happening to us now, puts us in a positive mood, but we just have to continue trying to get the most amount of points possible.

"It is very early stages, anything can change dramatically, this game will not have any significant impact," Villas-Boas said.

"Whatever comes out, I'm not sure it will have a great impact on the classification at the end of the season, but we want to do well and build on our confidence."

Chelsea's van Ginkel faces six months out of action

Chelsea's Dutch international midfielder Marco van Ginkel could be out of action for six months after knee surgery on Thursday, the Premier League club said.

The 20-year-old Dutchman injured his anterior cruciate ligament during the first half of a Capital One (League) Cup match at Swindon on Tuesday. Chelsea said in a statement that the surgery had been successful.

Van Ginkel, who joined the west Londoners in July from Vitesse Arnhem on a five-year contract, has made only two starts under manager Jose Mourinho.

He made his senior international debut last November and the layoff will be a blow to his hopes of selection for next year's World Cup in Brazil. Louis van Gaal's Dutch side have already qualified for the finals

Freiburg seek consistency for trip to Dortmund

Freiburg's joyous celebrations for clinching a first European spot in 12 years with a fifth place finish last season have turned into a hangover as the minnows brace for a showdown against Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

Coach Christian Streich's team has struggled for both pace and imagination after five key players were snapped up by bigger clubs in the summer transfer window and find themselves mired in the relegation zone, still winless after six matches.

Two of the biggest losses were striker Max Kruse, who scored 11 goals and set up another eight last season before joining Borussia Moenchengladbach, and Congolese midfielder Cedric Makiadi, who moved north to Werder Bremen.

Also hampering the club's progress is an injury picked up earlier this month while on international duty with the Czech Republic to record signing Vladimir Darida, who joined from Viktoria Plzen but has yet to feature for Freiburg.

This lack of consistency has led to three draws and three defeats in the league, and the squandering of a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw against Slovan Liberec in their opening Europa League Group H fixture.

"At the moment, we are not capable of lighting any fireworks," Streich said of his club's recent form.

"It is important not to have any fear. If you fail to win for some time in the Bundesliga, you develop this fear. It is about making the game fun for our players. This season we will need to fight enormous battles to survive."

BAYERN DRAW

The small club, still the only one to take points off the all-conquering Bayern Munich this season with a 1-1 draw, received a confidence boost on Wednesday when they reached the last 16 of the German Cup with a 2-1 win over VfB Stuttgart.

"It was by no means a liberating win for us, this is something for big teams who may get a bad result and then bounce straight back," added Streich, who led the team to the semi-finals of the same competition last season.

"We are going to Dortmund now, a huge challenge mentally to play against those players. But we will not go down without a fight, I can guarantee you that."

Freiburg are currently in 17th place, one off the bottom on three points, 13 behind their opponents on Saturday.

"We were better than in the past few games and deserved to win," said keeper Oliver Baumann, who agreed to a contract extension this week. "I really hope that our confidence stays with us and we can take it into our next game."

They will need all the confidence they can muster against the Bundesliga leaders, who had a tougher midweek Cup game than expected against second tier 1860 Munich, needing extra time before advancing 2-0.

Dortmund top the standings, level on points with Bayern, after five wins and a draw from their opening six fixtures.

Defender Marcel Schmelzer is doubtful with a muscle injury but coach Juergen Klopp is unlikely to leave any of his top players on the bench after resting several in last week's 1-1 draw at Nuremberg.

Bayern host VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, while third-placed Bayer Leverkusen, a point behind the leaders on 15, entertain Hanover 96.

Ashley-Cooper moves to wing for Australia

Adam Ashley-Cooper has been moved to the wing as a replacement for the disgraced James O'Connor in Australia's side to face South Africa in a Rugby Championship clash at Newlands on Saturday.

The move is one of three changes in the Australia backline announced by coach Ewen McKenzie, who has made six changes in total.

O'Connor has been replaced in the starting side by centre Tevita Kuridrani, who will take over the number 13 jersey, with Ashley-Cooper switching to the wing.

ACT Brumbies flyer Joe Tomane has also been included on the other wing in the place of Nick Cummins.

"Adam has great versatility, he is our most experienced backline player," McKenzie told reporters on Thursday.

"To be honest, we put numbers on their back but it doesn't mean they will play like that. We have a physically imposing backline and we hope to put pressure on the Boks with that. Tevita Kuridrani has also been itching for a chance."

Australia captain James Horwill returns from injury to take over from Kane Douglas at lock, the only other change to the starting line-up from the side that beat Argentina 14-13 last time out.

"James Horwill coming back is logical as captain. We have got the best guys that are available now and they are improving as a combination."

New Zealand-born wing Chris Feauai-Sautia, who plays for Queensland Reds, has been added the bench and will make his international debut if the 19-year-old gets onto the pitch.

Waratahs loose-head prop Benn Robinson has also been added to the bench to replace Scott Sio.

McKenzie acknowledges that his side were well short of their best when thumped 38-12 by South Africa in Brisbane earlier this month, but is comfortable with the underdog role for this match.

"The one game we were disappointed with was the game against the Boks because we did not feel we got close to how we wanted to play, in the forwards or the backs.

"All we have read about since we have been here is how much the Springboks are going to beat us by... we have taken note of that."

Team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13-Tevita Kuridrani, 12-Christian Leali'ifano, 11-Joe Tomane, 10-Quade Cooper, 9-Nic White, 8-Ben Mowen, 7-Michael Hooper, 6-Scott Fardy, 5-James Horwill (captain), 4-Rob Simmons, 3-Ben Alexander, 2-Stephen Moore, 1-James Slipper

Replacements: 16-Saia Fainga'a, 17-Benn Robinson, 18-Sekope Kepu, 19-Sitaleki Timani, 20-Ben McCalman, 21-Will Genia, 22-Matt Toomua, 23-Chris Feauai-Sautia

Bale set for Bernabeu baptism of fire in Madrid derby

With his Real side misfiring and city rivals Atletico flying high, world record signing Gareth Bale may be in for a baptism of fire when he makes his home debut in Saturday's Madrid derby at the Bernabeu (2000 GMT).

The 100-million euro ($135 million) Wales winger was due to play his first match at Real's giant arena last weekend against Getafe but tweaked a thigh muscle in the warmup and was hastily withdrawn from the starting lineup.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti rested Bale for Wednesday's 2-1 win at promoted Elche, when Real needed a controversial Cristiano Ronaldo penalty deep into stoppage time to secure victory, but told reporters the 24-year-old would be back to face Atletico.

Instead of taking to the field against one of the league's weakest teams, however, Bale will be up against a fired-up side who have won all six of their matches and top the table on a perfect 18 points with champions Barcelona.

Diego Simeone's Atletico will also be buoyed by last season's memorable 2-1 King's Cup final victory against Real in the same stadium, the first victory for the club against their bitter city rivals in any competition in 14 years.

Atletico's triumph was particularly sweet for their long-suffering fans as it left Real without major silverware and helped hasten the departure of coach Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho's successor Ancelotti has yet to get the best from his hugely expensive squad and the Italian delivered some blunt criticism after Wednesday's unconvincing display at Elche, a club whose entire squad is worth less than half the fee Real paid Tottenham Hotspur for Bale.

"I am not happy," Ancelotti told a news conference after Elche snatched a 91st-minute equaliser only for Ronaldo, who had put Real ahead with a free kick in the 51st minute, to net the winner in the 96th.

"We suffered a lot, especially at the end. The team did not control the match after Ronaldo's goal," Ancelotti added.

"The important thing is the result but it's not enough, we have to play better.

"Playing like that we will not win the derby ... above all we have to play with more intensity and personality."

INTRIGUING ASPECT

Intensity and personality are exactly what former Argentina captain Simeone, a combative midfielder for clubs including Atletico, Sevilla, Inter Milan and Lazio, has instilled in his squad since he took over in late 2011.

None has benefited more from the Argentine's guidance than Brazilian Diego Costa, who has started the season with a bang and tops the La Liga scoring chart alongside Barca's World Player of the Year Lionel Messi on seven goals.

A burly forward who likes to rattle opponents with an aggressive playing style, Costa netted the equaliser in last season's Cup final and his battle with Real's central defenders Sergio Ramos and Pepe will be one of the most intriguing aspects of Saturday's game.

"We are working, taking each game at a time, and the only thing that concerns us is doing things well at Atletico Madrid," Simeone told a news conference after Tuesday's 2-1 La Liga win at home to Osasuna.

"We are on a positive run, the fans are happy.

"Each day the responsibility is growing and the demands even more and that's why we have to rest properly and train hard."

Barca's Argentine coach Gerardo Martino is likely to continue his policy of alternating rest days for key squad members when the champions play at promoted Almeria on Saturday.

In-form Spain playmaker Cesc Fabregas is likely to start after sitting out Tuesday's 4-1 success at home to Real Sociedad.

Balotelli gets a ticking off from Milan coach

Mario Balotelli was given a ticking-off by AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri on Tuesday after the club decided not to appeal against a three-match ban for his sending-off on Sunday.

"Mario is 23 years old, he is no longer a child," Allegri told reporters about Balotelli's dismissal for insulting the referee at the end of the 2-1 home defeat by Napoli.

"To be a champion you have to have the right behaviour because you are an example to all those who are watching you," Allegri told reporters.

"Mario has made a mistake, penalising the team, the club and the supporters and he must change this behaviour."

Allegri added that referees were becoming reluctant to give free kicks to Balotelli because of his attitude.

"Mario should help the referees to protect him," he added. "The referees have left him (unprotected) because they can be influenced by negative attitudes."

The maverick forward has been relatively well-behaved since joining Milan from Manchester City in January, although he was also sent off against Fiorentina in April, again for arguing with a referee.

"I hope that he realises he put the team in difficulty," said Allegri. "When the game is over, you need to go into the dressing room, calm down and think about working to improve."

"The players should think about playing and not about the referee's decisions," he added. "When the game ends, you should leave the field, possibly greeting the referee politely."

"Mario is a world-renowned player who represents the Italian national team. I think he has every chance of understanding and growing. He is an important player for Milan and should behave like a champion.

"Until now, Mario has always behaved well. He got it wrong on Sunday and I hope that serves as a lesson."

---

Walcott to miss England World Cup qualifiers

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has been ruled out of England's last two World Cup qualifiers because he needs treatment for an abdominal injury, his Premier League club said on Tuesday.

"He will have the procedure in Germany on Wednesday and, because it's so minor, we can begin his rehab immediately," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the club website (www.arsenalcom).

"We are pleased it's being dealt with quickly and he shouldn't miss too many Arsenal matches. But he will miss the forthcoming international matches with England."

England, one point clear of Ukraine and Montenegro in Group H, are due to play Montenegro and Poland at home on Oct 11 and 15 respectively in their final qualifiers for next year's tournament in Brazil.

Walcott missed Arsenal's win at Stoke City on Sunday that sent the Gunners top of the Premier League after suffering slight damage to his posterior abdominal wall.

"It's not a hernia, but it's a little structural problem in his abdomen," said Wenger.

PSG and Brazil captain Silva out for six weeks

Paris St Germain centre back Thiago Silva will be out of action for six weeks with a left thigh injury and is out of contention for Brazil's friendly internationals in October.

The 28-year-old PSG and Brazil captain picked up the injury in the 1-1 home draw against Monaco in Ligue 1 on Sunday and had to be replaced after 15 minutes.

"I have bad news, although it could have been worse. After examinations, doctors told me I'll be sidelined for six weeks," Silva wrote on his Instagram feed on Tuesday.

Silva is suffering from the same kind of injury ruled him out for almost two months last season.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc told a news conference: "The injury is important. It's not the first time it has happened to him, so he knows that he will have to be patient".

Silva is set to miss two Champions League Group C games - next Wednesday's clash with Benfica at the Parc des Princes and the visit to Anderlecht on Oct. 23.

He is set to be replaced by compatriot Alex, who is back in the squad for Wednesday's Ligue 1 trip to Valenciennes. The French champions are second with 12 points from six games, two points behind Monaco after the pair drew 1-1 on Sunday.

The 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil are scheduled to play friendlies against South Korea in Seoul on Oct. 12 and Zambia three days later in Beijing.

Neymar opens La Liga account as Barca thump Sociedad

Barcelona maintained their perfect start to their title defence when Neymar scored his first La Liga goal and Lionel Messi netted his seventh of the season in a 4-1 victory at home to Real Sociedad on Tuesday.

The champions made it six wins from six largely thanks to a scintillating first-half display at the Nou Camp, when Neymar bundled the ball over the line after five minutes and World Player of the Year Messi made it 2-0 with a diving header from the Brazilian's cross three minutes later.

Sergio Busquets scored a rare goal to make it 3-0 in the 23rd minute before Barca lost some of their intensity in the second half and Alberto de la Bella pulled one back for the visitors just after the hour.

Messi, whose goal was his seventh in five league appearances this term, then set up substitute Marc Bartra to score from close range 13 minutes from time and snuff out any hopes of a Sociedad fightback.

Barca top the table on 18 points, three ahead of Atletico Madrid who host Osasuna later on Tuesday (2000 GMT). Real Madrid, two points behind in third, play at Elche on Wednesday (2000).

Balotelli gets a ticking off from Milan coach

Mario Balotelli was given a ticking-off by AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri on Tuesday after the club decided not to appeal against a three-match ban for his sending-off on Sunday.

"Mario is 23 years old, he is no longer a child," Allegri told reporters about Balotelli's dismissal for insulting the referee at the end of the 2-1 home defeat by Napoli.

"To be a champion you have to have the right behaviour because you are an example to all those who are watching you," Allegri told reporters.

"Mario has made a mistake, penalising the team, the club and the supporters and he must change this behaviour."

Allegri added that referees were becoming reluctant to give free kicks to Balotelli because of his attitude.

"Mario should help the referees to protect him," he added. "The referees have left him (unprotected) because they can be influenced by negative attitudes."

The maverick forward has been relatively well-behaved since joining Milan from Manchester City in January, although he was also sent off against Fiorentina in April, again for arguing with a referee.

"I hope that he realises he put the team in difficulty," said Allegri. "When the game is over, you need to go into the dressing room, calm down and think about working to improve."

"The players should think about playing and not about the referee's decisions," he added. "When the game ends, you should leave the field, possibly greeting the referee politely."

"Mario is a world-renowned player who represents the Italian national team. I think he has every chance of understanding and growing. He is an important player for Milan and should behave like a champion.

"Until now, Mario has always behaved well. He got it wrong on Sunday and I hope that serves as a lesson."

Villa's Benteke ruled out for at least four weeks

Aston Villa will be without Belgium striker Christian Benteke for four to six weeks after he sustained a hip injury in last weekend's win at Norwich City, the club said.

"Paul Lambert confirms Christian Benteke will be out for four-six weeks. Better news than he first feared," Villa said on the club's Twitter page.

The news is a blow for Villa as Benteke had begun the season superbly, scoring four Premier League goals.

He was unable to play in Villa's 4-0 League Cup defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday and is likely to miss Belgium's remaining World Cup qualifiers.

Belgium, who are five points clear at the top of Group A, visit second place Croatia on Oct. 11 and host Wales four days later.

Galatasaray terminate coach Terim's contract

Galatasaray have terminated coach Fatih Terim's contract after he declined to accept a proposed two-year extension to his term, the Istanbul club said on Tuesday.

In a statement on its website, Galatasaray said "recent developments" had started to damage the club's "values", without elaborating. Turkish media have been reporting growing discord between Terim and the club's management.

"First and foremost, our board of directors are responsible for protecting these values and passing these on to future generations," the club said in the statement.

"As part of this responsibility, in order to prevent further deterioration of our community, our board of directors decided unanimously to notify Mr. Terim that his contract has been terminated," it said.

Terim, 60, agreed last month to take charge of Turkey's national team, a post he has held on two previous occasions, for their remaining 2014 World Cup qualifiers, in conjunction with his Galatasaray job.

Galatasaray, who are currently in tenth place in the Turkish League, suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat at home by Real Madrid in their Champions League Group B opener last week.

On Sunday, Galatasaray's Istanbul derby against Besiktas was halted in the 93rd minute when hundreds of fans stormed the pitch after Galatasaray midfielder Felipe Melo was shown a red card.

Galatasaray were leading 2-1 in the third minute of added time when the match was halted, sending the players sprinting for the safety of the locker rooms.

Sampdoria snatch 2-2 draw at Cagliari, Livorno held

  

Sampdoria twice came from behind in the dying moments to rescue a 2-2 draw at Cagliari while Chievo Verona recovered from an early setback to win their first Serie A game of the season 2-1 at home to Udinese on Saturday.

Livorno missed the chance to catch the league leaders after a battling goalless draw at Genoa left the promoted side sixth, level on seven points with Juventus, Fiorentina and Inter Milan who all play on Sunday when pacesetters Napoli visit AC Milan.

Fabio Liverani's Genoa moved up a place to 13th with four points after a scrappy affair with few chances although the hosts came closest to scoring in when Emanuele Calaio's point-blank header forced an incredible late save by Francesco Bardi.

The last-gasp draw earned by Delio Rossi's Sampdoria thanks to Lorenzo De Silvestri's added-time strike left them fourth from bottom on two points while Cagliari stayed ninth with five.

"It was the right result, but it's still annoying going 2-1 down in that situation," said Rossi.

"I didn't like how we started but... in the second half we changed and our courage was awarded," added the coach, who was sent off for his wild celebrations after De Silvestri equalised.

"I ran over there because I wanted to share in the joy with the lads, I didn't mean to offend anyone."

Chievo leapt out of the bottom three up to 13th place after their win, which put them level with Udinese on four points.

BEAUTIFUL GOAL

Sampdoria went behind to Albin Ekdal's beautifully worked goal in the 26th minute and had to wait until the 89th minute to equalise when Manolo Gabbiadini's shot squeezed through the arms of distraught Cagliari keeper Michael Agazzi.

Daniele Conti's stunning free kick in the first minute of added time put the hosts back in front but Sampdoria defender De Silvestri netted two minutes later to salvage a point.

The result gives some breathing space to manager Rossi, who has been under extreme pressure after a poor start to the season that saw them thumped 3-0 in the Genoa derby last week.

Chievo gifted a goal to Udinese's Brazilian Maicosuel in the opening minute following a defensive mix-up but hit back with a smart 13th-minute finish by Sergio Pellissier, who raced on to Nicholas Frey's through ball and fired across Ivan Kevala.

A deflected long-range strike from Luca Rigoni in the 40th minute capped off a fine first-half display from Chievo and, although they were under pressure for much of the second period, it proved enough for them to take all three points.

There are two huge clashes on Sunday with second-placed AS Roma looking to maintain their 100 percent start by beating rivals Lazio in the Rome derby (1300 GMT) while Napoli visit Milan (1945) in a match that will test their title credentials.

Pedro hat-trick helps Barcelona thrash Rayo

 A hat-trick from Pedro and a first-half penalty save by Victor Valdes helped champions Barcelona maintain their 100 percent record in La Liga with a 4-0 mauling of valiant Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

Barca have 15 points from five games and are three clear at the top with second-placed Atletico Madrid, who have a perfect record of 12 points, visiting Real Valladolid later on Saturday.

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino rotated his squad again with Dani Alves, Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez starting on the bench, and his side were quickly on the back foot against their hard-running and aggressive hosts.

Valdes was called into action after only three minutes as he saved a point-blank header from Alberto Perea.

The compact pitch at Vallecas and a turbo-charged start from Rayo had Barca struggling to control an open game, with Lionel Messi and Neymar going close at one end, and Martin Montoya playing a backpass just wide of his own post at the other.

An Alex Song interception was the starting point for the opener in the 33rd minute, as he set Messi on a jinking run past two defenders, and the Argentine forward laid the ball off for Pedro to fire low into the corner

Rayo's determination was undimmed, however, and minutes later Adriano bundled over Roberto Trashorras for a penalty.

Valdes saved a penalty against Ajax Amsterdam in Barcelona's 4-0 Champions League win on Wednesday, and guessed right again as he denied Rayo captain Trashorras from the spot.

Rayo had matched Barca for possession in the first half but were caught out again as another interception saw midfielder Cesc Fabregas break down the left and cross low for Pedro to finish high into the net in the 47th.

Familiar feeling as Liverpool stumble against Saints

 

 Much of Liverpool's early-season optimism drained away as familiar weaknesses and a lack of squad depth were exposed in a 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Saturday.

The club ended the day level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table, but Dejan Lovren's simple set-piece goal and Liverpool's failure to land a telling blow of their own told a different story.

It is a familiar tale for Liverpool fans who over recent years have become used to seeing their team fritter away periods of good form by flattering to deceive against a team they were expected to beat.

Premature talk of a potential title challenge was silenced and replaced with commonly heard questions about whether they have a squad capable of sustaining a charge for a top-four spot and Champions League qualification.

"We've been unfortunate to lose a number of injured players all at the same time," manager Brendan Rodgers told reporters in mitigation.

"But we have what we have and the players have been brilliant. Today hurts, because we haven't tasted defeat for such a long time."

This was Liverpool's first loss since they were outplayed by the same opponents in March last season, but in the 13 intervening league matches they have been held to home draws by Reading and West Ham United, two games an established top four side would expect to win.

Liverpool's pedestrian approach play on Saturday highlighted the pivotal importance of creative lynchpin Philippe Coutinho who has been ruled out for six weeks with a shoulder injury he suffered against Swansea City on Monday.

His exit in that match coincided with Liverpool ceding possession and territory and ultimately conceding a second-half equaliser to draw 2-2, while on Saturday it enabled Southampton to starve in-form striker Daniel Sturridge of possession.

Liverpool's attacking ambitions were also frustrated by having to field four central defenders across their backline, an unfortunate consequence of mounting injury and fitness problems.

"It was really what we had available," Rodgers added. "We've got Glen Johnson out injured and Martin Kelly's only returning - he's had a few games, but he's still trying to work up his fitness having been out for a year.

"Jose Enrique is one we've got to keep an eye on his knee. He's got an issue with his knee and if there is an overload on that, it could maybe put him out longer term. We've got (Aly) Cissokho out already."

One positive to emerge out of defeat was that the fixture heralded the end of striker Luis Suarez's 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic last season.

The Uruguay international's goals have frequently dug Liverpool out difficult situations in the past and his ability to create something from nothing will be invaluable going forward.

"I think that's a positive from today; the fact that he is back now, the ban has finished and he's available from next week," said Rodgers.

"Sometimes in these games it's players like him (Suarez), who can make the difference. It's going to be great to have him back."

Man United's Lingard makes sparkling start at Birmingham

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard made a stunning start to his month-loan at Birmingham City by scoring all four goals in a 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship on Saturday.

Lingard struck three times in a blistering 13-minute spell midway through the first half and after adding his fourth the 20-year-old was substituted 20 minutes from time.

The signing of Lingard provided a welcome boost for Birmingham who had started the day with only four points and four goals from their first seven league games of the season.

The England Under-21 international has yet to make his first team debut for the Premier League champions but impressed during pre-season for Manchester United.

Italian striker Federico Macheda, another Manchester United player out on loan, scored both goals for Doncaster Rovers as they held in-form Nottingham Forest to a 2-2 draw in their second division game.

AS Saint-Etienne vs FC Toulouse 20.09.2013 ligue 01

 

AS Saint-Etienne – FC Toulouse – On Friday we traditionally analyze the first match of the current round in the strongest French league, and this time it is a duel between old rivals St Etienne and Toulouse. Otherwise, these two teams were completely different at the start of the season, and after five rounds St. Etienne is the second with 12 points, while Toulouse only won three points and they are currently penultimate at the table. However, Toulouse was slightly more successful in their mutual matches from last season, because they celebrated at home with 2-1, and they had a draw of 2-2 away. Begins: 20.09.2013 – 20:30 CET

AS Saint-Etienne

St. Etienne had a great start in this new season of Ligue 1, and so far they have been defeated only once and it was in Lille, while in their remaining four matches they recorded as many wins. They mastered Bordeaux and Guingamp at home and Ajaccio and Valenciennes away. This last match was played last weekend and they celebrated with 3-1. Otherwise, the hero of this match was their newcomer Corgnet who scored two goals, while Hamouma scored the third one, so these two players will probably again play instead of Cohade and Mollo. The rest of the team should remain the same as in the last two games, in which they actually shown to possess a strong character since they recovered quickly after their three consecutive losses, where one was against Lille in the championship while the other two happened in the playoffs of the European League against the Danish Esbjerg. However, this elimination from these European competitions was actually a good thing for this team, because they will now devote their maximum attention to the championship, and their main goal is to qualify in the Champions League. We should also add that their strikers Gradel and Brandao and defender Baysse will miss this match against Toulouse due to their injuries.

Probable lineups AS Saint-Etienne: Ruffier – Clerc, Sall, Perrin, Ghoulam – Clement, Lemoine – Hamouma, Corgnet, Tabanou – Erding

FC Toulouse

Unlike St. Etienne, Toulouse had a very bad start in this new season, and they still have not managed to achieve any victories in the five rounds played. However, they are still undefeated at home, having two draws of 1-1 against Bordeaux and Marseille, and they also won one point away against the leading Monaco, without any received goals. But in their other two performances at Valenciennes and Bastia they remained empty handed, which is why the atmosphere in their team before this duel with the extremely unpleasant St. Etienne is quite bleak. However, their coach Casanova still hopes that his players will manage to set things right in defence, which is already a much better part of the team, while in attack they primarily rely on their rapid counter-attacks by Regattina and Trejo and their most offensive player Ben Yedder. Otherwise, a big handicap for this team is that they are still without their injured first striker Ben Basata, as well as without midfielder Aguilar and defender Zebina, who got injured at the beginning of the season

Chelsea stunned at home by Basel

Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea with the prime aim of winning the Champions League but his campaign got off to the worst possible start when the 2012 winners suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Basel in their first match on Wednesday.

Chelsea, beaten in the Premier League by Everton on Saturday, looked short of ideas all night in a stuttering display, though they led 1-0 following a neat finish by Oscar just before halftime.

The Brazilian hit the bar soon after the restart as Chelsea briefly turned on the style but they were never able to take complete control and Mohamed Salah equalised in the 71st minute.

Swiss champions Basel, beaten by Chelsea in the Europa League semi-finals last season, grew in confidence and completed their smash and grab raid nine minutes from time when captain and centre forward Marco Streller cleverly glanced in a near-post header from a corner.

It was Chelsea's first home defeat in the Champions League group stage in 30 matches, dating back to a 2-0 loss to Besiktas in October 2003.

"We wanted to win of course but we have to respect a team who showed they have quality and experience," Mourinho told reporters.

"Basel played very well. We had a lot of the ball but we couldn't create many chances. In the end we lost three points, we must get them back somewhere.

"Normally you have to win at home and get a few points away Now we must win remaining home games against Schalke and Steaua Bucharest and will probably we will have to go away and win at Basel."

That could be easier said than done as the team who have won the Swiss title four years in a row played with growing confidence and no little skill.

They were on the back foot for much of the first half as Chelsea gave a debut to 30 million-pound ($47.9 million) signing Willian and a first home start for 20-year-old Marco van Ginkel but although the Londoners dominated possession they were pedestrian and disjointed for most of the first half.

Shock home defeats for Valencia and PSV in Europa League

 

The attractive football preached by Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup was again seen to great effect when the Welsh side stunned former winners Valencia with a 3-0 away victory in the Europa League on Thursday.

The English League Cup holders, in their first season in European competition for 22 years, took advantage of defender Adil Rami's 10th-minute dismissal to run riot in the Group A clash at the Mestalla with goals from Wilfried Bony, Michu and Jonathan De Guzman.

The opening group stage matches also threw up another shock in Eindhoven where PSV, one of five teams in action who have previously won the UEFA Cup or Europa League, were beaten 2-0 by Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad in Group B.

Swansea's record signing Bony continued his prolific start after joining from Vitesse Arnhem in July for 12 million pounds ($19.27 million) with a powerful first-time finish from Michu's centre, just minutes after Valencia had been reduced to 10 men.

Ivorian international Bony, with four goals in Europe this season, was set to race clean through before last man Rami impeded his progress and was shown a straight red card.

Spaniard Michu, whose first campaign in English football yielded 18 Premier League goals last season, again displayed his clinical finishing by doubling Swansea's lead on 58 minutes from Alejandro Pozuelo's pass.

A woeful night for Valencia, who won the 2004 UEFA Cup and were beaten finalists in successive Champions League finals at the turn of the century, was capped when De Guzman curled in a delightful free kick from 30 metres.

PSV goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet's misplaced clearance on the hour handed Ludgorets the opening goal in Eindhoven.

Zoet rushed out to clear a long ball but found only Roman Bezjak who stroked it back into the empty net.

Phillip Cocu's side conceded a second goal on 74 minutes when Virgil Misidjan put away the rebound after his shot struck a post.

In other matches, Spaniard Jonathan Soriano hit a hat-trick for FC Salzburg as the Austrian league leaders thumped Sweden's Elfsborg 4-0 in Group C.

Fiorentina also eased to a 3-0 win at home to Pacos Ferreira in Group E and Rubin Kazan romped to a 5-2 Group D victory over Maribor in Slovenia.

Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio and Sevilla are among the clubs in action later on Thursday.  

Messi nets treble as Barca crush Ajax 4-0

Lionel Messi gave yet another sparkling Champions League recital when he netted a hat-trick for Barcelona in a crushing 4-0 win at home to Ajax Amsterdam in their Group H opener on Wednesday.

The Argentine World Player of the Year lit up the Nou Camp with a brilliant curling free kick in the 22nd minute, a trademark dash in from the right and clinical finish 10 minutes into the second half and a low shot into the corner from the edge of the area 15 minutes from time.

He is the first player to score four trebles in Europe's elite club competition and took his overall goals tally to 62 in 80 appearances, nine short of record scorer Raul of Real Madrid.

"It was important to start with a win, especially playing at home," Messi said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus.

"We know how difficult these Champions League groups always are, he added. "In the second half we had the ball and controlled the match. We found it tough to pressure them initially because they were moving the ball well out from the back. But I think in general it was a great performance."

Defender Gerard Pique had netted Barca's third with a header from Neymar's centre in the 69th minute and goalkeeper Victor Valdes continued his fine run of form by saving Kolbeinn Sigthorsson's 77th-minute penalty.

It was a winning Champions League start for Barca's new coach Gerardo Martino but his side generally struggled to reproduce the scintillating play that has brought them two European crowns in the past five seasons.

However, with Messi on fire and Barca hosting an Ajax side lacking in real quality the outcome of the match was never in doubt.

Surprisingly, Wednesday's match was the first official meeting between the two continental heavyweights, who have each won four European titles.

A Johan Cruyff-inspired Ajax claimed three straight triumphs between 1971 and 1973 and another in 1995 in a side including current coach Frank de Boer, who later had a four-year stint at Barca.

Barca won their first European crown under coach Cruyff in 1992 and three more in 2006, 2009 and 2011.