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Argentine club Independiente defeated Penarol of Uruguay 3-0 in their Copa Libertadores Group Eight match on Thursday.In a clash between seven-time competition winners Independiente and five-time champions Penarol, it was the Argentine hosts who came out comfortably on top at Estadio Libertadores de America in Buenos Aires.After a goalless opening 45 minutes, it was forward Facundo Parra who broke the deadlock just 60 seconds into the second half. Midfielder Cristian Pellerano made it 2-0 from a Nicolas Cabrera header on 70 minutes.Substitute Nestor Silvera capped off a comprehensive win when he struck five minutes from time.Independiente are joint top of Group Eight, alongside fellow Argentine club Godoy Cruz de Mendoza.In Group Three, Argentinos Juniors came from a goal down to win 3-1 at home to Mexican side America.Argentine attacking midfielder Daniel Montenegro struck against his countryman to put America 1-0 ahead 27 minutes in at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.But the hosts were level when Pavel Pardo fouled Santiago Salcedo inside the box moments before the half-time whistle. The Paraguayan centre-forward picked himself up to convert the spot-kick and make it 1-1 going into the break.Salcedo was on target again on 73 minutes, meeting a Gustavo Oberman corner to put Argentinos 2-1 ahead.Substitute Cristian Sanchez Prette, on loan from Romanian side Cluj, snatched a third to make it 3-1 in the 90th minute.Argentinos top Group Three with four points, ahead of America who are second with three points.Elsewhere, Columbians Atletico Junior came from a goal down to beat Gremio of Brazil 2-1.Borges had put the visitors in front just four minutes in Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, but Giovanni Hernandez levelled for the hosts on 28 minutes.John Edwis Viafara struck the winner for Atletico 16 minutes from time.

Real Madrid travel to Lyon’s Stade de Gerland on a revenge mission in the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday.With last season’s final held at their Santiago Bernabeu home, Real were determined to win their 10th European crown in front of their own fans.But they came unstuck in the first knockout round, losing 2-1 on aggregate to French club Lyon, making it six consecutive seasons in which they have failed to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition. For a team that prides itself on a rich pedigree in continental competition, yet another disappointment – coupled with poor results on the domestic front – played a major part in the dismissal of coach Manuel Pelligrini.Jose Mourinho – who lifted the European Cup with Inter Milan inside the Bernabeu – was approached to take over soon after his side’s 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in May last year.The Portuguese, who also won the European Cup with Porto in 2004, has made an immediate impact on the domestic front with Real. They are right behind league leaders Barcelona in the hunt for the La Liga title and have reached the final of the Copa del Rey for the first time in six years.But the most important test of Mourinho’s credentials is likely to come in the Champions League, a tournament which club President Florentino Perez is determined to recapture.Real defeated Levante 2-0 at home on Saturday and have won four consecutive matches in all competitions. Lyon beat Nancy 4-0 on the same day and also dispatched local rivals St Etienne 4-1 the week before. Claude Puel’s side have recovered from a slow start to sit third in Ligue 1, four points behind leaders Lille.Lyon also boast an enviable record in the Champions League – they reached the semi-finals last season and have progressed to the knock-out stages every year since 2004.First-choice Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez is in doubt for the French side after picking up a hamstring problem.Former Lyon striker Karim Benzema may start up front for Real against his former club.

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu hailed the quality of his young squad after they bundled Roma out of the Champions League.Roma fell 3-0 at Shakhtar on Tuesday to crash out of the Champions League last-16 with a 6-2 overall aggregate.The Ukrainian champions were aided by the dismissal of Roma defender Philippe Mexes, whose rough treatment of Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano left Roma needing three goals with 10 men in below-freezing conditions.Lucescu said he never doubted his side would make it through to the quarter-finals of Europe’s most prestigious tournament.”We prepared well, knowing we couldn’t afford to lose the margin we earned in Rome,” Lucescu said.”We had problems at the beginning as Roma produced some strong football but we were well-organised and managed to rearrange and eliminate errors during the match.””We attacked well and after we scored the first goal we stopped thinking about Roma because the cooperation and coordination between our players grew much stronger.””We have many youngsters who are very quick and they showed it. I am very happy with my lads; they have a great future ahead of them.””One cannot think that we won only because Roma were reduced to 10 men. We played very well against 11 men too, and would have won as well.””I expected a result like this because I have trust in my team; I trust in our preparations, in the atmosphere at our stadium, in our supporters.”Roma boss Vincenzo Montella was always going to struggle to help his side overturn the deficit they suffered under his predecessor Claudio Ranieri, especially given Shakhtar have not lost at home in any competition since October 2008.But the Italian found reason to be hopeful for the future in his coaching debut at European level.”Ahead of the game I asked my players to prove that we are improving regardless of the result and qualification,” Montella said.”I’m satisfied because the approach was very good and we played very well while it was 11 against 11.””Then Mexes was sent off and it’s difficult to play at this level with 10 men, especially against a side like Shakhtar; they are very good at keeping possession and use all parts of the pitch.””We played a good game but once again we finished with ten men and we had a few players booked for fouls we could have avoided.””I think we are improving and we shouldn’t be demoralised by this defeat – that was the main problem in the team when I arrived.”

Reigning Premier League champions Chelsea sit a distant 11 points behind leaders Manchester United following Saturday?s 1-1 draw with Stoke.Jonathan Walters’ early strike shook the Blues until Didier Drogba levelled matters before the break in a game that could have produced far more goals.

Carlo Ancelotti made a tactical switch up front with Salomon Kalou and goal-shy Fernando Torres dropping to the bench to allow Drogba and Nicolas Anelka to spearhead the Blues? attack.

Robert Huth’s early miss was soon forgotten as Walters ran at Michael Essien and cut back on his right foot to beat Petr Cech with a ferocious cross-shot after eight minutes.

Chelsea came close to an instant retort as Ashley Cole steered his diving header wide, while John Terry’s timely tackle denied Kenwyne Jones at the opposite end.

But Chelsea’s strikers did re-pay manager Carlo Ancelotti’s faith as they linked up perfectly in the 33rd minute with Drogba meeting Anelka’s perfectly-weighted chipped pass for a textbook diving header.

The drama continued after the interval as Jermaine Pennant shot straight at Cech’s legs and Drogba struck the post from a tight angle

The Potters were unlucky not to regain the lead with Marc Wilson’s 30-yard free-kick and Huth’s bullet header both pounding Cech’s crossbar in the space of 60 seconds.

The hosts’ profligacy continued with Jones and Walters both struggling to apply finishing touches from around the six yard box.

Drogba rattled Stoke’s woodwork late on as Chelsea’s grip on their champions crown slipped further from their grasp.

There’s no doubting that Rafael van der Vaart has been a revelation for Tottenham this season. The Dutchman might not have been in top form in the Premier League recently, but I wouldn’t bet against van der Vaart showing his true colours as Spurs battle Man City for Champions League qualification. Rafa isn’t just skilful with the ball at his feet either, it would seem that he’s pretty handy doing keepy-ups with chewing gum too.

Here’s Spurs star Rafael van der Vaart showing off his skills as he juggles his chewing gum before the match against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League last week. Rafa then goes one step too far and kicks it back up to his mouth to start chewing again. Mmmm, tasty….

Rafa’s still got some way to go to match his WAG Sylvie though! Make sure you check out her football skills here.

Indonesian side Sriwijaya slipped to second in Group F of the AFC Cup after suffering a 4-0 defeat away to Vietnam’s Song Lam Nghe.Thierry Ngale gave his side the lead midway through the first-half on Tuesday, with the Cameroonian defender reacting quickest after Andre Fagan’s header had hit the crossbar.

The home side dominated the game and made it 2-0 on 33 minutes when Ngale nabbed a brace, heading home after an intial save from Sriwijaya shot-stopper Feri Rotin Sulu.

Song Lam made it 3-0 in the 57th minute after Fagan went past three defenders before finishing well past Sulu.

Fellow Jamaican Kavin Bryan made it four for the Vietnamese outfit on 61 minutes, with the substitute coolly scoring from the edge of the area.

Sriwijaya’s misery was further compounded by the dismissal of Oktovianus Maniani after 83 minutes.

The victory was Song Lam Nghe’s second of the competition and moved them onto six points – one behind Sriwijaya and three behind group leaders TWS Pegasus.

Mirror Football is reporting a fresh angle on the on-going Carlos Tevez transfer story. Chelsea is one of the only clubs in the world that could afford the massive transfer fee and wages it would take to sign Tevez. Obviously Manchester City would be reluctant to sell Tevez but might be persuaded if they could get Didier Drogba as part of the package. Any deal to take Tevez to Chelsea would likely include Drogba and around £30m in cash.

The move may suit Drogba as well because he can no longer be sure of a guaranteed first-team spot – since the arrival of Fernando Torres in January, and another top striker joining Chelsea could see him move down the pecking order. However, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is a big fan of Drogba and believes even at 33 have plenty to offer in the Champions League.

Manchester City is still hopeful that qualifying for next year’s Champions League will be enough to keep Tevez at the club. However, it is difficult to gauge the player’s commitment because he has had an up and down relationship with Mancini and submitted a transfer request last December. That request was later withdrawn – but Tevez may still be looking for a move in the summer.

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For more like this follow James Kent on Twitter @jimlk2007

It’s been a difficult week for Ryan Giggs, after MP John Hemming exposed the Welshman in the House of Commons as being one of the celebrities to have taken out a super-injunction after allegedly having an affair with Imogen Thomas. It’s an important week for Giggs, as after lifting the Premier League trophy at Old Trafford last Sunday, this Saturday the midfielder has the chance to add to his medal haul with a Champions League winners’ medal, with Barcelona at Wembley standing in Man United’s way.

Sandwiched in between that was the Gary Neville testimonial, in which Sir Alex Ferguson’s golden age of players were brought together once again. Retired Manchester United full-back Gary Neville was re-acquainted with his former team mates this week in his testimonial match against Juventus. Gary embraced Ryan as he left the pitch in the first half. After all the publicity surrounding Giggs, what advice was Neville giving the Welshman?

Leave your suggestions below…

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Last week’s winner: Phil Tinkler – click here to see all entries

In an interview with LFC TV, former Liverpool player Xabi Alonso stated he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing for the Reds once again in the future:

“Why not? I think that in football so many things change, and why not? I have my red passion and if circumstances arrived then why not? At the moment I don’t know what is going to happen, but it could be a possibility. Never say never.”

At 29 years of age, Alonso hasn’t got that many years left at the top of his game but it seems he may like to have a swansong back at his old club sometime in the future if he was given the opportunity.

The circumstances surrounding his departure were controversial, and I am not going to discuss them here because they are now irrelevant in regards to the future (any comments below debating this issue will be deleted as I haven’t got the time to moderate an argument which may well go long into the night), but I think it is fair to say that we have certainly missed him over the last couple of seasons.

Certainly his best season came in his last campaign for the club when the Reds were challenging for the title, and he was the integral conduit for both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to receive the ball further up the pitch. Without needing to go deep to find the ball, players such as Gerrard knew that Alonso would pick him out with his pin point accurate passers. The Basque was just as accurate at pinging a 40 yard diagonal ball as he was passing short a few yards to a team mate.

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The deep lying playmaker effectively made the team tick and dictated the tempo of play in Rafa Benitez’s side. We have yet to replace him, and hopefully King Kenny and Damien Comolli are on the case searching for an ideal replacement. A Player such as Charlie Adam has been touted as a possible signing but I am unsure about whether he would in fact be a direct replacement.

Perhaps it is impossible to find a direct replacement without being able to raid Barcelona for someone like Xavi. That’s how highly I rate Xabi, and the fact he was selected consistently beside the midfield maestro for Spain during the side’s World Cup triumph, shows how highly people back in his homeland rate him too. He is now an integral part of the Real Madrid side and has stated he is happy to stay in Spain.

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For the time being we will have to move on. Players I rate with the same style of play and passing range are few and far between, but I would be happy to see the likes of Ever Banega or Steven Defour to fulfil that role. Still, I am hopeful that sometime in the future Xabi will return and will perhaps show us once more how great he could be.

Read more of David’s articles at Live4Liverpool

Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini has cast doubts on his long-term future at Goodison Park.The Belgian midfielder, in talks with the club aimed at securing a new contract on Merseyside, has indicated he could leave the Blues to pursue Champions League football.

Keeping the 23-year-old is one of manager David Moyes’ priorities, and it had been hoped he would agree to a lucrative extension of his current deal.

Moyes has a good relationship with the man he made the club’s record 15 million pound signing from Standard Liege three years ago.

Speaking in Belgium, where he continues his rehabilitation from the ankle injury that ended his season two months early, Fellaini told media 7sur7: “One thing is certain, I want to play in a team that wins trophies and play in the Champions League. Everton is a team of sub-top.”

For now, Fellaini, whose contract expires in two years, wants to remain in Merseyside despite interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

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The fans’ favourite added that he will not necessarily leave the Toffees this summer, suggesting he will wait to see whether Moyes can lead his side back into Europe before deciding on his future.