Pro Eleven Headline News
Man Utd win Carling Cup after penalty shootout
Manchester United stayed on course for an unprecedented clean sweep of major trophies this season with a penalty shootout victory over Tottenham Hotspur to win the Carling Cup at Wembley.
After the final ended Sunday in a goalless stalemate after regulation and extra time, United kept their nerve to win on penalties 4-1.
After Ryan Giggs scored with the first kick for United, goalkeeper Ben Foster saved Jamie O'Hara's opening effort for Tottenham to put Harry Redknapp's men on the backfoot.
And when David Bentley tamely sent Tottenham's third penalty wide of the post, it was left for Anderson to add to further successful efforts from Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo and seal victory for the Red Devils.
United, seven points clear in the Premier League with a game in hand, are also in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup and well-placed to beat Inter Milan in their last 16 Champions League tie.
Manager Alex Ferguson is refusing to be diverted by thoughts of the quadruple to add to their success in the Club World Championship before Christmas.
"Well we could have done without extra time because we have a tough game on Wednesday, but the league and Champions League remain a priority for us," he told Sky Sports.
"We took our penalties very confidently and Ben Foster was fantastic for us."
Foster, a stand-in for regular keeper Edwin van der Sar, made crucial saves from Darren Bent and Aaron Lennon and was named man of the match
Tottenham manager Redknapp is left to contemplate a relegation battle with a crucial match against Middlesbrough on Wednesday, but was proud of his side.
"I thought we were terrific. It was a great performance and it comes down to a lottery in the end with penalties," he said.
United just about deserved their victory on the balance of play in normal and extra time and Ronaldo came agonizingly close to winning it in the third minute of injury time as his shot beat Heurelho Gomes and thundered off the inside of the post.
Tottenham might also have won the League Cup for the second successive year as the excellent Lennon saw his shot parried away by Foster midway through the second half.
Foster also came to United's record in the second period of extra time when he saved Bent's effort with his legs.
United kept faith at the start with youngsters such as Jonny Evans, Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck, but Tottenham suffered a pre-match blow as Jonathan Woodgate, who scored the winner in last year's final against Chelsea, was ruled out with an Achilles problem. CNN International
Crespo's header helps Inter claim draw
Mario Balotelli scored a pair of goals and Hernan Crespo tallied the equalizer with 11 minutes to play as Inter Milan played to an exciting 3-3 draw with Roma at the San Siro on Sunday.
The visitors dominated the first half and took a 2-0 lead into halftime with goals from Daniele De Rossi and John Arne Riise. However Balotelli pulled one back in the 50th minute, and after Matteo Brighi restored Roma's two-goal cushion, Balotelli scored from the penalty spot.
Crespo then earned his team a share of the points when he nodded home from eight yards to move Inter seven points clear of second-place Juventus.
The draw leaves Roma in sixth place, but just two points out of a spot in the top four.
Roma took the game to Inter in the opening stages and they almost grabbed the lead inside of two minutes.
Julio Baptista took a free-kick from just outside the area and he beat the wall with a dipping shot that was headed for the top left corner, but goalkeeper Julio Cesar was there to tip the ball over the crossbar.
Five minutes later Brighi fired a volley wide of the right post from the penalty spot, but the opening goal arrived in the 23rd minute.
Marco Motta swung a cross into the box from the right and De Rossi sent a glancing header off the far post and in.
It took six minutes for Roma to extend its lead as Christian Panucci lobbed a ball over the top for Riise near the end line. The Norwegian got to the ball first and held off a defender before rolling a shot inside the far post from a difficult angle.
Inter was struggling to find openings in attack but they found one five minutes after the restart and made the most of it as Adriano slid a pass through the box to Balotelli, whose first-time strike found the bottom corner.
Roma's response was swift however, as Brighi picked up a loose ball 20 yards from goal and drove it into the bottom-left corner from the top of the box to restore the capital club's two-goal advantage.
The lead was cut back to one goal again in a matter of minutes, with Balotelli drawing a foul on De Rossi inside the box and then stepping to the spot and sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Inter was back on level terms with 11 minutes to play as Crespo outjumped Panucci at the near post and turned his header into the upper-left corner, but Julio Cesar was called upon once more to preserve the win as he tipped a rocket from Riise over the crossbar.
AC Milan remains in third place despite losing 2-1 to Sampdoria, while fourth- place Fiorentina only gained a point on the Rossoneri as they were held to a 1-1 draw by last-place Reggina.
Genoa finished 0-0 with Siena, Catania pounded 10-man Palermo 4-0 to move 10 points clear of the drop zone, Chievo is within one point of safety after beating Atalanta 2-0, Cagliari and Torino played to a 0-0 draw and Udinese got goals from Gaetano D'Agostino and Giovanni Pasquale in the second half to beat Lecce 2-0. Sports Network
Atletico stun Barcelona as Real close up
Barcelona missed the chance to re-open a seven-point lead at the top of the Spanish Primera when they crashed to a shock 4-3 defeat at Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
With Real Madrid winning 2-0 at Espanyol on Saturday, it leaves Barca just four points clear of their arch-rivals at the top, having led by 11 points after a long unbeaten run.
But defeats at Espanyol and now Atletico, who move up to fifth with the victory, have undermined their title charge and given defending champions Real a glimmer of hope.
The 25th round match in the Vicente Calderon proved one of the most thrilling matches of the season and Barcelona looked set for a comfortable victory as they led 2-0 through goals by Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi after half an hour.
Henry opened the account with a clever long range effort, while Argentine ace Messi charged into the Atletico box to guide home his 17th of the season.
But Barca's joy was short lived as Diego Forlan quickly pulled one back in the 32nd minute, another superb effort from outside the penalty area.
Atletico equalized through Sergio Aguero in the 56th minute, but when Eidur Gudjohnsen played in Henry for his 14th of the season to give the visitors a 3-2 advantage it looked all over.
But Henry then undid his good work by fouling Florent Sinama Pongolle to give away an 80th minute penalty which Uruguay international Forlan converted to level.
With Barca reeling, it was left to Aguero to surge clear of desperate defenders in the box to strike the Atletico winner for his 14th of the season with a minute left.
Sevilla stay third after winning 2-1 at Athletic Bilboa on Saturday with Frederic Kanoute scoring both, but 13 points adrift of the leaders. CNN International
Ribery Agrees Four-Year Barcelona Deal
Franck Ribery has reached an agreement to join Barcelona from Bayern Munich in the summer and will put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal at Camp Nou, according to a report in Germany.
While the French international's agent has stated that he would only leave the Allianz Arena to join a giant like the Blaugrana, Bild am Sonntag believe a deal has already been done.
"If Ribery goes, it will be only be to a team like Barcelona, where all the players are stars. Playing for Barcelona would be phenomenal for him" Ribery's agent said earlier.
Rumours surrounding Ribery's next move have been fuelled by comments emanating from Bayern, Ribery's agent and the player himself in recent weeks and it now appears that he will move.
Juventus are said to be interested, but Barcelona's ability to meet both the Bavarian club's asking price and the former Marseille star's demands has seen them take control.
Ribery himself has stated that he does not think that he will see out the contract that he has with Bayern, which runs until 2011, due to the level of interest in his services.
That does contradict an interview that he gave to Sports Bild only two weeks ago when he stated that he is not motivated by money and that he had no plans to leave. Goal
