Slovenia 1-0 Russia

Slovenia beat Russia 1-0 in the second leg of their play-off at the Petrol Arena to dump Guus Hiddink's side out of the 2010 World Cup and seal their progression to South Africa.
Matjaz Kek's side, who are ranked 49th in the world, sealed their place in the finals after Zlatko Dedic (pictured) netted the game's solitary goal in the 44th minute.
The compact ground provided a vociferous atmosphere and helped Slovenia subdue their opponents early on before Russia lost their composure in the second half with two men sent off.
Hiddink's side looked devoid of ideas in attack as Slovenia defended stoutly in front of their fervent supporters and substitute Alexander Kerzhakov's needless red card in the second half epitomised Russia's frustration.
To compound the issue, Yuri Zhirkov received a second yellow card for a bizarre push on a Slovenia substitute warming up on the touchline as Russia's World Cup dreams were shattered.
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Slovenia – Russia

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Before the first round of play-off, Slovenia was the biggest outsider. In Moscow played defensively, they were absolutely outplayed, but score a goal for acceptable 1-2 defeat and even had a chance for a draw. They were complaining about artificial grass and low temperature, but it was obvious they were so close to suffer a disaster. In Maribor (12 000 people will attend, no big home support), same eleven will play. All players sound optimistic, pointing the fact one goal could lead them to South Africa.

 

Russians lost the race in group against Germany and had to appear in play-off. In first game were dominating, scored twice and have some opportunities for more convincing victory, but conceded an unlucky goal. Despite the not so good result, Russia showed they possess much more quality. In Maribor the stake will be a ticket to World Cup, won’t be any relaxation in attitude. No problems with missing players.

 

I think there is no better man for a game such like this than Guus Hiddink. In situation where Slovenia has to attack, players like Arshavin and Zhirkov (on the flanks), Billyaletdinov and Roman Pavlyuchenko will have much more space. I expect even easier job for Russians than in Moscow. Pinnacle offer 2.31. Away win.

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Monday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Manchester United have an agreement in place with Bordeaux to sign 20-year-old winger Gabriel Obertan(on photo), according the French club's president.
"It's actually a great possibility," said Jean-Louis Triaud. "United want him and we would be delighted to see Gabriel develop in such a club. We will make it official when the moment comes." L'Équipe (in French) 

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TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea are willing to sell captain John Terry to Manchester City, if the Eastlands club offer £40m for the England defender.(Various) 
New Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti will seek face-to-face talks with Terry as the Italian officially takes charge at Stamford Bridge on Monday morning. (Various) 
Only days before Manchester City had a £30m bid for Terry rejected, the Blues defender and Eastlands manager Mark Hughes stayed at the same hotel complex in Dubai.(The Sun) 
If he fails in his bid to sign Terry, Hughes will turn his attentions towards 31-year-old Barcelona defender Carles Puyol. (The Sun) 
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is keeping tabs on Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure amid growing concerns over the fitness of Owen Hargreaves. (Daily Mail) 
Arsenal have put a £40m price tag on midfielder Cesc Fabregas as they prepare themselves for a bid from Barcelona or Real Madrid.(The Sun) 
Chelsea are set to complete the £18m signing of CSKA Moscow winger Yuri Zhirkov after the Russian flew to London for a medical.(Various) 
Tottenham and Aston Villa are both interested in Sweden Under-21 striker Marcus Berg after his manager at Dutch club Groningen, Hans Nijland, admitted that "there is serious interest from two clubs".(The Sun) 
Steve Bruce is closing in on his first signing as Sunderland manager, 29-year-old Paraguay defender Paulo Da Silva.(Various) 
Bruce is also looking to bolster his striking options and is reportedly keen to sign Tottenham's Darren Bent and Portsmouth's Peter Crouch. (The Guardian) 
Tottenham have held talks with Real Madrid about signing 23-year-old striker Alvaro Negredo, who has also been linked with Liverpool in a possible swap deal with midfielder Xabi Alonso. (The Times) 
Birmingham are willing to pay £25,000-a-week to take Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton on loan for the season - but that is less than half of what the 26-year-old earns at St James' Park.(Daily Mirror) 
Mark Viduka's agent has said the 33-year-old striker is "mulling over two offers from two very good sides" having left Newcastle United.(The Times) 
Burnley manager Owen Coyle is interested in 29-year-old French winger Fabrice Pancrate, who is a free agent after his contract with Paris St Germain expired. (Daily Mirror) 
Wisla Krakow forward Pawel Brozek is in talks with Fulham over a possible £3.5m move to Craven Cottage. (The Times) 
Former Liverpool forward Luis Garcia is wanted by Fulham, West Brom and Blackburn after being given permission to leave Atletico Madrid. (The Times) 
Hull City are on the verge of signing former Portsmouth and Arsenal full-back Lauren, who is without a club after being released by Pompey.(Various) 
The future of Fulham defender Brede Hangeland is in doubt after the Norwegian rejected a new contract worth double his current salary.(Daily Mirror) 
Celtic, Hull, West Ham and Fulham will learn on Tuesday who has won the race to sign £3.8m Nancy striker Marc-Antoine Fortune. (The Herald)


OTHER GOSSIP

Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who has joined Real Madrid in an £80m deal from Manchester United, says La Liga is now better than the Premier League because of the quality of players arriving in Spain.(Various) 
Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Cech has denied claims by former Blues manager Luiz Felipe Scolari that he helped get him sacked, saying he "always had huge respect" for the Brazilian. (The Independent) 
Fabio Capello is planning a training camp in Austria next summer to help prepare his England players for playing at altitude at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.(Various) 
England are planning a friendly with Brazil in Qatar in November, which threatens to anger Premier League clubs during an already crowded season. (Various) 
Manchester City winger Martin Petrov believes the money available to manager Mark Hughes will help City break into the Premier League's top four and compared their situation to that of Chelsea before Roman Abramovich took control at Stamford Bridge.(Daily Mirror) 
The Scottish Premier League is ready to accept a television deal from Sky and ESPN worth less than half the £139m they would have received from failed broadcaster Setanta. (Daily Express) 
The Scottish Premier League is set to scrap its reserve league at its annual meeting on 16 July because of squad cutbacks. (Daily Record)

AND FINALLY

England midfielder David Beckham has splashed out £100,000 so he and wife Victoria are the only guests on North Island in the Seychelles, which doubled as Tracy Island in the hit TV show Thunderbirds, for their wedding anniversary.(The Sun)

Wednesday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Discussions between Chelsea and Inter Milan over a possible switch to Italy for defender Ricardo Carvalho and midfielder Deco have collapsed. The Blues value the pair at £12m while the Nerazzurri are unwilling to go beyond £6m.(La Gazzetta Dello Sport (in Italian)) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Barcelona will turn their attentions to prising midfielder Cesc Fabregas away from Arsenal after learning that previous target Franck Ribery would prefer to leave Bayern Munich for Real Madrid. (Daily Star) 
The proposed move of Samuel Eto'o to Manchester City may be wrecked by the Cameroon striker's demands for a slice of any transfer fee Barcelona receive. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce will offer former Everton winger Andy van der Meyde, who is currently without a club, the chance to resurrect his career at Ewood Park. (The Sun)
Real Madrid are delaying a move for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso until a sell-on clause with the midfielder's former club Real Sociedad expires later in July. (Daily Mail) 
Having been frustrated in their pursuit of Felipe Melo, Arsenal will go head to head with Tottenham for the signature of Marseille midfielder Loik Cana. (Daily Express) 
After securing Wigan's Antonio Valencia, Manchester United could now bolster their forward line with a move for £11m-rated Toulouse forward Andre-Pierre Gignac. (The Star) 
Or it may be that Lyon's Karim Benzema is next on United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's list of priorities at Old Trafford, with the France international forward's team-mate Miralem Pjanic claiming a £38m move is in the offing. (The Times) 
CSKA Moscow left-back Yuri Zhirkov, Manchester City striker Daniel Sturridge and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Ross Turnbull will be the first three players brought to Chelsea by new manager Carlo Ancelotti. (Daily Telegraph) 
Michael Owen is holding out for offers from Aston Villa and Everton as his Newcastle United contract comes to an end today.(The Independent) 
Brazilian forward Jo will return to Everton on loan next season, with Manchester City boss Mark Hughes unable to promise him a regular first-team place. (The Sun) 
Aston Villa are keeping tabs on Arsenal's Philippe Senderos as well as fellow defenders Sylvain Distin of Portsmouth and David Wheater of Middlesbrough. (Daily Mail)
Tottenham are weighing up an approach for Lokomotiv Moscow and Switzerland goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic. (The Times) 
Celtic's hopes of signing West Brom's Marc-Antoine Fortune have been given a boost as the forward has stalled on a proposed move to Hull. (Daily Record)
Ipswich manager Roy Keane is poised to raid former club Manchester United for winger Lee Martin. (Daily Mirror) 
Bolton have moved to snap up Sean Davis on a free transfer after he turned down Portsmouth's offer of a new deal, while Swansea's Ferrie Bodde could line up alongside him in midfield if a £2.5m switch goes through. (The Sun)
Middlesbrough are preparing for life in the Championship with a £400,000 bid for Sheffield United midfielder Nick Montgomerie. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn's South Africa striker Benni McCarthy is concerned that a lack of first-team games may be harming his chances of appearing for the host nation in next summer's World Cup and may move to Spanish side Celta Vigo. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has said that AC Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all enquired about the possibility of him leaving Old Trafford but, despite his wife's eagerness to move away from England, he is determined to stay put.(The Sun)
Paul Ince could return to management with former club MK Dons after Roberto Di Matteo left for West Brom. (Daily Mirror) 
Three consortia are weighing up offers for Newcastle but it is unlikely that the club will be sold before next week. (The Guardian) 
England coach Fabio Capello has told his scouts to monitor Sylvan Ebanks-Blake once the new Premier League season gets under way to see if the Wolves striker is ready for the step up to international football. (The Sun) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says that the chance to develop the young players at the Gunners convinced him to stay at the Emirates rather than join big-spending Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror) 
Celtic could move in to pole position to sign Nancy striker Marc-Antoine Fortune after Hull City threatened to withdraw their £4m bid for the player. (Daily Record)
Ipswich manager Roy Keane is stepping up interest in Celtic midfielder Paul Hartley. (The Star) 
Hearts director Sergejus Fedotovas insists the club is not actively looking to cash in on winger Andy Driver amid interest from Burnley in the player. (The Scotsman)

AND FINALLY

Manchester City will recruit Endemol, the company behind reality TV series Big Brother, to expand their global brand. (The Guardian) 
Former Hibernian striker Keith Wright has warned fellow forward Steven Fletcher that he is not yet ready for the Premier League after his £3m move to Burnley. (Various)
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Tuesday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Former England midfielder Peter Reid has rejected speculation he will quit as coach of Thailand to take charge of League One club Southampton. (Press Association)

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Samuel Eto'o wants a £12.5m signing-on fee to join Manchester City. The Barcelona striker has already been offered wages of £250,000 a week by the Eastlands club.(The Sun) 
Or the Cameroon striker is looking for a £15m golden handshake from Barcelona otherwise the move to City is off.(Daily Mirror) 
Chelsea are poised to complete a hat-trick of signings by landing CSKA Moscow forward Yuri Zhirkov, Manchester City forward Daniel Sturridge and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Ross Turnbull. (Daily Mirror) 
Arsenal have been stunned by Andrey Arshavin's revelation that he would be "really happy" to play for Barcelona if he gets the chance. (The Sun) 
Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso will holds talks with manager Rafael Benitez this week over a possible move to Real Madrid.(The Sun) 
Meanwhile, Reds defender Alvaro Arbeloa is set to seal a switch to Real for about £5m. (The Independent) 
Aston Villa are ready to pay £5m for Espanyol forward Luis Garcia, who is also wanted by Porto.(The Sun) 
Villa are also set to bid £5m for Middlesbrough midfielder Tuncay. (Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham have joined the chase for Groningen's Sweden international striker Marcus Berg but they may need to pay £10m to beat Everton to his signature.(Daily Mirror) 
Spurs have told Villarreal they want cash plus Sebastien Eguren and Marcos Senna in exchange for striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. (The Times) 
West Ham are trying to hijack Hull's £3.4m move for Nancy striker Marc-Antoine Fortune. 
Full story: (Daily Mirror) 
Fulham have offered £2.2m for Almeria striker Kalu Uche. (The Sun) 
Birmingham want to sign Tottenham defender Gareth Bale on a season-long loan deal. (Daily Star)
Wolves are set to sign Reading striker Kevin Doyle for a club record fee of £6.5m. (The Sun) 
Huddersfield will pay £1m to sign Bristol Rovers striker Rickie Lambert. (The Sun)
Ipswich boss Roy Keane is close to completing a £1m deal for QPR full-back Damien Delaney. Keane also wants to make a double raid on former club Sunderland to sign defender Nyron Nosworthy and winger Carlos Edwards. (Daily Star) 
Burnley are fighting it out with Cardiff in the race to sign £2.5m-rated Doncaster defender Mat Mills. (Daily Star)

OTHER GOSSIP

Carlos Tevez has accused Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson of blowing the chance to win the Champions League final by dropping him. The Argentine striker, whose United contract expires today, said: "He made a mistake to leave me on the bench."(Daily Mirror) 
Former Aston Villa manager David O'Leary says his successor Martin O'Neill has not helped the club progress.(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Usually there is little to be pleased about when you miss your flight but Fabio Capello's failure to catch a plane from South Africa meant he was spared being in attendance for England Under-21s' humiliating 4-0 defeat by Germany in the European Championship final in Sweden on Tuesday. (Daily Mirror)
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