Brazillian defender Luisao attacks ref in friendly

The friendly match between Fortuna Dusseldorf and Benfica was abandoned on Saturday after the referee was pushed over by Luisao.

 Before half-time referee Christian Fischer was about to hand a second booking to Benfica midfielder Javi Garcia when Luisao stormed torwards him and pushed him down, according to reports from Rheinische Post.

 The ref was in a daze for a few minutes, before abandoning the match after 43 minutes and leaving the field for treatment by Dusseldorf's team doctor.

 Speaking to Rheinische Post, Dusseldorf chairman Peter Frymuth explained: "The ref was attacked and had to be treated by our doctors inside the locker room.

 Because of that attack the game was abandoned. "This should have been a day of celebration for us, but now it has becoming a depressing affair. We are sick at heart." Frymuth added Dusseldorf would approach UEFA over the event.

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Manchester United 0-0 Barcelona (0-2 pens): Nani, Young & Rooney all miss penalties as Spaniards claim friendly win

Manchester United’s pre-season preparations continued with a 0-0 draw with Barcelona in Gothenburg in a game which saw Wayne Rooney miss a first-half penalty before losing in a penalty shoot-out.

 Both teams fielded strong line-ups in a showpiece friendly which sold out in 45 minutes, saw the ball arrive on the pitch by helicopter and featured a firework display after the final whistle.

 United included fit again Nemanja Vidic in defence with Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck up front and new boys Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell starting on the bench. Barcelona, meanwhile, were near full strength with Carles Puyol, joining Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez in the starting XI with David Villa amongst the substitutes.

 Perhaps unsurprisingly it was the Spanish side who started strongly, characteristically dominating possession and enjoying the best chances of an entertaining first half.

 Indeed it took less than a minute for Barcelona to get sight of goal, Iniesta firing goalward but his shot was easily saved by David de Gea, returning to the United team after his Olympic efforts.

 Minutes later and the Spaniard was at it again, dinking a delightful ball over the United defence and into the area for Messi.

 De Gea came flying out of his goal but could only flap at the ball, but fortunately for the Red Devils it skipped out of play before Messi could tap it into the empty goal.

 As the half wore on, Barcelona began to profit down the United right, with Tello exploiting Antonio Valencia at right-back and frequently finding acres of space but unable to pick out team-mates in the box.

 United, meanwhile, were reduced to half chances. Indeed a Rooney header that flew wide and a low shot from Nani that flew past the post after a gorgeous cross-field pass by Scholes were all they had to show for their efforts in the first half an hour.

 Whilst it may have been a friendly, that did not stop Scholes getting his name into the book after a sliding challenge on Sergio Busquets left the Spaniard in agony.

 However, with time running out it was another late challenge that almost gave United an undeserved lead.

 Cristian Tello upending Nani in the penalty area, leaving the referee to point to the spot with just a minute left in the opening 45 minutes. Up stepped Rooney but his poor effort was easily saved by Victor Valdes, who parried the ball straight back to the England international who put the rebound wide as the game went into half-time goalless.

 The penalty miss was to be Rooney’s last contribution to the game, the striker being part of a whole raft of changes at half-time as Kagawa and Michael Carrick joined the fray for United whilst Xavi, Pedro, Gerard Pique, Pinto and Cesc Fabregas arrived for Barcelona.

 Substitute Kagawa almost made an instant impact, a good lay-off from Welbeck allowed the Japan international to shoot low and force Pinto into a diving save, as he tipped his fizzing effort around the post.

 Further changes followed with Dimitar Berbatov and Powell introduced by Sir Alex Ferguson who looked visibly frustrated on the touchline; irritation which only grew after Busquets pulled back Nani on a United break, only for the Portuguese international to kick out and force the referee to book both men.

 Yet despite the attacking talent on view, there was to be no breakthrough, with the crowd treated to a penalty shoot-out after the 90 minutes ended goalless.

 First up was Nani, but after a stuttering run up his effort rebounded off the crossbar and away to safety.

 Xavi then slotted home coolly for Barcelona before Ashley Young also missed for United, leaving Gerard Pique to roll home the ball for the winning goal.

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Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Barcelona (1-4 on penalties): Pique nets shoot-out winner for the Catalans

Paris Saint-Germain fought back to register a 2-2 draw with Barcelona, only to lose 4-1 on penalties in a competitive pre-season friendly at the Parc des Princes on Saturday evening.

 Rafinha opened the scoring early on, before two penalties - one for each side - were converted by Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Zoumana Camara netted late on to send the game to spot-kicks.

 In the ensuing shootout, PSG missed both early kicks, with Barca racing into a 3-0 lead.

 Sylvain Armand reduced the deficit, but Gerard Pique netted to win it for the visitors. After an energetic start from the Blaugrana in the French capital, it took only six minutes for the visitors to break the deadlock.

 A speculative run from Alexis Sanchez on the flank saw the Chilean drill the ball into the box. Youngster Rafinha, who plies his trade with Barcelona B, benefited from a poor clearance by defender Alex, before latching on to the ball and firing past Nicholas Douchez. Les Parisiens were noticeably lethargic in the early stages, and were unable to contain a Barcelona side famed for their continuous passing movements.

 Lionel Messi attempted an effort from distance, before having a shot easily saved by Douchez.

 Carlo Ancelotti's side took time to slip into their rhythm in the French capital, though they did carve out a number of opportunities in the first half.

 A move that originated from Javier Pastore saw a threatening ball whipped into the box from the right flank, though Ibrahimovic could not get the decisive touch on it.

 Les Parisiens illustrated their increasing superiority in attack, but were almost undone on the counter-attack again.

 A lofted ball in the path of Messi saw the Argentine superstar dart in past Alex and unleash a shot, but it narrowly flew over Douchez's bar.

 The second half brought the customary spate of substitutions, with Marco Verratti, Salvatore Sirigu and Martin Montoya among others making their PSG bows.

 Seven minutes into the second period, however, and Barcelona were awarded a penalty. Mamadou Sakho was adjudged to have felled Sanchez in the box, with Messi stepping up to wrongfoot Sirigu and put the Blaugrana 2-0 ahead.

 On the hour, PSG themselves were awarded a penalty by referee Said Ennijmi after Montoya had fouled Lavezzi in the box. Ibrahimovic coolly slotted past Pinto to reduce the deficit, and register his first goal at the Parc des Princes.

 Substitutes Blaise Matuidi and Kevin Gameiro combined well late on, forcing Tito Vilanova's men into defensive mode.

 The hosts' perseverance paid off when Camara headed in from a brilliant delivery by Pastore late on, but they were thwarted by Barca goalkeeper Pinto in the shoot-out and it was the Catalans who claimed eventual victory.

 The enthralling clash was perfect preparation for both sides, with PSG opening their Ligue 1 campaign against Lorient next Saturday, while the Catalans take on Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa on August 23.

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Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Chelsea: Supersub Piazon cancels out Nene strike as Europe's big spenders share spoils

Lucas Piazon spared Chelsea a first defeat on their US tour with a late equaliser against Paris Saint-Germain at Yankee Stadium. The promising Brazilian midfielder netted on 81 minutes to cancel out Nene's first-half opener as Roberto Di Matteo's men finished strongly after a largely uninspiring performance.

 For PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti the late setback marred an otherwise impressive performance from his new team against his former club - one which promises much for the coming Ligue 1 season after a sensational summer of spending in the transfer market.

 Eden Hazard kept his place in the Blues starting lineup after a virtuoso debut display against the Seattle Sounders, while youngsters Sam Hutchinson, Kevin De Bruyne, Gael Kakuta and Romelu Lukaku were also given the opportunity to impress.

 PSG boss Ancelotti was unable to call upon either Zlatan Ibrahimovic – set to join up with his new team-mates on Tuesday – or Thiago Silva – away with Brazil’s Olympic football squad – but nevertheless fielded a strong XI which boasted another big-money summer signing, former Napoli star Ezequiel Lavezzi.

 And the tricky Argentine spurned a glorious chance to open the scoring in the third minute, ghosting between the statuesque duo of Hutchinson and Cahill before firing tamely against the legs of the sprawling Petr Cech from point-blank range.

 Just five minutes later he was in the thick of the action again, racing beyond the Chelsea backline and touching the ball past the onrushing Cech before going to ground, only to be booked for diving.

 Di Matteo’s experimental side looked sluggish and disjointed, but Hazard briefly worried the PSG defence on 15 minutes when he jinked inside from the left wing to unleash a fierce 25-yard drive which Nicolas Douchez comfortably watched wide.

 Much of PSG’s early success had come against the youthful pairing of Hutchinson and Kakuta on Chelsea’s right flank, so it was no surprise when, on, 30 minutes, it yielded the opening goal.

 A neat and incisive midfield interchange sent Javier Pastore cantering into the area and, after bamboozling both Kakuta and Cahill, his shot crashed against the post, only for Nene to follow up and slot the ball home, despite the best efforts of David Luiz on the line.

 The Chelsea response was slow and underwhelming, with captain Frank Lampard’s speculative 35-yard free-kick four minutes from half-time yielding their first shot on target.

 Douchez gathered it easily, and PSG deservedly carried their lead into the break.

 Both sides made numerous changes of personnel at the interval, but it was the Blues who showed greater improvement in the second half, as the introduction of Ramires and Marko Marin on the flanks injected some much-needed urgency both in and out of possession.

 Despite this, however, Di Matteo’s men still struggled to create anything of substance when faced with organised and disciplined PSG defending.

 Hazard’s mishit corner on 57 minutes somehow found its way through to Branislav Ivanovic, who sliced wide.

 A further raft of Chelsea changes followed on the hour mark in a bid to reverse their fortunes, including the introduction of John Terry, making his first appearance of pre-season, as well as youngsters Piazon, Nathanial Chalobah and Josh McEachran.

 But it was PSG who continued to show greater incisiveness, and substitute Guillaume Hoarau wasted a guilt-edged opportunity to double their lead when he latched onto a pinpoint lofted pass from Pastore and headed wide from a unmarked position.

 Pastore himself then threatened to pile on the humiliation by trying to beat replacement goalkeeper Ross Turnbull from halfway with a lofted effort which sailed well over.

 Chelsea looked condemned to defeat, but they finally broke through nine minutes from time when Piazon exchanged passes with countryman Ramires while driving into the penalty area before side-footing the ball past a helpless Alphonse Areola to secure his side a share of the spoils.

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Aguero & Kompany help Premier League champions claim first pre-season win

After suffering a defeat at the hands of Al Hilal and a goalless draw with Dynamo Dresden, this was a welcome boost to the English champions.

 Roberto Mancini started with an experienced side against the Turkish giants, with only Abdul Razak and 16-year-old Brazilian Marcos Lopes being the only rookies to start for the English Premier League champions.

 Besiktas had the majority of the chances in the first half, with former Everton midfielder having an early strike saved by Manchester City keeper Costel Pantilimon.

 The big Romanian stopper was nearly beaten minutes later as he raced out to Mustafa Pektemek, who had made his way into The Citizens box, he rounded the keeper, but with the angle acute he cut the ball back to Mehmet Akyuz, but the 26-year-old’s strike cannoned over the bar.

 Most of the English sides chances came from corner kicks, one of the only statistics they dominated in the first period, but they couldn’t find a way past the Besiktas defence.

 ust before the half hour mark Pantilimon pulled off a superb double save, as Akyuz crossed from the left for Fernandes, who from a little more than two yards out could only hit the ball off of the keeper, who then also managed to block the rebound from Sahan Olcay.

 Seconds before the half time whistle Mancini’s side took the lead against the run of play, as Carlos Tevez played the ball to Aguero via a superb dummy by Razak and the Argentinean frontman made no mistake, as he calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

 Ten minutes into the second half the English champions doubled their lead as Adam Johnson played a through ball to his captain Kompany, who delicately chipped the ball over the onrushing Cenk Gonen, for his side’s second of the game.

 The Turkish outfit should have got one back five minutes later, as Fernandes played the ball to Veli Kavlak, who from the edge of the area curled the ball round the giant frame of Pantilimon, but unfortunately for the Austrian midfielder, his striker cannoned off the post and away from danger.

 The game started to break-up, with both sides making numerous changes, thus affecting the pace of the play and meaning that neither side could get a foothold on the rest of the game.

 With just over ten minutes left in the game, the sparks started to fly as Manchester City’s young substitute George Evans scythed down Fernandes which led to a confrontation between the two, with Aleksandar Kolarov also getting involved.

 Manchester City strolled the reminder of the game, leaving Austria with their first victory of the pre-season as they look forward to trying to retain their Premier League crown.

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Friendlies: Utd claim win, Hazard and Marin nets on debut

Dimitar Berbatov delivered a timely reminder of his quality to Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United won 1-0 in Wednesday's friendly against Amazulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

 Berbatov is strongly linked with a move away from Old Trafford after being restricted to a fringe role last season.

 AC Milan are said to be keen on luring the Bulgarian for a reported £5 million fee, while Berbatov himself has expressed his displeasure at his lack of first-team opportunities.

 However, he started United's friendly in Durban, South Africa, and needed 20 minutes to make his mark.

 Operating in an attack featuring Federico Macheda and Javier Hernandez, the enigmatic forward produced a glorious through-ball to enable Macheda to open the scoring.

 Sir Alex explained his mixed feelings over Berbatov, who played in an advanced midfield role in the match.

 "I do not need to herald the abilities of Dimitar Berbatov, he is a fantastic talent,'' he said.

 "Last season he didn't quite get the amount of football he wants. At his age, it was difficult for him to accept his position in the forward line.

 "He had Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez in front of him, and they are all young men. The boy has a future, but if he wants to leave it is a different matter. I am easy about it if he stays. I would be happy with that.

 But if someone comes in and Dimitar wants to leave, we will assess it.'' Ferguson fielded the likes of Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand in an experienced starting XI, while new signing Shinji Kagawa was given a late cameo as an 89th-minute substitute.

 Hernandez missed a glorious early chance for the Red Devils, but Berbatov was the star of the United attack, producing an outrageous volley on the stroke of half-time that force a fine save from the Amazulu keeper.

 Berbatov continued his work in the second period, having one shot cleared off the line before prompting another superb save from Taupwa Kapini.

 If the forward had a rival for man-of-the-match, it was either of the two keepers, with Anders Lindegaard also making a series of top saves, and crucially for Ferguson the full-time whistle arrived with no injuries to his squad.

 The Andre Villas-Boas era at Tottenham Hotspur got off to a winning start as they beat Stevenage 2-0 at the Lamex Stadium.

 Debut boy Gylfi Sigurdsson opened the scoring on a night when Spurs turned in an impressive performance for their new manager.

 Andros Townsend certainly caught the eye down the left flank and it was he who laid the ball back for Sigurdsson, who drifted onto his left foot to rifle into the far corner.

 Youngster Yago Falque then completed the scoring late on, breaking through the centre, to complete a deserved a win.

 Nathan Delfouneso scored the game's only goal as Aston Villa edged the Philadelphia Union 1-0 in their pre-season friendly at PPL Park.

 Villa captain Darren Bent captained an experienced line-up, with boss Paul Lambert including new signings Brett Holman and Karim El Ahmadi in his starting line-up along with American goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

 Delfouneso made the breakthrough two minutes before half-time when he turned and fired a long-range shot into the bottom-left corner after latching onto a pass from Holman.

 The Union's Zac MacMath was by far the busier of the two keepers, keeping out an early Holman effort from point-blank range and denying Delfouneso when he was clean through on goal.

 Chelsea new boys Eden Hazard and Marko Marin were both on target as the Blues began their pre-season tour of the United States with a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Sounders.

 Romelu Lukaku led the line impressively at CenturyLink Field, opening the scoring in the third minute after being put through by Josh McEachran and grabbing another two minutes before half-time.

 Hazard's deflected effort in the 10th minute put the European champions two goals up, before Fredy Montero's brace - the first of which came following a misplaced McEachran pass - got the Sounders back on level terms.

 However, Marin marked his debut with a fine strike to put Roberto di Matteo's side ahead again in the 39th minute and Lukaku rounded off an entertaining first half with a fourth goal four minutes later.

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Arsenal to play against Super Eagles in Abuja

Arsenal FC have concluded plans to test their full team against the Super Eagles of Nigeria as part of their 2012-13 pre-season preparations. 

 The game has been scheduled for Abuja on August 5. 

Arsenal have never played a West African side though they have paraded many West Africans in their side amongst whom is former Super Eagles captain Nwankwo Kano, Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor and they currently have Cameroonian midfielder Alexandre Song in their team. 

 Nigeria is currently ranked 60 in the latest Fifa rankings and will face an Arsenal side which finished third last season in the English Premier League. 

 DanJan Sports, the promoters of the Arsenal tour, have finalised agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). “We are delighted to announce that Arsenal Football Club will face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Abuja," David Omigie of DanJan Sports said.

The NFF have agreed that the country will present a strong side as Coach Stephen Keshi continues his development process. Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, will also use this game to showcase his full squad for the 2012-13 football season. 

The London club traditionally hosts an annual pre-season tournament at the Emirates Stadium, but they opted to postpone the event for a year because of the 2012 London Olympics. 

The visit to Nigeria will conclude Arsenal's pre-season tour after playing in both China and Malaysia in July. 

 Arsenal FC stated on their website that; “The club last visited Africa during a tour to South Africa in July 1993, and is returning as a result of the fantastic support which exists for the team, not only in Nigeria, but across the entire continent.

 Meanwhile, DanJan Sports also revealed that tickets for the upcoming friendly match with Nigeria will go on sale from July 4 across outlets to be announced soon. 

 In July 2008, they brought Manchester United and Portsmouth to Abuja for a pre-season friendly. As well as the match between the two, Portsmouth also played against Kano Pillars, a Nigeria Premier League side.

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International friendly: Netherlands 2 Slovakia 0

The Netherlands avoided a second-straight defeat by beating Slovakia 2-0 in an international friendly in Rotterdam on Wednesday.

After a loss to Bulgaria in an international friendly over the weekend, Bert Van Marwijk's men made no mistake in front of their home fans as an own goal from Kornel Salata and a strike from substitute Rafael Van der Vaart separated the teams.

Amid a raucous atmosphere at De Kuip, the hosts stormed into the lead after only eight minutes.

Ibrahim Afellay was the instigator, drilling a low centre across the face of goal that was inadvertently turned in by Salata.

The Netherlands could have added a second goal within minutes, but Robin van Persie fired off target after getting past Peter Pekarik.

Slovakia were handed a route back into the match just before the half-hour mark when Maarten Stekelenburg inexplicably elected to pick up a back pass from defender Gregory van der Wiel.

Miroslav Stoch lined up the set-piece from just outside the six-yard box, but could only blast harmlessly into the side-netting.

The Fenerbahce winger went even closer to an equaliser moments later, when his effort from a tight angle rebounded off the post, following a swift counter-attack led by Marek Hamsik.

Neither team seemed in any great hurry to force the issue coming out from the interval, with goalmouth action remaining elusive for much of the second half.

The hosts were handed a chance to break the monotony with just under 20 minutes to go, after Van der Vaart was felled on the edge of the area by Marek Cech.

The Tottenham midfielder stepped up to take the free-kick, but saw a wonderful effort smack back off the frame of the goal, with Jan Mucha completely beaten.

The Dutch went close again a few minutes later when Van der Wiel's delivery flashed dangerously across goal, and somehow ended up in the arms of Mucha after a touch by Afellay.

They would eventually get their second courtesy of a combination between two substitutes.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar appeared to have been blocked off by a pair of Slovak defenders inside the area, but did just enough to tee up Van der Vaart for a straightforward drive into the far corner.

Van Marwijk's side round off their Euro 2012 preparations with their final friendly match against Northern Ireland on Saturday at the Amsterdam Arena.

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