WORLDSPORTS
DECEMBER 2013
goalsofthemonth
Fabregas, right, celebrates
with Leo Messi
FABREGAS
CELTIC had captain
Scott Brown sent off
as Barcelona avenged
last season's defeat in
Glasgow with a narrow
Champions League
Group H victory.
Cesc Fabregas was
the match-winner, heading in with 15 minutes
left.
The breakthrough
for the Catalans only
arrived after Brown had
been shown a straight
red card for kicking out
at Barcelona forward
Neymar.
Left, Balotelli ... hero
BALOTELLI
FORMER Manchester City
striker Mario Balotelli converted an injury-time penalty
to rescue a 1-1 draw for AC
Milan at Ajax in the Champions League.
Milan had looked set for
defeat when Stefano Denswil
headed in unchallenged in
the last minute of normal
time.
But Balotelli slotted home
after Mike van der Hoorn was
controversially ruled to have
pulled him down in the box.
BRIGHTEST HOPE
Isco, right, and Elche’s Ruben Perez fight for the
ball during their Spanish first division soccer match.
Bale thigh injury
Mancini for Galatasaray
REAL Madrid’s world-record
signing Gareth Bale will miss
the Champions League match
against FC Copenhagen after he
aggravated a thigh injury.
Bale
The Welshman, signed from
Tottenham for £85m, suffered the setback
in a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid. He will have
tests to assess the seriousness of the injury.
Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas will make
his first appearance at the Bernabeu in
nearly nine months after injury and Diego
Lopez's form kept him out.
ROBERTO Mancini has been
named as the new manager of Turkish champions
Galatasaray on a three-year
contract.
The Istanbul club confirmed that Mancini had met
club directors, posting a photo
of the 48-year-old with chief
Mancini
executive Lutfi Aribogan.
The Italian replaces Fatih Terim, who was
sacked last week after failing to agree a new
contract.
Ozil
OZIL
ARSENAL’s impr \