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Football Briefs: Former City player Toure moves back to Olympiakos

September 03, 2018

IMAGE: Yaya Toure. Photograph: Nils Petter Nilsson/Ombrello/Getty Images

Former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has rejoined Greek Super League side Olympiakos after rejecting offers from Europe, Asia and the United States, the 35-year-old said.

Ivory Coast international Toure made his name at the Piraeus club in the 2005-2006 season before going on to win several major trophies in lengthier spells at Barcelona and City.

"When I left in 2006 I said I would come back and I am delighted to keep my word," Toure said on his official website.

 

"I made my decision based on the special relationship I have with this incredible club. It is an honour to be back."

The Greek league leaders confirmed the move but did not give financial details. Local media said Toure would be paid around 2.5 million euros ($2.9 million) for one season.

Toure was released by City after a limited role last season, bringing an end to eight seasons at the club where he won three Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup.

Olympiakos were third last season, their lowest finish in 23 years after lifting 20 league titles in 22 years.

Brazilian Ronaldo buys majority stake in La Liga side Valladolid

Former Brazil striker Ronaldo has become the majority stakeholder in Spanish La Liga team Real Valladolid after buying 51 percent of the club from president Carlos Suarez.

The former Barcelona and Real Madrid forward paid around 30 million euros ($35 million), according to Spanish media reports.

Valladolid were promoted this season and Ronaldo said the aim was to keep the team in the Spanish top flight.

"We want Real Valladolid to consolidate in the top flight and keep building hopes from there," said Ronaldo.

"It will not stop there because we want to grow to where our hopes allow us to."

Suarez will continue as club president.

Marseille hit back to snatch last-gasp win at Monaco

Olympique Marseille came from behind to win 3-2 at AS Monaco with a last-gasp goal from Valere Germain on Sunday, ending a dismal run against their main Ligue 1 rivals under coach Rudi Garcia.

Kostas Mitroglou headed home from a pinpoint Dimitri Payet cross to give Marseille the lead on the stroke of halftime.

But Monaco replied with two quickfire goals after the break as Youri Tielemans equalised and Colombia forward Radamel Falcao knocked in a loose ball from close range after the Marseille defence got into a tangle.

Substitute Florian Thauvin coolly turned a low cross to equalise before Germain headed in from a corner to win the game against his former club in the 89th minute.

Germain spent six seasons at Monaco before joining Marseille last year.

Marseille had not won any of their previous 11 matches against the trio of Paris St Germain, Olympique Lyonnais or Monaco with three draws and eight defeats since Garcia took over in October 2016.

Two early goals from Benjamin Andre and Ramy Bensebaini, both headers, gave Rennes a 2-0 win at home to Girondins Bordeaux, still under caretaker coach Eric Bedouet.

Bedouet remained in charge after talks to hire former France forward Thierry Henry as coach broke down early this week, according to L'Equipe.

PSG are top with a maximum 12 points from four games after beating Nimes 4-2 on Saturday. Marseille are fifth with seven points while Monaco have four.

Napoli humbled at Sampdoria after Ancelotti tinkers

Serie A title hopefuls Napoli were thumped 3-0 at Sampdoria on Sunday after coach Carlo Ancelotti tinkered with the team, dropping captain Marek Hamsik and forward Jose Callejon.

Gregoire Defrel scored two first-half goals to put Sampdoria in command and, although Napoli improved after the break, Fabio Quagliarella added a third with an outrageous flick in the 75th minute.

A low cross was sent into the area and the 35-year-old forward, at the near post, diverted it into the net with the back of his heel.

Last season's runners-up Napoli, who came from behind to win both their first two games, have six points from three matches.

Ancelotti's predecessor Maurizio Sarri was publicly criticised by club president Aurelio De Laurentiis last season for failing to rotate the team.

Even so, it was a bold move by Ancelotti as Hamsik had appeared in every Serie A match since April, 2015 while Callejon had started their last 54 league games.

But it quickly backfired as Defrel, who managed one league goal for Roma last season, collected a pass from Riccardo Saponara and rifled a 25-metre shot between David Ospina and his near post in the 11th minute.

Defrel, cleverly set up by Quagliarella, added the second just after the half hour with a shot which took a deflection off Raul Albiol and sneaked past Ospina.

Ancelotti sent on Adam Ounas and Dries Mertens in the second half and, although Napoli improved markedly, they were floored by Quagliarella's typically flamboyant effort as Sampdoria completed their first win over Napoli since 2010.

In other games, Sassuolo scored four goals in 11 minutes before halftime on their way to a 5-3 win over Genoa which left them in second place with seven points, two behind leaders Juventus.

Krzysztof Piatek gave Genoa the lead in the 27th minute but Kevin Prince Boateng, Pol Lirola, Khouma Babacar and a bizarre own goal by Nicolas Spolli put the hosts in complete control.

Babacar's shot appeared to be going to wide but Spolli stopped it with one foot, only to knock it over the line with the other.

Gian Marco Ferrari scored a fifth after the hour before Goran Pandev and Piatek pulled two back.

Marco Benassi's second-half goal gave Fiorentina a 1-0 win over Udinese which left them with six points from two games.

Lazio, who lost their opening two matches, got off the mark by beating Frosinone by the same score thanks to Luis Alberto's goal early in the second half.

Torino beat SPAL 1-0 in a match interrupted in the 18th minute for nearly an hour by torrential rain.

Defender Nicolas Nkoulou headed the only goal early in the second half to give Torino their first win of the campaign and end SPAL's perfect start.

Schalke slump to second straight Bundesliga loss

Schalke 04, last season's runners-up, crashed to a 2-0 home loss to Hertha Berlin courtesy of Ondrej Duda's double on Sunday, their second Bundesliga defeat in two matches.

The Champions League club, seen as possible title contenders, also lost their season opener to VfL Wolfsburg last week.

Yet the Royal Blues could have gone ahead in the 14th minute had Daniel Caligiuri not fired his penalty wide.

Hertha, who have won both their matches, scored a minute later with 23-year-old Duda's powerful shot to complete a fine break, and they went close again through Salomon Kalou.

Domenico Tedesco's side lacked ideas and did not have a single chance until the final minutes when Hertha keeper Rune Jarstein twice came to the rescue.

They were left with 10 men when Yevhen Konoplyanka was sent off with a red card for a last-man foul in stoppage time and Slovak Duda curled in the resulting free kick to seal the win with their second clean sheet.

The result left Schalke fans unhappy and Tedesco under pressure ahead of a break in the Bundesliga for international matches.

RB Leipzig, who lost their season opener last week, will also have to wait longer for their first win of the season after drawing 1-1 against promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf earlier on Sunday.

Champions Bayern Munich made it two wins out of two with a 3-0 victory at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. Wolfsburg beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 to join them and Hertha on six points. 

Source: REUTERS
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