Liverpool, Rangers edge their way into Europa last 16

Liverpool's matchwinner Dirk Kuyt acknowledges the Liverpool fans after the game against Sparta Prague after the second leg of the Europa League, round of 32 at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool. Liverpool won 1-0.

An 86th-minute header from Dirk Kuyt earned Liverpool a narrow 1-0 win over Sparta Prague on Thursday, on a night when all three British clubs in action reached the last 16.
Rangers, beaten finalists in 2008, needed an equaliser at the death to prevail at Sporting Lisbon, while Manchester City's expensively assembled squad eased past Greek representatives Aris.
Liverpool enjoyed the lion's share of possession against the Czech side but, as in the first leg, they struggled to make their dominance count.
Raul Meireles blazed over wastefully from an inviting Martin Kelly cross in the first half, while French striker David Ngog was one of several Liverpool players frustrated by Sparta goalkeeper Jaromir Blazek in the second.
With extra-time beckoning, Liverpool won a corner on the left-hand side that Meireles curled into the box and Kuyt darted away from the goal-line to cushion an intelligent header into the bottom-right corner.
"It was a difficult game. We knew from the first game that they are a strong, physical side," said Liverpool coach Kenny Dalglish, after his first ever European game at Anfield as Reds manager.
"I think the boys deserve great credit for their determination and effort in getting a result. It was superb the way they took pride in themselves and the club."
Liverpool will now play Portugal's Sporting Braga, who overcame a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a 2-0 win at home to Lech Poznan of Poland.
A dramatic injury-time goal by American international midfielder Maurice Edu earned Rangers a 2-2 draw at Sporting Lisbon that sent the Scottish giants through on away goals.
After former Rangers man Pedro Mendes had cancelled out El Hadji Diouf's opener for the visitors, an 83rd-minute header by Yannick Djalo looked to have given the Portuguese team victory.
Rangers launched a desperate last attack in the 92nd minute, however, and when David Healy rolled in a low cross from the Rangers right, Edu tapped home to send the travelling fans beserk.
"We came here intent on advancing and made life a bit difficult for ourselves but we found a way to pull ourselves through in the end," Edu told the Rangers website.
The next stop for Walter Smith's side will be PSV Eindhoven, who won 3-1 at home to French league leaders Lille for a 5-3 aggregate success.

Manchester City's Italian forward Mario Balotelli (R) vies with Aris Salonika's Ronaldo Guiaro during their UEFA Europa Cup round of 32 football match between Manchester City and Aris Salonika at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester. City won 3-0.

Following a goalless first leg, City beat Aris 3-0 at the City of Manchester Stadium thanks to a first-half brace from January signing Edin Dzeko and a deflected Yaya Toure effort.
Roberto Mancini's men must now tackle Dynamo Kiev, after the Ukrainian powerhouses thrashed Besiktas 4-0 to seal an embarrassingly one-sided 8-1 overall victory.
Elsewhere, Villarreal came from behind to defeat Napoli 2-1 in the tie of the round at El Madrigal.
Marek Hamsik broke the deadlock in the tie in the 18th minute before quick-fire goals from strikers Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi just before half-time saw the Spanish side through.
Villarreal's last-16 adversaries are Bayer Leverkusen, for whom Michael Ballack scored his first goal since his return from injury in a 2-0 win at home to Metalist Kharkiv that completed a 6-0 aggregate victory.
Two-time European champions Benfica advanced with a 2-0 aggregate defeat of Stuttgart and will now face Paris Saint-Germain, who went through on away goals following a 0-0 draw at home to BATE Borisov.
In the day's early kick-off, 2008 champions Zenit Saint-Petersburg secured their place in the last 16 by coming from behind to defeat Swiss side Young Boys 3-1, thereby overturning a 2-1 deficit from the away leg.
Porto, champions in 2003, progressed on away goals on Wednesday despite a 1-0 loss at home to Sevilla, while CSKA Moscow secured a 2-1 aggregate win over Greek outfit PAOK on Tuesday.

I would have killed for Mourinho, says Ibrahimovic

AC Milan's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, seen here hugging teammates, has admitted that he would have been prepared to kill for former boss Jose Mourinho, with whom he spent a season at Inter Milan.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted that he would have been prepared to kill for former boss Jose Mourinho, with whom he spent a season at Inter Milan.
Both have since moved on with the big Sweden forward now knocking in the goals for Inter's cross city rivals AC Milan and the Portuguese coach plotting the Real Madrid resurrection.
But in one season together, Ibrahimovic finished top scorer in Serie A as Inter won what was then a fourth straight Serie A crown.
Mourinho stayed one more year in Milan but Ibrahimovic moved on to Barcelona, where he spent only a year before heading to the rossoneri.
"Given the motivation and stimulation he gave me, I would have killed for Mourinho," said the martial arts black belt, who aimed a dig at Barcelona for not having faith in him.
"In the first six months everything was exceptional, everything was going very well but then something happened, even though I still don't know what.
"I'm still waiting for an answer but after the first two months of 2010 (Barca coach Pep Guardiola) stopped talking to me.
"If you don't have someone who motivates you then you're not prepared to fight and that's why you have coaches.
"With the other one (Guardiola) the football was there but a coach needs to adapt his football to the players he has, especially if you've just spent 70 million euros on one.
"And if you've bought him you haven't bought him to leave him to look at the birds in the trees."
Guardiola spent 50 million euros on Ibrahimovic with Samuel Eto'o -- whose value was put at anything upwards of 20 million euros -- heading in the other direction.
But while the Cameroon captain has been a major success at Inter, Ibrahimovic's Barca dream soon turned sour.
And although he won three Serie A titles with Inter, Ibrahimovic insists that Milan are the biggest club in the city.
"I can't say anything bad about Inter because I had some fantastic times there but I think historically Milan are the bigger club," he said.
"When I arrived here I was presented with a project that revolves around me and I was promised many things that we're working on.
"It's a project that's developping and I think next year will be the right one to fight on all fronts."
Having graced the shirts of Barca, the two Milan clubs, Juventus and Ajax, Ibrahimovic has played with and against almost all the best players of his generation.
And he has no doubt as to who the best was: the recently retired Ronaldo.
"There's not been anyone better than him in the last 15-20 years," he said.
"If you look back I can't think of any other players of his and (Zinedine) Zidane's level.
"For me it was enough just to be on the same pitch as him. I've played against many other phenomenal players but there was only one Ronaldo.
"Like (Diego) Maradona said, there are many kings but there's only one God, and that also goes for Ronaldo."

Borghi named new Chile coach

Newly appointed Chile's football team head coach Claudio Borghi of Argentina addresses the Professional Football National Association (ANFP) in Santiago.

Argentine Claudio Borghi was on Thursday unveiled as the successor to his compatriot, Marcelo Bielsa, as the coach of the Chilean national team.
"It's an honour to be here," said Borghi, 46, during a press conference at the headquarters of the Chilean Football Federation (ANFP).
"To be named coach of the national team after so many years in Chile, practically 20 years... is a source of real pride."
Borghi was symbolically handed the Chile shirt by ANFP president Sergio Jadue and his brief is to oversee a successful Copa America in his homeland later this year and secure qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
A World Cup-winner as a player with Argentina in 1986, Borghi won four league titles as coach of Chilean giants Colo Colo and also won the 2010 Argentine Clausura championship with his last club, Argentinos Juniors.
Bielsa resigned earlier this month over a disagreement with Jadue, who took over from Ernesto Corona at the turn of the year.
Last year, Bielsa led Chile to the last 16 at the World Cup in South Africa, where they were defeated by Brazil, on what was their first appearance at the finals since 1998.