PSG 3, Bastia 1

Paris Saint-Germain's 3-1 win over Bastia  at the Parc des Princes Friday gave the hosts a six-point lead over Lyon at the top of Ligue 1. 

Carlo Ancelotti's men notched the victory against a determined Corsican side despite a number of star names beginning the evening on the bench, perfect preparation for Tuesday's trip to Valencia in the Champions League. While no means a comfortable game, particularly in the first half, PSG's quality told in the second. 

The Italian opted to make five changes from the side that convincingly beat Toulouse last week It told in the first 45 minutes as, despite creating a number of chances, the capital club struggled to make the breakthrough. 

Bastia looked resolute and up for the fight, but a lack of quality going forward was only temporarily masked by Florian Thauvin out wide, who looked to get in behind the PSG defence on a number of occasions. He was well-marshalled by veteran Sylvain Armand,  who partnered the returning Alex in the absence of Mamadou Sakho and looked solid. 

Starting in place of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was Kevin Gameiro, who attempted to make the most of his opportunity. However despite a positive start, the French international and Jeremy Menez, Lucas Moura and Javier Pastore failed to find the breakthrough. Despite help on the flanks from Gregory van der Wiel and Maxwell, they only really threatened briefly. Gameiro came closest, hitting the post from Menez's low cross, but it was taking les Parisiens too long to get going. The early goal that was forthcoming the week before in Toulouse evaded Ancelotti's side, and their frustration was reflected in their play. 

When that happens to PSG it usually takes a moment of inspiration or sheer luck to get them going, and they got it this time from Menez. Running onto Pastore’s pass, the Frenchman darted inside of two defenders before firing in a low shot from the edge of the box. Mickael Landreau should have done better, and given the goalkeeper's history in the capital, the home fans were delighted to jeer the veteran's misjudgement. 

The goal marked an improved second half for Menez after a first that had seen him frustratingly erratic, a shot in the arm for a player who has found himself in and out of the team of late under the weight of increased competition 

It appeared to be the spark that Ancelotti's side needed as they continued to press with Menez and Moura at the fore. The Brazilian, who until then had been PSG’s best player and certainly their most enterprising, underlined his continued importance by winning a penalty that settled the hosts’ nerves 15 minutes after the opener. 

Moura was brought down on the edge of the area right on cue - just moments after Ibrahimovic had been introduced. The Swede dispatched with confidence and took his season tally to 21 goals in 21 appearances. 

At that moment, it looked as if Salvatore Sirigu’s unbeaten record in goal was going to last. However, it ended abruptly at 949 minutes without conceding and out of nothing. Wahbi Khazri, only on as a substitute minutes before, thumped an arcing free kick in from long range that David Beckham would have been proud of. 

A shock for PSG, and it could have gotten worse if van der Wiel's interception moments later had not been inch-perfect. Sakho's presence felt in defence with Silva still missing and absent once again in Valencia. 

The capital club weren't to be denied the win though, as Ezequiel Lavezzi - on as a replacement for Moura shortly after he won the penalty - tapped home from Clement Chantome's low, parried cut-back. It was a thrilling four-goal second half on paper, but in reality it was a routine win for Ancelotti's men and welcome preparation for Valencia without having to move out of second gear. 

Three goals perhaps flattered the hosts, but there can be no doubt that the win was deserved. The victory could have a huge impact on the title race given second-placed Lyon’s clash with Lille Sunday. PSG's four wins on the bounce has moved them clear of the chasing pack. Valencia on Tuesday before travelling to Sochaux next Sunday night - it is a big week for the club.

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Football Betting Tips That Can Help a Player to Avoid Losing

There are many websites that provide soccer statistics, match predictions and football betting tips. Thanks to the analysis provided by these sites many people have been able to bet successfully on the outcome of various matches. These tips are given by full time professionals who have many years of experience in this field. Information is collected on things like injuries, suspensions, roster changes, club problems and player transfers. Factors like a team going through a slump in form are also considered by the professionals who give betting advice.

Gambling is a very risky activity. Irrespective of how many years one has spent in this activity he or she will always face the risk of losing their money. That is why seasoned gamblers never stop reading through all the useful material that they can find. The more information one has the higher their chances are of handling this risk successfully. In fact more than beginners one finds that it is seasoned professional who are always scouring various sources for football betting tips. Many people consider the outcome of betting activities to be based on luck. But veterans in this field know that with a little bit of skill and some useful information one can always win money on a regular basis.  

Many players prefer to follow useful guides that can be found on the internet these days. The first piece of advice that they give is that the players should only place a wager on the leaders in different leagues. The second bit of advice that they give is that it is wise to take a chance on teams who have a good winning percentage at home. Similarly one should only take a chance on teams who win more than a third of their matches away from home. Websites that offer free soccer picks will have all the statistics needed by punters to follow these strategies.

The most important aspect of placing a bet on sport is money management. Unfortunately, it is also the most neglected. Gamblers should never bet more than they can afford to lose. One should ideally set aside a certain amount of money for wagering. They should play within this amount. Irrespective of whether they win or lose they should not increase their bankroll. Many tipster websites follow two main methods of money management. They use either straight flat betting or they use a progression system.  

Many football betting tips follow a handicap system. The handicap system makes an allowance for the game ending in a draw. But there is also an Asian handicap system that does not consider matches that end with no result. There are also different variances of these systems. Punters can attempt the one ball handicap, the two ball handicap and the half ball handicap. There are many betting agencies available on the internet. They offer different methods of wagering and different betting limits. Punters can decide as to which one suits them the best and play on that site. Thanks to this useful football betting tips many people have earned quite a bit of money through games of speculation.

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Germany beat France for the first time since 1987

Germany registered their first win over France in 26 years with goals from Thomas Müller and Sami Khedira in an entertaining 2-1 win at the Stade de France.

Both second-half goals came from the France left-back Patrice Evra's side of the defence as Germany fought back after Mathieu Valbuena had opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time.

Valbuena, 5ft 4in, headed home from close range in the 44th minute after Karim Benzema's free-kick bounced off the bar. But Müller slotted past Hugo Lloris early in the second half and Khedira wrapped it up from Mesut Ozil's pass with 17 minutes left.

Benzema missed a clear chance in the first half and has not scored for France in his last 10 appearances.

France, trying to bounce back from a poor run that lasted from 2008-12, had drawn 1-1 with Spain in a World Cup qualifier and beaten Italy 1-0 in a friendly in their last two outings but the world's second-ranked team proved a bridge too far.

Germany were without the midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, the striker Miroslav Klose and a trio of formidable Borussia Dortmund players – Mario Götze, Marco Reus and Marcel Schmelzer. But they still dominated possession on a cold night in Paris.

The win was the first by a German side against France since East Germany's 1-0 triumph at the Parc des Princes in a Euro 88 qualifier in 1987. That year West Germany also notched up a victory against Les Bleus, wining 2-1 in a friendly in Berlin with goals by Rudi Völler.

Players from the 1982 World Cup semi-final between France and Germany were invited to Wednesday night's match. Among them was the goalkeeper Harald Schumacher, who was booed by the Stade de France crowd 31 years after a violent challenge on the French defender Patrick Battiston during a 1982 World Cup game that France lost on penalties.

France, who had a goal disallowed for offside two minutes from time in this match, play World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Spain at home in March, while Germany go into back-to-back World Cup qualifying fixtures against Kazakhstan.

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23 years Historical England Win over Brazil

England's victory over Brazil was one for the ages. Well, one for the last quarter-century, at least.

Frank Lampard curled a shot in off the post in the 60th minute Wednesday night to give England its first victory over Brazil since 1990. Wayne Rooney also scored in the 2-1 victory over the five-time world champions.

"We've got to get to Brazil," Lampard said, referring to next year's World Cup. "But if we continue with that attitude and get a bit more flow to our game, we should be all right."

Fred had the only goal for Brazil, which had spent only two days in London with coach Luiz Felipe Scolari before the exhibition at Wembley Stadium.

Brazil blew a chance at an early lead when Joe Hart deflected aan 18th-minute penalty kick by Ronaldinho, the former world player of the year who returned to the national team for the first time since October 2011. England midfielder Jack Wilshere had been whistled for getting an arm on the ball as he tried to block a cross from Oscar.

"I am not disappointed - I am not sad," said Scolari, who guided Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title and was brought back in November to replace Mano Menezes.

"We aren't in the best physical shape yet but we will work on it," said Scolari, also a former manager at Chelsea. "I think it was physical problems that we had."

Wilshere, who was making his first start since June 2011 after a series of injuries, made up for his penalty on England's first goal. He threaded a precise pass into the penalty area for his teammate at Arsenal, Theo Walcott.

Though Walcott was denied by goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Rooney seized on the loose ball and slotted it through three Brazilians into the back of the net. It was Rooney's fourth goal in his last three games for England, and his first against Brazil.

Brazil evened the score in the 48th when Neymar intercepted a ball, which broke forward for Fred to put past Hart.

In the 60th, Walcott's cross was blocked by Dante. But the Brazilians didn't clear the danger, and Rooney was able to flick the ball to Lampard, who curled it off the post and into the net. It was Lampard's 27th international goal.

"It's my first crack at Brazil as a manager and I'm delighted to have been able to oversee a victory," England coach Roy Hodgson said. "It was an all-round performance from the team, there were some very, very good moments."

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Manchester City 2,Liverpool 2

Brendan Rodgers continued with the midfielders and attackers who performed impressively in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in midweekbut made a crucial alteration in their positioning. At the Emirates Luis Suárez was used in a disciplined left-sided role, with Jordan Henderson fielded centrally, driving Liverpool forward with his energy.

Here, Rodgers swapped those two – Henderson played on the left while Suárez became a No10, linking midfield and attack. Rodgers has indicated that this format, with Suárez playing deeper to accommodate Daniel Sturridge up front, will become Liverpool's default system – and it was a braver, more proactive strategy than against Arsenal.

Sturridge and Suárez have developed an impressive partnership – here, Sturridge offered pace in behind while Suárez found space between the lines, the variety stretching the Manchester City defence in different directions. Sturridge's movement towards the left throughout the first half was particularly noteworthy – perhaps it was a coincidence, but with City playing the left-footed Matija Nastasic as the right-sided centre-back, something Roberto Mancini tries to avoid, there was some logic in drawing the Serb into an unfamiliar zone.

But Sturridge and Suárez were also able to swap positions – the Uruguayan inevitably tried to dribble powerfully towards goal, while Sturridge's excellent equaliser arrived after a very deliberate bit of movement away from the defence into a pocket of space 25 yards from goal.

City were consistently too open in that zone between the lines – it is rare to see a top Premier League side demonstrating such a lack of compactness. The two solutions are obvious – the defence can shuffle up the pitch and play higher, or the midfield can drop back and play deeper – but City found both difficult. The defenders, of course, were too nervous about Sturridge's pace to play a high line but equally problematic was the situation in front of them, where Javi García and Gareth Barry were forced to cover a huge amount of space in midfield.

That problem originated from the lack of pressing high up the pitch – aside from a quick burst at the start of the match, Sergio Agüero and Edin Dzeko contributed little in the defensive phase of play. Their languid movement was in stark contrast to Sturridge and (in particular) Suárez, who remains one of the most energetic forwards in the Premier League when the opposition have the ball. Whereas Suárez was getting tight to García, Agüero – in roughly the same role for City – made no attempt to shut down Lucas Leiva, which forced García and Barry up the pitch to battle in midfield, affording Suárez too much space. Mancini will be delighted to learn of Yaya Touré's imminent return from the Africa Cup of Nations – García is still yet to convince in the centre of midfield, and the relationship between Touré and Barry feels much more natural.

With Liverpool dominating, midway through the second half Mancini turned to his standard plan B, a 3-5-2 system. That provided an extra body in the centre of midfield, Liverpool found fewer spaces in that zone, and City looked better after the formation change. However, it was frustrating that Carlos Tevez remained on the bench for the duration. When he is fielded alongside Agüero, it offers that clever partnership – one darting in behind, one roaming between the lines, but with the potential for switching – that Sturridge and Suárez appear to have already mastered.

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Manchester United, presented with 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League

The floodlights were not the only thing to flicker a little at Craven Cottage as Manchester United, presented with the chance to open up an intimidating 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League, finally took it thanks to a moment of expert incision from Wayne Rooney. In a match that was pitched into darkness for 10 minutes just before half-time by the failure of the stadium's low rise lighting rig, Rooney's 79th-minute goal proved decisive in an entertaining victory against a Fulham team who defended well and broke with purpose.

Craven Cottage has always been a friendly kind of place, not least for United, who won 5-0 here last season, and who started this time an attacking 4-4-2, with Nani and Antonio Valencia providing width and Rooney playing close to Robin Van Persie in attack. There was a sense of slightly skittish urgency all round this lovely, rickety old unreconstructed ground as United kicked off on a chilly south-west London evening, made to feel a little more dank as always by the presence of the Thames just beyond the lights.

Fulham started energetically, with the barrel-chested Giorgos Karagounis, dressed here in skintight short-sleeves and unusually large black gloves, ferreting at the heels of Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley, but it was United who had the first chance, in the eighth minute. They really should have scored. Carrick's corner was turned goalwards off Brede Hangeland's shoulder and then scrabbled clear to Patrice Evra. His shot was blocked, as was Rooney's, brilliantly, by John Arne Riise on the goalline.

Moments later Fulham were down the other end, Riise advancing at speed to strike a bouncing ball from distance that would have dipped under the bar had David de Gea not found a little extra spring at the last to tip the ball over. Soon De Gea was diving full length again, this time tipping Bryan Ruiz's instant shot from Riise's pass on to his left post.

United attacked again, this time forcing a corner that Hangeland somehow managed to head on to the angle of his own post and crossbar from 10 yards out. With 16 minutes gone it could easily have been 2-2. Instead some of the air went out of the contest as Carrick and Cleverley settled into their passing rhythms and Fulham drew all 10 outfield players back behind the ball.

Just after the half-hour United produced a lovely attacking move, Nani weaving inside and finding Cleverley, who teed up Rooney for a curling shot that hit the post with Mark Schwarzer beaten.

Then: darkness. On 42 minutes, with United preparing to take a corner, the floodlights abruptly winked out. The players duly trooped off, to emerge again 10 minutes later when power had been restored. There was time for Van Persie to cut in from the right and have his first and only shot on target before half-time proper arrived.

United came out early after the break, perhaps propelled by a warming blast from the dressing room after a first half in which they were engaging but far from ruthless. Still the visitors dominated possession, lacking perhaps a little thrust from central midfield as the lateral-minded Carrick and Cleverley only occasionally made the kind of forward run that might have disturbed a well-set defence.

With the game's final quarter approaching Javier Hernández replaced Valencia as United switched to a 4-3-3, with Rooney rejigged into the left-wing position from where he would score the winning goal.

Fulham continued to break with purpose down the right, fine work from Ashkan Dejagah setting up Sascha Riether for a low drive and minutes later Rafael heading Ruiz's header from a corner off the line.

Then came Rooney's moment: a clearance by Patrice Evra was misjudged by Philippe Senderos, allowing Rooney space to advance to the edge of the area. From there it was a lovely finish. Opening his body to take the ball on his right foot, Rooney curled the ball low beyond the grasp of Schwarzer and was already celebrating as it crossed the line. It was his 10th goal in 10 games of an increasingly impressive mid-winter surge.

"I thought this was one of our better performances this year," Martin Jol said. "We needed a goal. We didn't score one, and they always good enough to get a goal. We'd played a lot of games recently but still we seemed fresh.

"We did very well in midfield and at the back as well. We just needed someone up front to do what Rooney did in the second half. We kept him quiet. He scored a goal out of nothing."

Asked if he thought United would win the title from here Jol's answer was concise: "Yes."

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Beckham's PSG wages go to charity

David Beckham has taken the unique step of agreeing to donate his Paris Saint-Germain salary to a children's charity in the French capital.

Beckham, 37, was presented to the press on Thursday evening after signing a five-month deal with the Ligue 1 outfit. While his arrival at the Parc des Princes came as no surprise after sightings of him in Paris earlier in the day, Beckham did raise more than a few eyebrows with his announcement that he would not pocket a euro for his services.

"I'm lucky to have achieved what I've achieved and earned what I have earned," he explained. "One of the reasons to come here is that with Nasser [Al Khelaifi, PSG president] and [sporting director] Leonardo, we've  decided on something quite unique.

"I won't receive any salary. My salary will go to a local children's charity in Paris. I'm very excited about that. I'm not sure it's been done before. I'm very passionate about children and so are the club."

Leonardo added that the name of the charity and sum it will receive has yet to be decided upon given initial contact over the move only occurred in the early hours of Thursday.

The ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder had been out of contract since leaving the Los Angeles Galaxy in December.

Beckham, who was pursued by clubs across the globe, also explained why he rejected a move back to England, where his wife and children will remain while he plays in Paris.

"I've always said that I didn't want to play for another [English] club than Manchester United. I have a long history with them, I supported them and always dreamed of playing for them. I'm honoured by the offers I had from the Premier League, but I didn't want to play there if it wasn't for Manchester United."

Though he has been training with Arsenal, the former England captain admitted he was still short of match fitness, and even when he is available for selection, does not expect any favours from Carlo Ancelotti, whom he worked under during a loan spell at AC Milan in 2009.

"I've always been 150% committed to whichever team I've played for. I've never expected to be in the starting XI. I don't expect to come into the team and play every single game. I expect to help as much as possible. If I work hard, it's down to the manager. I don't automatically expect a first-team place, I have to work for that," he said.

"I have a lot of experience, I've played for some of the biggest clubs, played with some of the best players. I'm still being successful and fit at 37 - I can still run around like I did when I was 21. I haven't lost my pace as that was never one of my strong points in the first place."

Though he has penned only a short-term playing deal at the Parc des Princes, Beckham suggested his link to PSG may continue beyond the end of this Ligue 1 campaign.

"We haven't talked about that. We have brushed over it, but a long-term partnership is what we've looked for. Playing is short-term, but I'm very proud to be part of this organisation," he said, before casting doubt that his playing career would end in June, a month after he turns 38.

"I don't know if it'll be my last contract. People have been speculating about my last contract for a number of years, and I keep playing and signing contracts. We'll see how I feel at the end of the season.

"I want to keep playing as long as possible. My passion is football. When I play, it's never been about the biggest contract and the most money. I want to play for the biggest teams and with the best players."

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