The $200m match decided by defensive error as QPR back in EPL

May 24, 2014

The so-called richest game in football hinged on a late defensive error by Derby captain Richard Keogh as Bobby Zamora scored a dramatic injury-time winner for 10-man Queens Park Rangers in the Championship playoff at Wembley Saturday.

Promotion to the English Premier League is estimated to be worth $200m and it was QPR celebrating an unlikely win at the final whistle.

Former England international Zamora scored with a first-time volleyed shot after Keogh's intended clearance fell straight to his feet.

It was QPR's first shot on target after a match largely dominated by Derby -- particularly after Gary O'Neil's red card on the hour mark.

O'Neil went for hacking down Johnny Russell as he raced towards goal and it looked only a matter of time before Derby, managed by former England boss Steve McClaren, grabbed a winner.

His QPR counterpart Harry Redknapp admitted as much as he reflected on his side's triumph.

"We were hanging on with 10 men until a fantastic finish," he told Sky Sports. "We were hanging on for our lives," he admitted.

QPR, relegated from the EPL last season, has spent heavily, backed by owner Tony Fernandes, with a massive wage bill in comparison to other rivals in the second flight of English football.

Leicester City and Burnley gained the two automatic promotion spots, leaving QPR to negotiate its passage through the playoffs involving the next four best-placed teams in the league.

Victory over Wigan saw QPR into the final, while Derby thrashed Brighton to reach the Wembley showdown.

A cagey and tactical match produced few chances, the best coming after O'Neil was dismissed but QPR's man-of-the-match defender Richard Dunne and goalkeeper Robert Green were outstanding in repulsing Derby.

Then came the late drama -- with Zamora repeating a feat he achieved in helping West Ham win the playoffs in 2005.

It left a distraught Keogh to be consoled by his teammates while QPR lifted the playoff trophy.

For McClaren it was a bitter disappointment after guiding his young team to third place in the regular season standings and a deserved place in the final.

"I've lost some games in my career but that is the cruelest," he told BBC Sport. "For somebody to make mistakes -- we don't blame anybody," he added.

PSG agree deal to sign David Luiz from Chelsea

They may have just been sanctioned by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play rules but Paris Saint-Germain is showing no sign of putting away the checkbook.

The French champions announced an agreement has been reached with Chelsea late Friday to sign Brazil international defender David Luiz subject to the player passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

Neither club confirmed the extent of the fee agreed although reports earlier in the day had suggested a figure in the region of £40 million ($67 million) was likely.

"Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea and David Luiz would like to confirm that they reached an agreement regarding the terms of an upcoming transfer of the Brazilian defender that would occur during the next transfer window which is due to start on 10th June 2014," read a statement released by PSG.

"In accordance with the player's wish to prepare for and play in the World Cup in his home country in the best possible conditions, both clubs and David Luiz wished to reach an agreement as soon as possible."

If the $67 million fee reported is correct it will make Luiz the most expensive defender ever, overtaking the $57 million PSG paid to sign Thiago Silva from AC Milan in 2012.

How the Parisians aim to incorporate the deal into their commitments to comply with UEFA's new financial regulations remains unclear, however.

Selling players or increasing revenues is a possibility but president Nasser al-Khelaifi has publicly stated his intention to continue to invest in the team.

PSG were sanctioned last week along with English champions Manchester City for breaking FFP rules which aim to stop clubs getting into unmanageable debt or allow wealthy benefactors to give top teams and unfair advantage.

Backed by the Qatar Investment Authority, PSG have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on some of the world's best players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edison Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi in recent years.

The club claimed any losses incurred on these transfers was wiped out with a huge and back-dated sponsorship deal with the Qatar Tourist Authority but UEFA concluded that although this deal was valid it was heavily overvalued.

As a result, PSG were found to have exceeded the permitted losses of $62 million over the course of the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons and accepted a fine of $83 million and a squad capped at 21 players rather than the usual 25 for next season's Champions League campaign.