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Barca cruise; Chelsea held while United fall apart

By WTOP Staff

JEROME PUGMIRE
AP Sports Writer

PARIS (AP) — Manchester United’s new-look attack looked impressive once again only for its suspect defense to collapse in spectacular style in a 5-3 loss to newly promoted Leicester in the Premier League.

The day after Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick helped Real Madrid thrash Deportivo La Coruna 8-2 away from home, Barcelona cruised to a 5-0 win at Levante despite a rare penalty miss from Lionel Messi, who seems to prefer setting up goals these days — especially for Neymar.

Paris Saint-Germain failed to bounce back from a tepid 1-1 midweek draw away to Ajax in the Champions League as it drew 1-1 at home to Lyon to slip three points behind the league leader Marseille.

Here is a roundup of the action in Europe’s top leagues on Sunday:

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ENGLAND

Frank Lampard scored a late equalizer against his former club Chelsea to earn 10-man Manchester City a 1-1 draw in the Premier League and end the leaders’ winning start to the season.

Lampard, released by Chelsea this summer after scoring a club-record 211 goals in 13 years, refused to celebrate after his side-footed shot deflected in off John Terry in the 85th minute.

“I’m a bit lost for words — I didn’t expect to score like that,” Lampard said. “I’m a bit stuck in the middle.”

Chelsea dropped points for the first time in five games but still holds a three-point lead over Southampton and is five clear of defending champion City.

Man United, which has won just one league game so far under new manager Louis van Gaal, led 3-1 before newly-promoted Leicester scored four times in 20 minutes to secure a stunning 5-3 win.

Robin van Persie, Angel Di Maria and fellow new signing Ander Herrera all scored to illustrate United’s attacking verve, but Van Gaal has deep concerns over the balance of his team.

“We have too many players who want to seek for the goal,” he said.

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SPAIN

Messi shrugged off his penalty miss and another injury to Neymar by scoring one goal and setting up two more as Barcelona stayed top of the Spanish league with a perfect record after four games.

Messi has played a direct part in nine of Barcelona’s 12 goals in its five wins across all competitions, scoring three and assisting on six more.

“Messi is one-of-a-kind,” said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. “He doesn’t just dribble and score goals, he also assists like he did today.”

Neymar went off early in the second half with a left ankle injury, although he did not appear seriously hurt.

The win moved Barca two points ahead of Sevilla, which won 3-1 at Cordoba to remain undefeated. Colombia striker Carlos Bacca scored twice.

Defending champion Atletico Madrid trails Barcelona by four points with Real Madrid another two points adrift.

Villarreal roared back from a two-goal deficit to beat Rayo Vallecano 4-2, while Almeria held on for a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad.

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ITALY

Alessandro Florenzi set up one goal then scored another as Roma pulled level with Juventus atop Serie A with a 2-0 win over Cagliari.

Florenzi provided the cross for Mattia Destro’s opener 10 minutes in at the Stadio Olimpico then took a pass from Gervinho two minutes later and scored with an angled shot.

He celebrated by climbing over a barrier into the stands and running up several rows to embrace his 82-year-old grandmother — drawing a yellow card from the referee.

“He’ll pay a fine but he’s happy to,” Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. “This is the beautiful side of football.”

Roma and Juventus, which won 1-0 at AC Milan on Saturday, are the only clubs to win their opening three matches.

After beating Sassuolo 7-0 last weekend, Inter Milan was held to a 1-1 draw at Palermo.

Udinese edged Napoli 1-0 with a goal from Danilo midway through the second half.

Also, Fiorentina won 1-0 at Atalanta with a goal from substitute Jasmin Kurtic, while Parma beat Chievo Verona 3-2 with two goals from former Italy forward Antonio Cassano.

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GERMANY

Ricardo Rodriguez scored two goals and set up another as Wolfsburg defeated 10-man Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 in the Bundesliga for its first win of the season.

The Swiss defender opened the scoring with a penalty in the eighth minute. Josip Drmic equalized with his first goal for Leverkusen in the 29th, before Vieirinha restored the lead with a header from Rodriguez’ cross before the interval.

Rodriguez added a well-struck volley in the 63rd, before substitute Aaron Hunt definitely sealed the win.

Cologne and Borussia Moenchengladbach played out a 0-0 draw in a bad-tempered Rhineland derby later.

There was trouble before the game with clashes between rival fans. One police officer received minor injuries and around 50 to 60 supporters were arrested.

Paderborn leads the table on goal difference in its first Bundesliga season.

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FRANCE

PSG extended its poor start to the season with a fourth draw in six matches as the two-time defending champion was held 1-1 at home by Lyon to drop three points behind bitter rival and league leader Marseille.

Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to score for the third match in a row, although Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani netted his second in two games. But PSG was left clinging on at the end after Samuel Umtiti leveled in the 84th.

Midfielder Fabien Lemoine scored a late winner as Saint-Etienne won 1-0 at Lens to move level on 13 points with Bordeaux and Marseille after six rounds.

Earlier, Lille missed the chance to go top after failing to break Montpellier’s defense in a 0-0 draw.

Monaco, meanwhile, climbed away from the relegation zone after a scrappy 1-0 home win against Guingamp.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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