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Marseille wins 6th straight game, Inter slumps

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

Move over Paris Saint-Germain, step up Marseille.

The French title race was supposed to be all about PSG, but Marseille is shaping up as a serious contender to dethrone two-time defending champion PSG after recording a sixth straight league win, beating Saint-Etienne 2-1 at home.

In the English Premier League, West Bromwich Albion routed struggling Burnley to grab a third win in a week, while in Italy 2010 Champions League winner Inter Milan slumped to a humiliating 4-1 home loss to Sardinian side Cagliari.

Here is the pick of the action from Europe’s top leagues on Sunday:

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SPAIN

Valencia drew 1-1 at Real Sociedad in an entertaining match featuring a series of great saves to remain undefeated despite slipping to second place in the Spanish league.

Sociedad started well at its Anoeta Stadium, and Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves had to dive to turn back efforts from Carlos Vela and Imanol Agirretxe before the visitors went ahead.

Valencia striker Paco Alcacer made a clever headed pass to knock Rodrigo Moreno’s lob back for Carles Gil to score the 15th-minute opener.

But seconds after Valencia defender Jose Gaya cleared Inigo Martinez’s header off the line, former Valencia forward Sergio Canales sent in cross that fooled Diego Alves before slipping inside the far post to level for Sociedad in the 36th.

Valencia had entered the round as leader on goal difference over Barcelona, and the draw meant it fell two points behind the Catalan club. Valencia is level on points with third-place Atletico Madrid.

Also, Almeria forward Edgar Mendez scored in stoppage time to grab a 1-0 victory at Deportivo La Coruna, while Michel Herrero’s first-half goal helped Getafe beat Malaga 1-0 at home.

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FRANCE

Marseille has been the dominant side in the French league this season and a 2-1 home win against Saint-Etienne gave coach Marcelo Bielsa’s side a sixth straight win to stay two points ahead of Bordeaux.

More importantly for Marseille, however, bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain sits five points behind in fourth place.

Midfielder Gianni Imbula and winger Dimitri Payet scored first-half goals for Marseille, with defender Jonathan Brison’s replying for Saint-Etienne in the 53rd.

Also, midfielder Thomas Toure created the opening goal and scored the winner as second-place Bordeaux beat Rennes 2-1.

Lyon drew 1-1 at Nantes and Lens drew 0-0 at home to Caen.

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ITALY

Inter Milan was handed a humiliating first loss of the season as it was routed 4-1 by last-placed Cagliari in Serie A, while Napoli won to ease the pressure on coach Rafa Benitez.

Inter captain Yuto Nagatomo was sent off in the 27th minute following two yellow cards and Albin Ekdal, who had scored three goals in 87 appearances for Cagliari, doubled his tally for the club with a 15-minute hat trick.

“I made some mistakes when evaluating the squad rotation,” Inter coach Walter Mazzarri said. “When we were down to 10 men we should have acted differently.”

In the evening match, Sampdoria beat Genoa 1-0 in a fiery derby match. The result saw Samp move into third ahead of Udinese’s home game against Parma on Monday.

Napoli won 1-0 at Sassuolo after Jose Callejon put away a cross from Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain, while 10-man AC Milan was held to a 1-1 draw at Cesena.

Fiorentina also drew 1-1 at Torino as did Chievo Verona at home to Empoli.

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ENGLAND

Two goals from forward Saido Berahino helped mid-table West Bromwich Albion seal a comprehensive 4-0 win against Burnley in the Premier League.

West Brom clinched third straight win following victories over Tottenham in the league and Hull in the League Cup.

Berahino pounced in each half after Craig Dawson opened the scoring to hand the Clarets a third league defeat. Midfielder Graham Dorrans then added a fourth with a minute left.

Newly promoted Burnley has not scored in almost nine hours of league play and already look destined for a long fight against the drop, with the team now in last place.

Burnley had not scored in the league in 436 minutes coming into the game.

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GERMANY

Substitute Lucas Piazon scored with a spectacular free kick in the 90th minute to give Eintracht Frankfurt a 2-1 victory at Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga.

In the process, Hamburg also set the Bundesliga record for going the longest without a goal before finally managing to score in the new season.

Scoreless after the first five matches, Hamburg needed a goal inside the first 24 minutes to avoid beating Bochum’s unwanted record from 1979. But it could not find the net until the 58th, when Nicolai Mueller canceled out Haris Seferovic’s goal from the 44th.

In the earlier match, captain Paul Verhaegh converted a first-half penalty to give Augsburg a 1-0 victory over Hertha Berlin.

Eintracht moved past Augsburg into seventh, while winless Hamburg stayed last.

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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