Showing posts with label Champions league. Show all posts

Champions League Draw: Last-16 Fixture 2011

Soccer Extreme : Watch the result of the draw for the Knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League – season 2010/2011.

Arsenal have drawn Barcelona in the knockout stages. Arsenal will have the chance to gain revenge over Barcelona after Arsène Wenger's side were beaten 6-3 on aggregate in the quarter-final last season. The Gunners were also beaten 2-1 by the Catalans in the 2006 final in Paris. This will be the most attractive match in the Round of 16, undoubtly

Tottenham Hotspur were paired with Serie A leaders AC Milan in the pick of the ties. The Spurs will meet the seven times European champion in their first experience of the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Chelsea will face Copenhagen, the easier team in theory. However, we must remember than Danish outfit were able to draw against Barcelona 1-1 in the group stage.

Manchester United will clash against Olympique de Marseille, the team wich beat Chelsea in the final round of group matches and are enjoying a revival after their peak years of the early 1990s. Alex Ferguson's side should not be relied because the Ligue 1 champion Marseille have some dangerous players.

Inter Milan will repeat the last season's final against Bayern Munich, in an intensive and interesting match. Inter defeated Munich 2-0 in last season's final thanks to two goals from Diego Milito, which was played at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

Another repeat: the nine times winners, Real Madrid, will face Olympique Lyon. The French side won 1-0 in France before going through with a 1-1 draw in Madrid on last season at the same stage.

UEFA Champions League Knockout stages Matches:

Champions League Last 16 First Leg Fixtures:

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia vs Schalke 04

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

AS Roma vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Arsenal vs Barcelona

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Copenhagen vs Chelsea
Olympique Lyon vs Real Madrid

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich
Olympique Marseille vs Manchester United

Champions League Last 16 Second Leg Fixtures:

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

AS Roma vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Arsenal vs Barcelona

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia vs Schalke 04

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich
Olympique Marseille vs Manchester United

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Copenhagen vs Chelsea
Olympique Lyon vs Real Madrid

The final will be at Wembley Stadium on May 28.

Champions League : Round of 16 complete

Soccer Extreme : FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Arsenal FC and AS Roma claimed the last UEFA Champions League round of 16 places on offer as the group stage concluded on Wednesday.

Three teams remained in Group H contention as the action got under way and Shakhtar secured a 2-0 win against SC Braga to go through in first place, with Arsenal beating the Portuguese debutants to second with a 3-1 defeat of FK Partizan.

Roma, meanwhile, drew 1-1 at CFR 1907 Cluj to finish second in Group E ahead of FC Basel 1893, who like Braga and AFC Ajax – 2-0 winners at AC Milan – will go into the UEFA Europa League round of 32 after ending third in their sections. Groups A to D ended on Tuesday.

Group E
FC Bayern München 3-0 FC Basel 1893
CFR 1907 Cluj 1-1 AS Roma

Bayern win group, Roma second, Basel to UEFA Europa League

Group F
Olympique de Marseille 1-0 Chelsea FC
MŠK Žilina 1-2 FC Spartak Moskva

Chelsea win group, Marseille second, Spartak to UEFA Europa League

Group G
Real Madrid CF 4-0 AJ Auxerre
AC Milan 0-2 AFC Ajax

Madrid win group, Milan second, Ajax to UEFA Europa League

Group H
Arsenal FC 3-1 FK Partizan
FC Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 SC Braga

Shakhtar win group, Arsenal second, Braga to UEFA Europa League

Round of 16 draw, 17 December

Group winners: Tottenham Hotspur FC, FC Schalke 04, Manchester United FC, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern München, Chelsea FC, Real Madrid CF, FC Shakhtar Donetsk

Group runners-up: FC Internazionale Milano (holders), Olympique Lyonnais, Valencia CF, FC København, AS Roma, Olympique de Marseille, AC Milan, Arsenal FC

Preview and Stream : Lech Poznan vs Manchester City, November 4, 2010

Soccer Extreme : Watch Lech Poznan vs Manchester City Live Stream ONLINE Coverage telecast by internet with free HD videos on November 4, 2010 at 18:00 BST for the Europe League 2010 Group phase. Lech Poznan vs Manchester City Live Streaming will be available a few minutes before the match.

City have the opportunity to secure a place in the knockout stage of a competition with a victory over Lech Poznan in Poland. Roberton Mancini’s side currently lead the Group A with seven points while Lech Poznan are second placed with four, just one point clear of Juventus. In the first-leg, Manchester City defeated Lech Poznan 3-1 at Eastlands thanks to an Adebayor hat-trick, which also put City on 99 European goals. This bad result for Polish team allowed to coach Jacek Zielinski being replaced by former Barcelona midfielder Jose Mari Bakero this week.

Yaya Toure and his brother Kolo won’t travel to Poland to recover from their injuries. In contrast, Argentinian striker Carlos Tevez makes his return to the starting line-up after have recovered from his injury thigh. In the same way, Mario Balotelli travel to Poland.

Former Barça and Champions League winner (1992) Jose Maria Bakero will be able to count with the services of Artjoms Rudòevs, who could return to Lech's starting line-up after appearing from the bench at Eastlands. Also Aleksandar Kolarov could be return after being sidelined due to an ankle injury, though he will likely start from the bench.

Watch Lech Poznan live streaming online : Link1 | Link2 | Link3. These links will be available a few minutes before kick-off (assuming this match will be available on the principal online broadcasters channels).

Lech Poznan vs. Manchester City Betting Tips

Manchester City starts this match as an overwhelming favourite, with William Hill offering best odds of 4/6 on the visitors. The draw is going for 3/1 at Betfair and you can back the home team at odds of 5/1 at the exchange.

Form suggests that Lech Poznan has a better chance in this match than the odds suggest, and that this could be a tough fixture for City.

Our Lech Poznan vs. Manchester City betting tip is therefore to swerve the match markets, and put your money on a high scoring match, with Bet365 offering odds of 1/1 on over 2.75 goals being scored in this fixture.

Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo: Anderlecht's Romelu Lukaku

Soccer Extreme : Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has hailed 17-year-old Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku but refrained from giving him any transfer advice.

The Belgian teenager's reputation has spread across Europe with a number of heavyweights on the continent interested in signing the player. Madrid have been linked with a move but Ronaldo has shied away from adding anything to the rumours.

“I made a decision that paid off but it’s not for me to give advice to Lukaku,” the Portugal international told reporters. “He has to make his own choice but I’m sure that he will have a great career.

“At 17 when he is not playing in a major championship, he has managed to make himself known to many people like me. I think that he’s a really fantastic young player.

“I’m curious to see what he will do in the coming months or at the end of the season. But Lukaku is on track; he must continue to work this way.”

Lukaku acknowledged the praise showered on him by Ronaldo and has been quoted by sporza.be as saying, “It’s obviously a great honour for me that a player of such a high level has made such an elegant comment. Cristiano is an example that I hope I will be able to follow.” (goal)

Wenger admits Arsenal lost focus in Shakhtar loss

Soccer Extreme : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits his side lost concentration and focus in their 2-1 Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night.

The Gunners were brought back down to earth after Theo Walcott had put them ahead in the 10th minute with former striker Eduardo grabbing the winner just before half-time after a Craig Eastmond own goal leveled the score prior to the half-hour mark.

Wenger said it was purely the lack of application after the opening goal that brought about his side’s downfall.

"Congratulations to Donetsk, they played well and won the game. We had a good start, but after that we lost our urgency and let Donetsk come into the game too much," the Arsenal manager said.

"We lost concentration in the duels and you could see what was coming towards half-time.

"I felt we moved out of the game altogether and moved into the game altogether, so it was more of a team problem, a kind of complacency problem more than an individual problem.

"In the second half we came back into the game and gave a lot, you cannot fault the team, and we were a bit unlucky.

"We have learned the lesson that at this level you cannot lose focus at any moment and that is why we were punished.

"But we are still in a strong position in the group." (tribalfootball)

Italy given 3-0 win after violence in Serbia game

Soccer Extreme : UEFA on Friday ordered Serbia to play a home match behind closed doors and awarded Italy a 3-0 win after their Euro 2012 qualifier three weeks ago was cancelled because of crowd trouble.

The Serbian Football Federation (FSS) were ordered to play two home matches in an empty stadium, with one match suspended for two years.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) were also sanctioned with one home match behind closed doors but the penalty was suspended for two years, European football's governing body said in a statement.

"The Control and Disciplinary Body has decided to award the match as a 3-0 forfeit win to Italy," they added.

"The Football Association of Serbia has been ordered to play its next two home matches behind closed doors. From this sanction, a one-match ban is deferred for a probationary period of two years."

The FSS was fined 120,000 euros, while their Italian counterparts were hit with a 100,000 euro fine.

FSS chairman Tomislav Karadzic expressed disappointment at the decision.

"I think the decision is not correct, especially the move to register the game as an official 3-0 win for Italy, but the other part of the decision was expected," he told reporters.

"We will give our final statement after receiving a detailed explanation from UEFA."

Serbia coach Vladimir Petrovic said the outcome was "not as bad as it could have been," but FSS secretary general Zoran Lakovic hinted that his organisation could launch an appeal.

"Of course, we have a right to appeal and we will consider all aspects and make our decision on future steps," he said.

The Italian authorities were pleased with the outcome of the investigation.

"UEFA appreciated the excellent work our delegation did in showing that the Italian Football Federation did the best possible in the dramatic circumstances of that night," said FIGC general manager Antonello Valentini.

"There should be no fears about Serbia-Italy being played with open doors as we've shown that we want to maintain excellent relations with the team, staff and the true fans of Serbia."

Italian security chief Roberto Massucci said there would be better co-operation between the two associations for the return match in Belgrade in October 2011.

"The administrative penalty was inevitable given the principle of objective responsibility," he said.

"We won't repeat the crossed wires in the communication between the Serbian and Italian authorities in the return match."

The Group C game in Genoa on October 12 was delayed then abandoned by the referee after just six minutes due to Serbian fans throwing flares onto the pitch and at rival Italy supporters.

Sixteen people were hospitalised after Serbian fans then clashed with Italian police, while at least 17 Serbian supporters were arrested.

Serbian police also arrested 35 away fans when they returned from Italy.

The FSS had claimed their Italian counterparts were responsible for the crowd disorder, saying they had informed them of away supporters who were planning to cause trouble.

Under UEFA's rules, the sanctions available had ranged up to a stadium closure or disqualification from Euro 2012 as well as exclusion from future competitions. (kickoff)

Barca Escapes the Stuttgart Scare ;Stuttgart - 1, Barca - 1

Barca vs Stuttgart Match Highlights

Barca survived an absolute onslaught from Stuttgart and came out with an un-deserving 1-1 draw. The crucial away goal could prove to be very crucial in the second leg for Barca. Cacau put Stuttgart ahead in the first half but Ibrahmovic equalised for Barca in the early second half. Johan Cryuff has described FC Barcelona's performance in last match as their worst, he should have waited till this match. This was the worst Barca Performance for last three or four season. I cannot remember a match were we were so hopelessly over-run by the opponents. We looked like a second division team in the first half, but did well in the second half. We were up against the German efficiency which we usually associate with their national team, and failed miserably to stamp our authority. Guardiola chose Marquez and Pique to be in the defense, Puyol and Maxwell played the full back roles. The midfield was made up of Toure, Busquets and Xavi. The front line had Iniesta, Ibra and Messi.

Barca Players Competed With Each Other on being sloppy

This was the worst start to a match you could ever see. After the initial nerves, Stuttgart took full control of the match. Barca were uncharacteristically sloppy with their passing and was struggling to hold on to the ball. Stuttgart Manager had done his home-work and made sure that his midfield closed ours pretty fast. In the 13th minute Cacau had a good chance but he couldn't

control his finish. Stuttgart started to atatck Barca from both the wings, especially the left. In the 21st minute Marquez cleared a dangeroius ball into the box with a sliding leg. In the 23rd minute FC Barcelona defense somehow managed to clear the danger from a Hleb free kick. But Stuttgart was not going to be denied. The deservingly went ahead in the 25th minute. Gebhart's great cross from the right was headed past Valdes by Cacau at the far post. In the 28th minute Stuttgart had a great appeal for penalty after the ball hit Pique's hand, but the referee waived on indicating that it was unintensional. In the 31st minute Stuttgart should have gone two goals up - Cacau used his body strength to turn Marquez and from a one on one situation tried to square the ball, which was somehow cleared by Barca. That was a big let off for FC Barcelona. In the 33rd minute Valdes makes another great save denying Khedira. In the 40th minute Barca had their first shot on target. Messi sets off on a great run and sends in a low shot which was parried by Lehman on to the post. In the 41st minute Valdes pulls off another save to deny Pogrebnyak to make sure the scoreline remain the same going into the break.

Barca's Performance Improved slightly afrter the break

Everyone expected Barca to come out firing on all cylinder after the half. That was not to be the case. Their performance in the second half were better than first half, but nowhere near their usual standard. In the 52nd minute we got the equaliser we were looking for. Busquets played a cross into the box, the Stuttgart defense failed to clear, Pique did well to win the header and the

ball fell to Ibrahmovic, whose first shot was blocked by Lehman but luckily for us the rebound fell to Ibra agains and he made no mistake. We started to take control of the game after that goal, but then it lasted only for five minutes and we were back losing our midfield battle. Guardiola brought in Henry for Toure after the goal. In the 58th minute Milito replaced Marquez. In teh 67th minute Messi send in a great cross from right to Iniesta but his shot was blocked. Then in the 68th minute Barca had a definitive penalty appeal for hand ball turned down. Jens Lehman misjudged the flight of a corner and failed to hold or deflect the corner; the ball fell to Ibra whose goal bound shot was deflected wide by Molinaro elbow. That was a real case for penalty but I thought the referee was playing even after he didn't give the penalty for Stuttgart. The rest of the half ended without too much of a scare. Valdes did really well to cut off any of Stuttgart scare.

As I said this was the worst performance I have seen in last five to six years. We have played much better even two seasons ago, when we finished third in the league. It was terrible to see we losing the midfield battle so easily. From the performance point of view, it will be foolish to judge who was the worst. The easiest option would be to see who was the best Barca player on the pitch - Victor Valdes. Messi at least showed some interest. Iniesta and Xavi were sloppy throughout the match. It is better not to say anything about Toure and Busquets and their performance. At times Toure looked better than Busquets, then he will commit a no-sense mistake. In the defnse I think Puyol was the only one who can hold his head a bit high. I know many would blame Guardiola for not using Iniesta and Xavi in the midfield from the start. But in an away match in Europe, I thought it was quite sensible to have a defnsive minded midfield. But the idea to use Xavi on the left rather than his usual position on right baffled me.

Many of you may consider that we should forget this performance and move forward. But for the last some matches our passing has been sloppy atleast in away matches. Guardiola needs to qaddress it as early as possible. He should show some confidence in Henry too. Ibrahmovic had a betetr night as far as finishing is concerned, but I am still not convinced with his position in our team.

Liverpool vs Marseille Highlights 26.11.2008

Sporting Lisbon vs Barcelona 5-2 Highlights 26.11.2008

Bordeaux vs Chelsea 1-1 Highlights 26.11.2008

Inter Milan vs Panathinaikos 0-1 Highlights 26.11.2008

CFR Cluj vs Roma 1-3 Highlights 26.11.2008

Atlético vs Psv Eindhoven 2-1 Highlights 26.11.2008

Anorthosis vs Bremen 2-2 Highlights 26.11.2008

Barca Grabs Top Spot; Sporting - 2; Barca - 5

FC Barcelona assured themselves of the top spot in their group and hopefully increased their chance of meeting an easier challenge in the second round with an emphatic 2-5 victory against Sporting Lisbon. With both team assured of a second round place the only thing that was at stake was the top spot. There is no guarantee that we will have a easy second round opponent; but there is a high chance of that happening. Hnery, Pique, Messi and Bojan all got into the score sheet; a Caneira own goal completes the tally for Barca. For Lisbon it was Veloso and Leidson who scored the goals. Guardiola fielded a very strong side at Portugal. Valdes guarded the goal; in front fo him Alves, Marquez, Pique and Caceres formed the defensive line; the midfield was made up of Xavi, Busquests and Gudjonsen; Messi,Henry and Hleb formed the forward line.The presence of two attack minded players helped FC Barcelona but there is no question of the fact that Messi was the main reason for such emphatic display. This victory would go well for a great display at Sevilla this weekend.

FC Barcelona dominated proceedings from the begining. In the 13th minute Busquets stole the ball from Lisbon and the ball reached Messi on the right; Messi unleashed his trademark dribbling run upto the goal line and pulled back the ball to Henry who completed the formalities. The second goal came in the 17th minute when Pique latched on to the end of a Xavi cross from corner. FC Barcelona went with a two goal lead to the half time. In the second half Henry was replaced by Bojan. In the 49th minute Alves played in Messi with a quickly taken free kick who rounded off Rui Patricio before slotting Barca's third of the night. Guardiola immediately took Messi off and put Pedro in his place. That move looked to have backfired with Sporting pulling two goals back in quick time. First it was Veloso who curled a free kick into the corner; the second came from Leidson after a Marquez's mistake. The recovery was short lived with Barca increasing their lead courtesy of a Caneira own goal after he tried to clear the ball off Busquets. In the 73rd minute Bojan was brough down by Patricio; he was expelled and a penalty was awarded. Bojan slotted the penalty to take Barca's tally to five goal and a welcome personal relief too.

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