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| Champions League | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 23 2007, 11:32 AM (2,297 Views) | |
| Winslow | Mar 7 2007, 02:36 PM Post #46 |
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My mistake--I misread the game story. Lyon actually misses the quarterfinals for the first time in four years. On to Wednesday's games... . . . . . . . Arsenal 1, PSV Eindhoven 1 (1-2 on aggregate). Bayern Munich 2, Real Madrid 1 (4-4 aggregate; Bayern advances on away goals). Manchester United 1, Lille 0 (2-0 aggregate). Milan 1, Celtic 0 AET (1-0 aggregate). Gunner fans go home grumpy after Alex canceled out his own goal with a late header to put PSV into the quarters, while Bayern made its late goal in the first leg pay off with the result it needed. In that match, Roy Makaay set a CL record by scoring after just 11 seconds; Lucio scored the second midway through the second half, and a late van Nistelrooy penalty wasn't enough for the ex-galacticos. After the Rossoneri and Bhoys went scoreless for 180 minutes, Kaka took the bit between his teeth in extra time and scored the decider on a solo run from midfield. And Man U's only goal came from Larsson, who was left ridiculously wide open to head in a C. Ronaldo cross. That game ended under a cloud when a Lille player going for a high ball clashed heads with Silvestre, who fell to the ground forehead-first and had to be carried off. It didn't look good for him. The next round draw is Friday. This could be fun. |
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| robdog | Mar 7 2007, 03:15 PM Post #47 |
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Good stuff in the Champion's League. Couple of things though. Lille did have a major gripe in the first leg. First takin' their goal away, then the quick take by Giggs. Secondly, Real Madrid fans got robbed today. That second goal from Ramos should have counted. The ref was more concerned w/ his own safety. Still great action & nice fight w/ Valencia v Inter
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| Manzanares | Mar 7 2007, 07:58 PM Post #48 |
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Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid was a good match to watch. How about Makaay's record setting goal after only 10 seconds? Roberto Carlos lets a pass go under his foot, Bayern goes on a quick break and with Madrid's players still getting set, Makaay had the ball in the back of the net! Capello once again tried playing it ultra defensively, starting 3 defensive midfielders but the early goal forced his hand and he put on Guti after 1/2 an hour. I'll give Real Madrid credit (always hard for me to do! ) for making it interesting at the end but Bayern were the deserving winners in my book. I have to disagree with robdog, I thought Sergio Ramos controlled that pass with his thigh AND arm and thus nullifying the goal was legit in my eyes.I can't say I am sad whining Wenger and Arsenal are out now too. PSV's Alex is a very good defender. Trouble for PSV is that means some bigger club will go fishing for him this summer. These were pretty even series, one went to extra time (Milan-Celtic), several others were decided on away goals (Valencia's, Bayern's and Liverpool's wins) others by only one goal after two legs and only Roma's and Manchester United's wins were by 2 total goals. And I think this next round could be even closer as all the teams look pretty evenly matched. |
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| enganche | Mar 7 2007, 08:41 PM Post #49 |
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Manzanares' point about how close many of these series were is true I think. I mean there always are some close series but it just appeared to me as if there were more this year. Bayern's win over Real Madrid was an exciting game. Frankly neither team looked real good but the game had plenty of drama. I'm with Manzanares that Bayern were the better team on the day and Madrid shouldn't have too much to complain about. I also thought the called back goal was legitimate and I even thought Madrid's penalty was iffy as I thought the contact was coincidental. I'll say this though Madrid played harder and with more speed than Barcelona did the day before. Barca moved the ball too slowly in that game and that allowed Liverpool to get enough men behind the ball. Valencia as is their norm defended well and against a team like Inter it is worth noting that Valencia really limited their chances at goal. Like Liverpool, Chelsea, Milan and Bayern, Valencia is a team who are adept at shutting down the opponent. That seems to be the key to success this year even more than offensive firepower. I'll agree with the others here about Porto's goalie's mistake being huge and turned a game Porto were controlling into a Chelsea win. If you thought this round was evenly matched, the quarterfinals look even more close. We'll learn on Friday the fate of the 8 remaining teams but I don't know if there is any one of them who can legitimately be claimed as favorite. |
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| alabastergremlin | Mar 7 2007, 10:39 PM Post #50 |
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Due to my work and class schedule (and the fact that I haven't picked up a TIVO type system) I don't get to see many games from across the pond. But boy do I enjoy it when I get the chance... Four games in the last two days...it makes me wish I could catch more games. The Bayern/Real match was a good one. And the Man U goal today was a nice one, mainly Christiano Ronaldo's run down the line. It looked like the Lille defense was impressed with the run too, seeing as though they watched it and ignored the attacker who would put in the header. Any word on Silvestre's injury? That was a pretty rough play. I'm really going to have to switch to Direct TV so I can get FSC, GolTV, and Setanta! |
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| Martin | Mar 7 2007, 11:01 PM Post #51 |
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In almost 30 years of following Real Madrid I have to say this is my least favorite Madrid team so in many ways I am not too disappointed Madrid are out of the Champions League at this stage as it will hopefully accelerate the much needed changes at the club this offseason (bye, bye Capello, hello Schuster?). But as was discussed here Madrid fell into a hole after 10 seconds with that rapid fire goal as the team was caught napping. At least Madrid did show spirit and that did make for an entertaining game but Bayern always looked the better team to me in this one. Time for Madrid to concentrate on the league and look to ensure the team can return to the Champions League next year. I was happy for PSV's Alex. He was the best player on the field in PSV v Arsenal and was unfortunate to score that own goal so it was just to see him come back and later head in the tying goal which sent PSV through. Arsenal had more of the ball but PSV defended well and picked their spots to go forward. Cesc was lucky to still be on the field after picking up a yellow in the 2nd half as earlier he took Kone out of the game with a horrible tackle which went unpunished and severely limited PSV's attack but when Arsenal got near goal Alex was there to cut out everything either in the air or on the ground. Except for the own goal it was a dominant performance from him. And Gomes showed why he and not Porto's Helton should be Brazil's goalie with a big save on a Thierry Henry free kick. That ended up being the game's turning point as not long after Alex scored his vital goal. Mancini's goal for Roma was an absolute beauty. I don't care how many attacking players Brazil has, it is a huge mistake not to include this guy on their national team. Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma are in my opinion the only wingers in the world who currently are in Mancini's class. Good point about the teams which were successful in disrupting their opponents were those that advanced to the quarterfinals. There doesn't look like much separating the eight teams left now but inevitably a couple of them will start catching fire now and make a long run in these next few months. I wouldn't be surprised if Roma, Valencia and Chelsea are among those teams. |
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| Simon | Mar 8 2007, 04:14 AM Post #52 |
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Funnily enough, Alex is already owned by Chelsea and on-loan at PSV for two years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...nal/6421475.stm "The 24-year-old was bought in a joint agreement between PSV and Chelsea in 2004 with the contract stipulating he spend two seasons in Holland before moving to Stamford Bridge. Wenger said: "Alex won PSV the tie alone, which is only a bit of an exaggeration. "He kept their defence very tight and saved them every time. He made the difference at set-pieces and dominated our players in the air easily. "Chelsea have the money to buy the best players - that's not new information. "I don't know the rules and I don't think he's the only player Chelsea own like that." Ronald Koeman said: "He's one of the best central defenders there is and it's incredible he plays for a team like PSV. "He's Chelsea's player and PSV rent him from Chelsea because he's still not allowed to play in England. "We're proud he plays for us but know it won't be for much longer. "He can play against Chelsea in the next round because he's at PSV until the end of the season. "After that we'll talk to Chelsea about his situation. It was an agreement with Chelsea that he stays with us for the season. "I think Chelsea will be very happy Alex scored tonight." Arsenal have now been eliminated from 3 cups in the space of a nightmare 10 days, ending their hopes of a trophy this season. So the last eight are: AC Milan Bayern Munich Chelsea Liverpool Manchester United PSV Eindhoven Roma Valencia As others have said, very closely matched. Any of those sides will know that if they can find a run of good form at the right time, anything can happen. I'd find it very hard to pick a favourite out of that list. It seems quite likely that there'll be an all-English quarter-final, and I'd like United to steer clear of that for a number of reasons, one of which being that it could even prejudice the Premiership title race. It wouldn't do us much good to lose twice to Chelsea in the next few weeks, for example. |
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| siralfred | Mar 8 2007, 04:47 AM Post #53 |
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Forza Zlatan!
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If Man U and Chelsea are drawn in the QF they'll meet three times in eleven days! With Ferguson's squad suddenly being pared down by injuries it's looking more like they'll limp through to the league title and nothing else. Especially as Rooney's looking less and less like a world class striker. |
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| garbaggio | Mar 8 2007, 07:21 AM Post #54 |
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I watched ManU - Lille and saw goal highlights from Arsenal-PSV and Bayern-Real. For some reason Contacto Deportivo didn't show anything but the score from AC Milan's win over Celtic. Kaka seems to have scored pretty early in extra time, were Celtic able to mount any significant attacks after that? Silvestre's hard landing was pretty scary to watch in slow motion. Press reports I read last night indicated he has a shoulder injury (dislocation?) and is likely to miss the rest of the season. Bad news for him and injury-hit Man U but on first viewing it looked like it could have been worse - like a spine injury. Just checked SoccerTV and ESPN2 will be showing the regular Champions League highlight Friday at 1130 am EST. Thought with all the March Madness (which I also enjoy) they might not squeeze it in. |
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| Merengue | Mar 8 2007, 08:51 AM Post #55 |
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I too was hoping to catch at least a replay of Kaka's goal which I heard was a good one. Thanks garbaggio for the highlight show info. Martin's view of not being too upset at Real Madrid's early elimination is not a unique one among Real Madrid fans. I knew the team were in trouble when I saw the starting lineup with 3 defensive midfielders in it. I just don't seem to recall Capello playing this conservatively when he coached Madrid for one championship winning season in the mid 90's. I agree with those who said Bayern were the better team yesterday but I still feel Madrid lost this series in leg 1 when they decided to sit on a 3-1 lead after playing a brilliant first half and ended up getting burned by Bayern's late goal, their 2nd away goal, which ultimately proved decisive over the two legs. Alex was excellent for PSV but that whole team is a well drilled one with good technique. Alex still ahs trouble getting into Brasil's team. Interetsing that he, his PSV teammate Gomes and Roma's Mancini were three of the stars of this round of Champions League matches and all 3 have trouble getting into Brasil's team. Which shows the depth of talent there and possibly that Dunga's restructuring of the team isn't complete yet as players of their quality need to be on the Selecao. But I wonder if Alex can still qualify for a British work permit due to his limited national team appearances? If it's an Arsenal fan on the deciding panel, I doubt if he'd make it! I'm looking forward to tomorrow's draw and I also think this is a wide open championship now. |
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| robdog | Mar 8 2007, 10:16 AM Post #56 |
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Again my friends, you can see all of the goals on the internet. Checkout rojadirect.com. I know it's in spanish, but they have ALL of the Highlights. Just goto resúmenes. |
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| Manzanares | Mar 8 2007, 10:39 AM Post #57 |
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Thanks for the highlight tip robdog. So Alex already is a Chelsea player? The thought of he and John Terry lining up next to one another in Chelsea's central defense should not be a pleasing thought for the rest of Europe's top clubs. Maybe Merengue's question of Alex's eligibility for a work permit will come into play here though? But I'd think it would be hard to deny one of the best central defenders around a work permit no matter how often he has or hasn't played for his national team. I had a chance to watch Manchester United-Lille and the small French club gave them a tough game of it. They were strong and worked hard, one distraction however allowed Ronaldo to break free on the right and cross to an open Larsson for the only goal. Like Porto the night before Lille were let down by a lack of power up at forward but they can return home proud of their display, a better overall one than their countrymen from Lyon gave this year. |
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| siralfred | Mar 9 2007, 04:28 AM Post #58 |
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Forza Zlatan!
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The draw is done. AC Milan - Bayern Munchen PSV Eindhoven - Liverpool AS Roma - Manchester United Chelsea FC - Valencia CF Seems to favor the English teams as they don't play each other. And the way the semis are drawn, ManU will avoid their compatriots until the final, if either should get that far. My picks for semis: Bayern (Thanks to Ronaldo being cup-tied, Milan is just weak in attack) Pool (They're just that much better) ManU (Stronger defense, they can out-catenaccio even the giallirossi, nuff said!) Chelsea (JT will be back and the prem will be done and less distracting) |
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| Simon | Mar 9 2007, 05:13 AM Post #59 |
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So the draw for both Quarters and Semis has been made. (Semi-Final 1) AC Milan v Bayern Munich Roma v Manchester United (Semi-Final 2) PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool Chelsea v Valencia So the English teams are kept apart after all. Another Chelsea v Liverpool semi-final is on the cards and even, horror of horrors, a final between United and Liverpool! My nerves couldn't handle that.AC Milan v Bayern Munich should be a strong tie. Quite often you can get clubs who aren't doing so well domestically but are then able to concentrate on Europe and have a great run. We've seen it in recent years with Monaco, Liverpool and Arsenal. Milan and Bayern are inconsistent but on their day either of them can beat anyone else. I groaned a bit when I saw that we'd got Roma. That will be a tough tie for us if they play as they did against Lyon. United's form hasn't been the best recently but the results are still good. Hopefully we'll be back on song by the time of this tie and we should be favourites. Actually, United have been installed as 11/4 favourites to win the cup, which caused my eyebrows to raise somewhat! I think it's because the field is tight and United are the only remaining team to be top of our domestic league as well as having won our first round group. We also got the biggest aggregate win in the Last 16 (level with Roma) and were the only side to win both home and away. So far so good then, but a long way to go. I can't imagine Liverpool not beating PSV, although it's worth mentioning that they were big favourites against Benfica last year and went out. Benitez against Koeman will be an interesting tactical battle but I think Liverpool will have too much for PSV. They've already played twice in the group stage (2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield and 0-0 in Eindhoven) and Liverpool were very comfortable. Chelsea against Valencia is arguably the tie of the round. Chelsea are the only quarter finalist who've never been in the European Cup final and are determined to put that right. It might be important that the second leg is at the Mestalla, but Valencia have been a bit inconsistent of late. Even without Terry at present, Chelsea are pretty solid at the back and Petr Cech once more looks like the best keeper in the world. Villa and Morientes are clearly vital to Valencia goalscoring chances, and Angulo to a slightly lesser extent. I would think that Chelsea can do enough to keep Valencia out and that the tie might be decided by the great form of Drogba for Chelsea. |
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| Merengue | Mar 9 2007, 08:25 AM Post #60 |
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I like Simon's point about looking out for teams not doing all that well in their home leagues as being capable of making a good Champions League run. Interesting that of the 8 teams left only Manchester United and PSV are leading their domestic leagues. I think all four matchups looking pretty even. I'd agree that Liverpool would appear to have an advantage over PSV and their physical style might be too much for PSV's attack. Liverpool may have had the upper hand in their group stage meetings but we all know how difficult it is to beat a team you've already defeated before. Liverpool should remember this from their 2005 Champions Legaue victory over Chelsea, a team who had their number many times before their CL semifinal matchup that season. Milan vs Bayern could prove to be a war of attrition and may not provide the best entertainment but should be a good tactical battle. Kaka is the one guy who could turn that series around. Manchester United do seem like they are limping through to this stage with injuries piling up but they've also shown a lot of resiliency. Roma isn't a team to be underestimated after what they did to Lyon and Totti and Mancini are an attacking duo who can cause danger for any team. Finally I'm again in agreement with Simon that Chelsea vs Valencia looks like the best matchup of them all. Two pretty similar teams who've both fought through a lot of injury problems this season. Their two games are the ones I'll most be interested in watching now that my own club is out of the running. |
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) for making it interesting at the end but Bayern were the deserving winners in my book. I have to disagree with robdog, I thought Sergio Ramos controlled that pass with his thigh AND arm and thus nullifying the goal was legit in my eyes.
My nerves couldn't handle that.
5:04 PM Jul 10