Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Soccer Futbol Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Europa League 2009-10
Topic Started: Aug 7 2009, 08:40 PM (1,533 Views)
ursus arctos
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
Wolfsburg win it in the last minute of extra time, just as Rubin thought they were taking it to penalties.

The last eight:

Fulham, Liverpool, HSV, Wolfsburg, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Benfica, and Standard Liege.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Manzanares
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
For the record these were tonight's scores with aggregate in parentheses:

Fulham 4 - 1 Juventus (5-4)
Marseille 1 - 2 Benfica (2-3)
Standard Liege 1 - 0 Panathinaikos (4-1)
Werder Bremen 4 - 4 Valencia (5-5, Valencia on away goals)
Anderlecht 4 - 3 Hamburger SV (5-6)
Liverpool 3 - 0 Lille (3-1)
Sporting Lisbon 2 - 2 Atletico Madrid (2-2, Atletico on away goals)
Wolfsburg 2 - 1 Rubin Kazan AET (3-2)

Plenty of excitement, I was happy with Atletico's win in Lisbon with 2 first half goals by Kun Aguero. De Gea's development continues with a couple of important 2nd half saves to preserve Atletico's advancement.

David Villa with 3 goals in Valencia's wild game in Bremen, Valencia were 3-1 up at the half but Bremen staged a good comeback but it was not quite enough.

Anderlecht, led by their excellent teenager Lukaku almost pulled back a 2 goal deficit against Hamburg but Fulham with that superb goal by Dempsey did just that against Juventus in the upset of the round. And Wolfsburg, as ursus wrote, broke Rubin Kazan's hearts in extra time in a matchup of two clubs eliminated from the Champions League group stages.

I think Standard Liege's victory margin over Panathinaikos, was another surprise this week. An Atletico alum, Fernando Torres with 2 goals in Liverpool's comfortable win over Lille. Tomorrow we find out the quarterfinal pairings.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ursus arctos
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
Completely agree about Standard. Their win in Athens was very impressive. Their performance and Anderlecht's (along with that of Belgium's U-19s and U-21s) is providing some hope that Belgian football may be finally emerging from 20 years of decline.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Sammy Maudlin
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
And remember it was Panathinaikos in the previous round who had ended Roma's long unbeaten run and this is also the club with a 7 point lead in the Greek league so Standard's subsequent elimination of Panathinakos becomes even more impressive.

I enjoyed watching the quarterfinals and beyond the last 4-5 years in the UEFA Cup as there were plenty of exciting games with the teams playing less cautiously than they do in the Champions League. This first season of the Europa League looks to be picking up where the UEFA Cup left off. I do not think you can say there is a clear favorite among the 8 teams left. Let's find out in a few hours how the draw will go.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Winslow
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
I'm just gobsmacked by Fulham's fightback, though others have noted that Juve has not been doing well lately.

Today's quarterfinal draw:

Fulham vs. Wolfsburg
Hamburg vs. Standard Liege
Valencia vs. Atletico Madrid
Benfica vs. Liverpool

The semis match up winners 1 and 2 and winners 3 and 4, meaning an all-English final is possible here as well as in the CL.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Yogi
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
It is hard to pick a favorite here as Sammy already noted. Standard's elimination of Panathinaikos was surprising even more when you look at where they are in the Belgian league standings, like Wolfsburg in Germany they are their league's defending champion who are stuck in the middle of the table.

Benfica are the only club remaining who are leading, or even close to the top of their respective league so if you are looking for a team which could be potential winners, they could be your choice. But they have a tough quarterfinal against Liverpool who despite their struggles this season, always are a difficult European foe. valenciano, Loco and manzanares will be fascinated by the all Spanish matchup.

Hamburg were semifinalists last year in the UEFA Cup and I think they will be pleased with their half of the draw, I think they have a good chance of becoming finalists. My semifinal predictions would be: Fulham, Hamburg, Valencia and Benfica.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Merengue
Administrator
[ *  *  * ]
Benfica already did some damage to Everton earlier this season, now they get a shot at Liverpool. That to me looks like a very interesting two game series. I think this is the best Benfica team in many years but Liverpool are never a team to underestimate in European matches.

Valencia-Atletico Madrid could either be a good matchup between two teams with exciting forward lines or a stalemate between two clubs who know each other very well.

Real Madrid lost out on the chance of playing the Champions League Final in their home stadium but Hamburg can still do the same in the Europa League and while Standard Liege pulled off a great, and surprising win vs Panathinaikos, I think Hamburg are probably grateful to have been drawn with them in the quarterfinals.

Fulham really showed a lot of spirit in coming back against Juventus and they are going to be tricky foes, we all thought there would be a west London club in a European quarterfinal, we just did not imagine it would be Fulham! But any club with Edin Dzeko and Grafite in attack with Obafemi Martins off the bench is I think going to be a difficult opponent.

On paper these look like some pretty good pairings.
http://twitter.com/#!/SocrFutbolForum
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Manzanares
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
Thursday is the all Spanish quarterfinal between Valencia and Atlético Madrid. Balencia with a lot of absences in defense and defensive midfield so they will have abit of a makeshift defense with young winger Jordi Alba likely playing at left back. Atlético will be missing Reyes, injured, and Tiago, not eligible for the tournament. Could be a fascinating game between two clubs capable of producing good futbol but at times who also can be very inconsistent.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
valenciano
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
Quarterfinal, first leg results:

Benfica 2 - 1 Liverpool
Fulham 2 - 1 Wolfsburg
Hamburger SV 2 - 1 Standard Liege
Valencia 2 - 2 Atletico Madrid

Unfortunately for me valencia were the only home team not to win and in fact Valencia needed to come from behind to tie Atletico at the Mestalla. But it was an entertaining game where both clubs ahd their chances and in the end i have to admit a draw was a pretty just result. Atletico caught Valencia off guard on a quick counter which ended up with Aguero and Forlan going in along on Cesar in valencia's goal, Aguero drew Cesar out and passed to Forlan to score into the empty net. Manuel fernandes then tied it with a lomg distance rocket. Antonio Lopez put Atleti abck in front before Vicente and Jordi Alba combined to set up Villa who beat deGea for the 2-2 final score. Sets up an intriguing 2nd leg, Atletico will be favored with this draw but Valencia drew at home with Werder Bremen before winning the series in Germany and against a team of Atletico's unpredictability, a Valencia win is far from an impossibility.

Benfica beat Liverpool with 2 penalties although Liverpool played most of the game with 10 players after babel pushed Luisao in the face. I thought a caution would have been more appropriate there. I did not see the other two games but like Liverpool, Standard Liege and Wolfsburg are very much in their series after 2-1 losses and perhaps most important that vital away goal.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Yogi
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
I think all 4 visiting teams can feel pretty good about these first leg results but as valenciano wrote, each matchup is still up for grabs. Looks like the Europa League is picking up where the UEFA Cup left off with some good matches at the end of the tournament. Personally I thnk whomever wins between Benfica and Liverpool will be the favorite to take the Cup.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Don Balon
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
Valencia-Atleti was a pretty good match and one where both teams could have wo. The fact neither could shows each club's deficiencies this season but should make for a good second leg. If Valencia still has many defensive absences for the 2nd game, I would favour Atleti.

Benfica moved the ball well and got into scoring positions but with Saviola out injured they could not break Liverpool's defence down, except for the two penalties. They'll need to do better offensively next week at Liverpool. But as valenciano wrote about Valencia winning on the road in the previous round, so did Benfica, beating Marselle.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Manzanares
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
Quarterfinal, 2nd leg results:
Atletico Madrid 0 - 0 Valencia (2-2 overall, Atletico advanc eona way goals)
Liverpool 4 - 1 Benfica (5-3 overall)
Standard Liege 1 - 3 Hamburger SV (2-5 overall)
Wolfsburg 0 - 1 Fulham (1-3 overall)

Atletico outplayed Valencia for most of their match but were extremely fortunate to get through as late in the game Juanito grabbed Valencia's Zigic so hard inside the box that he ripped it, no PK was given and Atletico escaped through via away goals. They almost paid the price for missing so many opportuntiies prior to that which would have required Valencia to score 2 goals to advance. But Aguero picked up an idiotic yellow card in added time and will now miss leg one of the semifinal! :angry:

There Atletico will cross pathes once again in Europe with Fernando Torres and Liverpool as they surprisingly took apart Benfica in what was expected to be a close match, 4-1 for Liverpool with 2 goals from Torres and one each from Kuyt and Lucas Leiva.

Hamburg won convincingly on the road too, defeating Standard Liege 3-1 in belgium while Fulham also recorded an away win, scoring through Bobby Zamora 19 seconds into the game and holding on for a 1-0 road victory over Wolfsburg.

So Fulham will play Hamburg and Atletico faces Liverpool in the semifinals.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Simon
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
I've run out of superlatives to use about what Roy Hodgson's done with Fulham. It's worth saying yet again that they were pretty much relegated when he took over, and he led them to the most incredible escape of recent years, before making them a solid top half of the table team and now taking them on a fairytale run through Europe past teams like Roma, the holders Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and now home and away wins over the German champions. It's amazing really, and look what Hodgson's done for Bobby Zamora's career. Zamora showed early promise, played for England under-21s and earned a move to Spurs, but that didn't work out and he became something of a figure of fun at West Ham and then Fulham for his low goal rate. He even had a feud with the Fulham fans last season as they were getting on his back. One of my favourite football chants was to the tune of 'That's Amore' - "when you're sat in Row Z and the ball hits your head that's Zamora!" :D But his great play and run of goalscoring this season has even had some people linking him with an international call-up, and he took his goal brilliantly last night.

I have to admit Liverpool were excellent last night in what was a well-played game against Benfica. Their third goal was as good a counter-attacking goal as you'll see - lightning pace out of defence, attacking in numbers, a killer ball from Benayoun and a brilliant square pass on the stretch from Kuyt, leaving Torres with a simple tap in. From their own penalty area to the opposition's net in a matter of seconds. I was hoping Forlan could return to haunt Liverpool in the CL last season, but it wasn't to be. Now I'm hoping he can knock them out of the Europa League!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Merengue
Administrator
[ *  *  * ]
I love the football chant about Zamora! :D Evey year when first the UEFA Cup, now Europa League comes down to this stage we talk about this but I think it is worth bringing up once more, competitions like this are for clubs like Fulham, they are not exactly Newport County, which we have been discussing in the History thread about their 1981 Cup Winners Cup quarterfinal run, but they definitely are not one of England's glamor clubs and it is refreshing to see such a club go on such a good run.
http://twitter.com/#!/SocrFutbolForum
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Pepe
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
Even the extra referee along the endline did not help Valencia. Juanito got so much of Zigic's shirt on that grab that he tore a hole in it! Reminds you of Claudio Gentile's defending in the 1982 World Cup leaving Osvaldo Ardiles' and Zico's shirts torn! And like Gentile, Juanito got away with it.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · UEFA · Next Topic »
Add Reply