Category — Champions League
Manchester United in Champions League Quarter final
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Wayne Rooney reached 30 goals for the season as Manchester United marched into the last eight of the Champions League with a clinical 4-0 demolition of AC Milan here on Wednesday.
On a night that saw David Beckham return to where it all started for him, it was the current darling of the Old Trafford faithful who steered United into the quarter-finals by following up his double in the 3-2 first leg victory in Milan with another brace.
A first-half header put Sir Alex Ferguson’s side firmly in control and the the England striker killed the tie in the opening seconds of the second period.
Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher round off a memorable night as United eliminated their opponents for the first time in five attempts since two of European football’s iconic institutions first met, 52 years ago.
The predictions of a fluid encounter were vindicated by an opening ten minutes in which Milan might have established the two-goal lead they required to overturn the deficit from the first leg.
United had the first opportunities, Rooney’s shot on the turn from the edge of the penalty area slipping just the wrong sight of the post, Gary Neville’s 25-yarder dipping into the roof of the net just too late and a Nani shot being turned round the post by Christian Abbiati.
But those were definitely in the half-chance category, unlike the openings enjoyed by Ronaldinho, who directed a free header from Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick wide, and Klaas Jan Huntelaar.
Having been put beyond the United back four by Ronaldinho’s floated pass, the Dutch striker fluffed his attempt to bring the ball under his control.
Milan’s profligacy was swiftly sanctioned with Rooney giving United a 13th-minute lead with his third headed goal of the tie.
Allowed to advance though the inside right channel in leisurely fashion, Neville had time to tee up a cross which Rooney directed beyond Abbiati’s right-hand having been granted an equally generous amount of space by his marker, Daniele Bonera.
That left Milan needing to score three times and, for the remainder of the first-half that appeared a very remote prospect, the visitors’ only moment of menace coming when Edwin van der Sar needed a second attempt to smother Pirlo’s swerving shot.
Darren Fletcher came closest to extending United’s lead before the break, his drive curling just wide in first-half stoppage time.
The break saw Bonera replaced by Clarence Seedorf as Milan played their final cards, but within a minute of the restart, Rooney had killed the tie.
Having escaped the attentions of Ignazio Abate, Nani curled a delightful pass behind the remodelled Milan back four and Rooney was able to tuck the ball past Abbiati.
Huntelaar spurned another opportunity when he headed Abate’s cross over from four yards out but that was a rare moment of menace from a team that was beginning to show its age.
With the hour mark approaching, Park latched on to a Paul Scholes pass and, at full stretch, directed a low finish across Abbiati and inside the far post.
Beckham’s entry for the last 25 minutes was greeted with the predicted ovation and, while there was little he could do about the outcome, he did offer a reminder of why he was such a favourite with the Old Trafford crowd with a sweetly struck volley that van der Sar had to touch over the bar.
United’s fourth goal came three minutes from the end, Fletcher ghosting in at the back post to head home Rafael’s cross from the right.
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March 11, 2010 1 Comment
Arsenal trash Porto 5 – 0 in Champions League
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Arsenal swept into the Champions League quarter-finals as Nicklas Bendtner silenced his critics with a hat-trick in a majestic 5-0 win against Porto on Tuesday.
Arsene Wenger’s side had trailed 2-1 from the first leg of this second round tie, but Bendtner overturned that deficit within 25 minutes of the return at the Emirates Stadium to set up a 6-2 aggregate victory.
French midfielder Samir Nasri put Arsenal in total control with a sublime solo effort in the second half and Emmanuel Eboue added a fourth before Bendtner completed his treble from the penalty spot.
It was a sweet moment of vindication for Bendtner after the Denmark striker came in for some stinging criticism for his poor finishing in Saturday’s victory over Burnley.
While Bendtner’s lack of goals had led some fans to call for him to be dropped, Wenger kept faith in the 22-year-old and got his reward as the Dane helped Arsenal keep alive their bid for a Premier League and Champions League double.
Although Porto arrived with a slender advantage, the Portuguese champions had lost their last six matches in London and, even without injured captain Cesc Fabregas, it was Arsenal who dominated from the start.
When Bacary Sagna looped a cross into the Porto penalty area, Andrey Arshavin was left unmarked at the far post and the tiny Russian’s header drew a good save from Helton.
It was a warning that Porto failed to heed as another header from Arshavin started the move that led to Arsenal’s 10th minute opener.
Arshavin was by far the smallest player on the pitch but he was still able to win a header that found Nasri and he slipped a sublime return pass back towards the Russian.
As Arshavin bore down on goal, Nuno Coelho made a despairing tackle which only succeeded in knocking the ball to Bendtner, who slid across to push his shot into the empty net.
A pair of farcical mistakes from Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had proved decisive in the first leg at the Dragao Stadium, but it was Porto who shot themselves in the foot in the 25th minute.
Fucile had the chance to clear deep in his own half but tried to play his way out of trouble and instead gifted possession to Arshavin with a careless pass.
Arshavin escaped his markers with a clever flick and whipped over a low cross that Bendtner gleefully prodded past Helton for his seventh goal of the season.
Bendtner has never lacked confidence so his belief must have been sky-high by now and he almost completed his hat-trick with a curling strike which Helton pushed away for a corner.
By the time Abou Diaby’s header was saved by Helton, Arsenal were playing with such verve and imagination that the tie looked all but over already.
Nasri’s elegant play in midfield was more than compensating for the absence of Fabregas and the Frenchman forced a sprawling stop from Helton as Arsenal went for the kill.
Arsenal hadn’t overturned a first leg deficit when they played the return at home for over 30 years and they had a scare early in the second half when Nasri had to clear off the line from Cristian Rodriguez’s header.
But that only served to spark the Gunners back into life and Nasri extinguished Porto’s hopes with a breath-taking goal in the 63rd minute.
Taking possession wide on the right edge of the Porto penalty area, he jinked past three Porto defenders with a mesmerising dribble and unleashed a fierce strike that gave Helton no chance.
Arsenal weren’t finished there and, in the 66th minute, Arshavin sent substitute Eboue galloping clear and the defender rounded Helton before slotting home.
There was still time for one more goal as Fucile gave away a penalty with a foul on Eboue in stoppage time and Bendtner stroked in his hat-trick from the spot.
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March 10, 2010 No Comments
Chelsea through to quarter-finals of UEFA Champions League
Goals from African pair Didier Drogba and Michael Essien earned Chelsea a 2-2 draw at Juventus in the UEFA Champions League to send last year’s finalists through to the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.
In a pulsating match Juve finished with 10 men following the second-half dismissal of Giorgio Chiellini but goals from Vincenzo Iaquinta and evergreen Alessandro Del Piero had briefly given them cause to hope. Instead the first of three anglo-Italian ties in the second round went the way of the powerful English Premier League.
But Chelsea had to come back from a goal down on the night, something that had coach Guus Hiddink purring about their reaction. “Playing here at Juventus’s home is not the easiest task. We had a job to do, we started rather sloppily, we lost too many duels. They could give some easy passes into their front players and the defence was not marking well,” he said.
“But the reaction of the team was ok, we knew that at 1-0 or even 2-0 we must not panic because we were able to score any moment. We reacted at 1-0, had good score on edge of half-time and in the second half we controlled the game a little more and didn’t play stupid long balls.”
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg and needing to score, Juve coach Claudio Ranieri picked an attacking line-up with Del Piero playing behind forwards David Trezeguet and Iaquinta. It initially paid dividends and at the end of the game Ranieri rued what might have been.
“We lost this tie at Stamford Bridge because we didn’t score and in this competition it’s important to get an away goal, but we didn’t manage it,” he said. “I think if we had gone through it wouldn’t have been a scandal. They’re a great team of course and if you think of what Chelsea did last year, reaching the final and the great economic investment which has made this team really strong.”
Even so, they did not create much until the 19th minute when the hosts took the lead out of nothing. Iaquinta played a one-two with Trezeguet, who flicked the ball brilliantly over his head, allowing his strike partner to outpace John Terry and finish past Petr Cech with aplomb.
Juve suddenly had a spring in their step and Del Piero tried his luck from distance, forcing Cech to tip the ball over. The hosts were looking comfortable and having the better of things without looking like adding to their lead. But the game turned on its head in a crazy spell at the end of the first period.
On 45 minutes Drogba lined up to take a free-kick which he bent around the wall and just inside the post. Gianluigi Buffon got across his line to clutch the ball at the post. Even though it looked to have crossed the line, no goal was given. Chelsea’s frustration then fired them up enough to equalise in first half stoppage time anyway. Frank Lampard set his sights from distance and his shot took a deflection and looped up with Buffon arching back to tip it onto the bar. Essien charged in to bundle the ball home and leave no doubt this time that the Blues were on level terms.
Grandstand finish
It was his first goal in 11 months in his first start since September. That changed the tone of the game and it took Juventus a full quarter-hour of the second period to start looking dangerous. When they did Del Piero was the architect of a move on 65 minutes that almost resulted in a goal as he crossed for Trezeguet to head on frame, only for Cech to produce a flying save.
Ranieri introduced young playmaker Sebastian Giovinco and he too almost created something but Del Piero couldn’t quite get a flick on his team-mate’s dangerous free-kick. But 20 minutes from time any chance of a Juve revival seemingly died as Chiellini picked up a second booking for clattering into Drogba.
However, moments later Del Piero fired a free-kick into the Chelsea wall that struck Michael Ballack’s raised arms and the referee pointed to the spot, with Del Piero himself coolly slotting the ball home. It was game on but seven minutes from time Chelsea sealed their passage into the last eight as substitute Juliano Belletti crossed for Drogba to poke home from close range for his fourth goal in five games. – FIFA News
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March 11, 2009 No Comments
Italian sides suffer injury blows ahead of Euro ties
Italy’s three Champions League representatives have all been hit by costly injury blows ahead of next week’s crucial Champions League second leg matches.
All three sides face English teams in the second round of Europe’s premier competition in midweek and will have to do so without key players.
Inter have lost centre-backs Nicolas Burdisso and Marco Materazzi [...]
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March 9, 2009 No Comments
Freefalling Valencia slip further away from Champions League salvation
With spiralling debts Valencia are desperate to get into the lucrative Champions League but a 2-1 defeat to relegation strugglers Numancia on Sunday leaves the troubled club six points off the top four.
It was a ninth defeat of the season for Valencia, who continue to be poor travellers failing to win away from home since [...]
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March 9, 2009 No Comments