Uefa Champions League

1/8 Final

First Knockout Round

19/02/2008

Schalke - Porto
Roma - Real Madrid
Olympiacos - Chelsea
Liverpool - Internazionale

20/02/2008

Celtic - Barcelona
Lyon - Man. United
Fenerbahçe - Sevilla
Arsenal - Milan

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And in this season i will add hot sport news every day

I'll also add here interesting videos and highlights

Manu Is The First

Meanwhile at Old Trafford, Manchester United went to the top of the Premier League table with a 4-1 win over struggling Middlesbrough thanks to a Carlos Tevez double and one goal each to Portuguese winger Nani and striker Wayne Rooney.
Tevez and Rooney's strike partnership for the defending champions is beginning to gather momentum, but it was Nani who opened the scoring in just the third minute with a contender for goal of the season when he unleashed an unstoppable shot from the left.
Boro equalised three minutes later through French striker Jeremie Aliadiere but Gareth Southgate's side were unable to cope with wave after wave of attack from Sir Alex Ferguson's men.
Rooney's eighth goal in seven matches for club and country restored the lead in the 33rd minute before Tevez scored his first 10 minutes after the break, and secured the win with his second five minutes from time.
The Argentinian's late goal gave United a new record, as they have now scored four goals in four consecutive games for the first time in the club's history.
Unbeaten Arsenal will reclaim top spot on Sunday if they can take at least a point at Liverpool, whose title aspirations could effectively be crushed by defeat at Anfield in the biggest match of the season so far.

Chelsea - Man.City 6:0

 

 

Chelsea delivered their most emphatic performance of the season to crush Manchester City 6-0 at Stamford Bridge, sounding out a warning that they should not be forgotten in this season's race for the title.


Avram Grant's side dominated, with a brace from Didier Drogba together with goals to Michael Essien, Joe Cole, Salomon Kalou and Andriy Shevchenko punctuating a stellar performance from midfielder Frank Lampard.


It was a tale of two blues as City, who had played their way into the role of surprise Champions League qualification contenders, simply had no answer to Chelsea's exhilarating blend of strength and style.
In the 17th minute, Lampard slid an inch-perfect through-ball to Essien, who slotted the ball to the right of despairing Man City keeper Joe Hart to open the scoring.
Lampard's second decisive contribution, after 31 minutes, was even better as he hit a superb pass with the outside of his right boot to the onrushing Drogba, with the Ivorian international finishing cleanly past Hart.
City were well off their game and afforded Chelsea far too much time and space, with the hosts taking just 11 minutes to extend their lead after the break when Drogba netted his second.
The African striker then turned provider when his chest-pass was seized by Cole, who galloped clear and drove into the bottom corner to make it 4-0, before Kalou finished clinically after being picked out by Essien and Shevchenko made it six just before fulltime.

Manolo Jimenez New Coach Of Sevilia

Sevilla President Jose Maria del Nido acted swiftly to find a successor after Ramos offered his resignation on Friday night in order to take the vacant managerial job at Tottenham Hotspur.

Jimenez is an all-time legend among the Sevilla fans and is the record appearance-holder at the club with 354 games. He spent virtually his entire career as a player at the Rojiblancos, playing for 14 years between 1983 and 1997.

He also won 15 caps for the Spain national team during this time and was a member of the Italia 90’ World Cup squad. The 43-year-old had been coaching Sevilla B prior to being named as first-team boss, and his promotion was confirmed when he was presented to the senior squad this morning.

Outgoing tactician Ramos will certainly be a hard act to follow, having led the club to their most successful spell in 60 years.

In just over two years at the club Ramos won two UEFA Cups, the Copa del Rey, the European Super Cup and the Spanish Supercup.

Indeed until Ramos took charge, Sevilla had won no silverware since lifting the Spanish Cup in 1948. He also led the Andalusian’s to the brink of only the second La Liga title in their history last season, when they finished third, after a titanic battle with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

He May Go To Juventus

The England international has been heavily linked with the Serie B champions for some time, and Juventus director of sport, Alessio Secco, met with Chelsea officials earlier in the week.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Secco will again be in London today to hold advanced talks with Chelsea, in a bid to thrash out terms over a transfer.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich has set his stall out to create a more exciting and universally appealing brand of football at Stamford Bridge, and one of the major casualties of this change will be Lampard, who is known more for his substance than for his style.

The 29-year-old is said to be keen to experience a new challenge abroad and would relish the chance to hook up with old boss Claudio Ranieri, the man who was responsible for launching his career when he signed him from West Ham in 2001.

Lampard is available for €10m and is likely to accept a reduction in salary from €6m to 5m a year in order to facilitate the move.

The transfer is unlikely to take place until the summer, but sources in Italy believe that providing Juventus qualify for next year’s Champions League then a move is a virtual guarantee.

Draw Against Milan Would Be Good

Roma travel to San Siro five points above the Rossoneri, however their chances of success on Sunday do not look promising at the moment.

The Giallorossi have a host of injury problems, with talismanic captain Francesco Totti almost certainly ruled out of the game. They are also missing Brazilian winger Rodrigo Taddei, as well as Azzurri internationals Alberto Aquilani and Mauro Esposito.

Furthermore, Roma are coming off a run of poor form in Serie A. They have won just one of their past six games in the league and have also conceded a whopping 12 goals in their last five matches.

Milan also go into the match in poor domestic form, with just two wins from eight league games, however confidence in the camp is high after the 4-1 thumping of Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

"Milan are a great team, and a draw, 1-1 for example, would not be a bad result," confessed Spalletti.

"However matches are played on the football pitch and nothing is ever guaranteed. Unfortunately it's hard to see Totti making it in time for the match."

Changes Of Coaches

   


Juande Ramos was always the favourite to take over as Tottenham Hotspur manager, but few bothered to speculate on how that, in turn, was about to affect life in la Liga.

Even when news broke that Valencia were speaking with Jose Mourinho, it was supposed that the discussions were about taking over next summer. That, it seems, is quite some distance from the truth.

Quique Sanchez Flores has been under tremendous pressure at the Mestalla, and has already been jeered by the fans more than a couple of times.

A 2-0 defeat to Rosenborg in the Champions League has, many believe, caused the patience to run out with the Che bosses. Flores himself is fed up with the treatment meted out to him, and that is how this entire jigsaw is set to be completed.

His agent has supposedly been approached by Sevilla over the last 24 hours, while Valencia were speaking with Mourinho.

The former Getafe coach himself let slip a few hints on Friday evening, when speaking about Ramos's departure from the Sanchez Pizjuan.

"They [Sevilla] have a lot of resources and they will come back again," he declared. "It [Juande's departure] may not affect them a great deal as they have a very competitive team."

He went on to insist he was thinking of Valencia, but it is believed he is open to the Sevilla job, one with a lot less pressure associated with it, and one where coaches have been backed heavily over the past five years.

That, it seems, is the key, for if he were to agree to leave, Los Che have supposedly already reached an understanding with Jose Mourinho, who is said to be very excited by Valencia's squad strength, and the fact that despite a slow start, they are sitting second in La Liga, just one point behind Real Madrid, whom they face on Wednesday.

It still seems a long shot, but given what has happened over the last 24 hours, not inconcievable. Should Flores agree to leave Valencia, we will see Juande Ramos at Tottenham, Quique at Sevilla and Jose at the Mestalla. Martin Jol, meanwhile, will take over at Ajax.

Ballack Will Go For Loan

The German star is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge as Blues owner Roman Abramovich sets his sights on creating a new and exciting brand of football in West London.

Chelsea are well stocked in the centre of midfield with the likes of Claude Makelele, John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien and Frank Lampard all jostling for places.

Ballack has yet to feature this season due to injury and was left out of Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the group stages.

The 31-year-old seems almost certain to leave in January and Juventus Coach Claudio Ranieri has given the go-ahead to present a six-month loan offer until the end of the season.

Bianconeri director of sport Alessio Secco met with Chelsea chiefs before the club’s Champions League game with Schalke on Wednesday night.

Two Chelsea players who were heavily discussed during the talks were Ballack and Frank Lampard. While the plan is to bring Ballack to Turin in January, Lampard would arrive in time for the beginning of next season.

Milan's Serious Approach For Ronaldinho

Marca have fancifully claimed that AC Milan are plotting a January approach for Ronaldinho.

Despite declarations to the contrary coming as recently as this month from both rossoneri president Silvio Berlusconi and his Barcelona counterpart Joan Laporta, the Spanish sports daily insists that a possible move is well and truly in motion.

A possible bid of under 60 million euros is said to be Milan's opening gambit, although Barcelona - even given Ronaldinho's questionable form of late - are thought to be reluctant to part with a player who has in the past shown such high performance levels.

Silvio Berlusconi's infatuation with "'Dinho" is well-known, his relationship with the Catalan club said to largely stem from his admiration for the Brazilian attacker.

Recently, the outspoken Italian said that he's given up on the chase for Ronaldinho at present, but pledged to be "at the front of the line" should Barcelona make the player available in future.

Joan Laporta, meanwhile, once quipped that he'd be out of a job if he allowed the 27 year old to leave the Nou Camp.

In any case, Marca have not substantiated their claim to the satisfaction of most Barcelona fans.

Liverani Is Angry

The 1-1 draw against Villarreal, with the Spanish side equalizing in the final seconds of the match, did not go down too well with Fiorentina and especially Fabio Liverani, who still applauded the team's overall performance.

"I did my best to help the team," commented at the end of the game the former Lazio player. "I fought on every ball. There was the desire to do well also against a team who has the ball possession as its best weapon.

"We also scored at least two regular goals," he said referring to the goal disallowed to Adrian Mutu. "We were able to control the entire game, pity about the result.

"Playing every three days is not easy for anyone, but Fiorentina has the right pace both in the league and in the Cup," concluded Liverani.

Benzema May Play For Madrid

Karim Benzema could be Real Madrid's next striking target, at least according to Spanish sports daily Marca.

The paper had previously reported that Madrid were on the lookut for a young striker, their current front line both about to turn the wrong side of 30, with David Villa being top of their list.

However, the Valencia hitman's release clause currently weighs in at 150 million euros, complicating matters severely.

Benzema, then, may come cheaper. At just 19, he's already an established French international and is currently top scorer in Ligue 1, too.

The Lyon forward has hit 11 goals in 11 games domestically, not to mention a European effort midweek during Les Gones' victory over Stuttgart.

Marca goes on to note that much of Madrid's transfer business was conducted towards the end of the window in summer; while arch-rivals Barcelona essentially had their squad finalised by July, Madrid were still making waves right until the end of August.

Apparently, that's something that they wish to avoid this time around, thus the early moves for a striker. Of course, that could just be a Marca-borne observation that justifies transfer rumour-mongering in October.

But with the main young forward at the club - Soldado - clearly not in Bernd Schuster's immediate plans, perhaps there's truth in the current Bernabeu striker search...

Aguirre: It Wasn't Good ......

Atletico stepped onto the Moscow pitch with a very attacking mindset, keen to win the game despite being away from home.

The deservedly scored three goals, and were the better team by some distance, but Aguirre could only stand and watch as Los Colchoneros conceded some soft goals to undo all the good work.

"A couple of defensive uncertainties have cost us a valuable win," he said after the game.

"To score so many in the first game is not too bad, but to concede three is."

"We controlled the game well, but in three mad minutes, through one corner and another siolated incident, we lost it all," he continued.

"No game is over until it is over, but after scoring three goals, we should have won.

"There are still three games left, two of them at home, and we must simply keep at it."

Cahill Is Back

It was a perfect start for Everton in their opening Group A clash, and the fact that Tim Cahill was playing his first competitive game for the club since March was a welcome boost for the Toffees.

Cahill headed Everton in front when he met a ledt wing Leon Osman cross.

The hosts went two up when Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar combined well down the left to set up Osman, who fired home a superb second.

Brazilian Silva Cleyton halved the arrears when he took advantage of Joleon Lescott's error to put Larissa back in it, but Victor Anichebe settled matters with a good run and crisp finish.

That late Anichebe goal calmed Everton fans as Larisa had staged a late rally. But the ultimately comfortable win was set in motion by the returning Cahill's opener - a goal greeted ecstaticall by the home fans.

Cahill was in outstanding form throughout his 65-minutes on the pitch. His contribution underlined how much David Moyes's side have missed his bite, energy and goalscoring prowess in midfield.

He had been missing since breaking a dreaded metatarsal against Sheffield United last season.

It was his 100th appearance for Everton, and he msarked the occasion by diving to head Osman's cross past goalkeeper Stefanos Kotsolis on 14 minutes.

Cahill was working well with Spaniard Mikel Arteta in midfield, and the Australian nearly grabbed a second before half-time with a powerful drive from 30 yards Kotsolis saved well.

James McFadden shot at the keeper when clean through, but Osman made no mistake a few minutes later when Baines launched a raid down the left and crossed for Pienaar who found Osman with a clever back flick. Osman hit the ball unerringly into the net.

Cleyton, who had scored twice against Blacburn in the previous round, produced another well-taken goal after 65 minutes as Lescott hesitated on the edge of the area, taking the ball past Jospeh Yobo nd beating Tim Howard.

The goal signalled a spell of concerted pressure from Larissa, but Anichebe restored the two-goal lead by holding off two challenges and netting from 12 yards.

Teen Idol Kroos Turns Game For Bayern

Toni Kroos, the 17-year-old tipped by Ottmar Hitzfeld as FC Bayern München's playmaker of the future, came off the bench to score a dramatic UEFA Cup Group F winner at FK Crvena Zvezda.

Dramatic end
Twice the 1990/91 European champions led in Belgrade, through Ognjen Koroman and Nenad Milijaš. But each time Miroslav Klose levelled, and four minutes into added time substitute Kroos, who only a few minutes before had created the second equaliser, scored direct from a free-kick after Crvena Zvezda's Miloš Bajalica had been sent off.

Koroman opener
The home crowd were in fine voice and Bayern were put under pressure early on. Sixteen minutes in the Serbian side were ahead as Koroman went past Philipp Lahm, making a comeback from a knee injury, and struck an angled shot past Michael Rensing.

Immediate reply
Bayern's reply was almost immediate with Klose reacting quickest to the rebound after Lucio's shot was parried by goalkeeper Ivan Randjelović. Klose nearly scored again before the break but his volley was hit straight at Randjelović and he headed Lukas Podolski's cross over the bar.

Home side ahead
Koroman came close to a second just before the hour after robbing Lahm and bounding up the pitch but shooting wide. Bayern were playing a cautious game, and were punished in the 74th minute as Milijaš advanced and was given space to send a dipping shot in from 20 metres.

Kroos turns game
Bayern needed to respond and with nine minutes to go Kroos was introduced for only his third first-team appearance. Within five minutes his whipped free-kick was headed in by Klose and not long after Bajalica was given a second booking, another Kroos set-piece flew straight in to secure the points.

Results Of UEFA Cup

25/10/2007

Group A

Zenit 1 :1 Alkmaar
Everton 3 :1 Larisa



Group B

Panathinaikos 3 : 0 Aberdeen
Lokomotiv 3 : 3 Atletico


Group C

Elfsborg 1 :1 AEK Athens
Villarreal 1 : 1 Fiorentina


Group D

Brann 0 : 1 Hamburger
Basel 1 : 0 Rennes


Group E

Sparta Prague 1 : 2 Zurich
Leverkusen 1 : 0 Toulouse


Group F

Bolton 1 : 1 Braga
Red Star Belgrade 2 : 3 Bayern


Group H

Anderlecht 2 : 0 Hapoel Tel Aviv
Tottenham 1 : 2 Getafe

Juve Want Carvalho

Juventus sporting director Alessio Secco was at Stamford Bridge last night to watch the Portuguese star in action and the Gazzetta dello Sport says that he is now readying a bid for the player.

Carvalho was brought to Chelsea from Porto in 2004 along with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho. The 29-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premiership but may be open to a move away from West London if the opportunity were to arise.

If you are to believe the Italian press, this has been a hectic last few days in England for Secco, as Juve have also been connected with moves for Carvalho’s team-mate Frank Lampard, Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko, as well as Arsenal trio William Gallas, Kolo Toure and Gilberto Silva.

Out of all these players it appears that the Frank Lampard link has the most credibility. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has made it abundantly clear that he wants the Blues to play more exciting football, and Lampard is likely to be replaced in order for this to happen.

Van Persie: We Are The Best Team Now

Van Persie, currently sidelined with a knee injury for around a month, could only watch Arsenal’s 7-0 drubbing of Slavia Prague on Tuesday from the sidelines.

However he saw enough to boldly state that, on their day, The Gunners could beat anyone.

Having been at the club since 2004, van Persie has played alongside the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, however he felt comfortable labelling the current squad as the best he has every played in.

"I know that we can beat everyone. The present team is by far the best I've ever played in. Everything is about pure football," he told Sport magazine.

"Most analysis bases quality on status but we have a good young team without status or years of experience. We're technically tremendously good."

Van Persie also spoke of the debt he owes Wenger, who brought the Dutch international to Arsenal from Feyenoord for £2.75million in three years ago.

"On the pitch things are going great and we're playing the way I like. So I'm enjoying every day but I'm also realistic," he added.

"One day the working relationship will come to an end, whether that is because I go or because Arsene Wenger leaves.

"But, for now, that isn't the case and as long as things are as good as they are now then I'm staying.

"I owe Wenger a big debt of thanks because he believed in me."

Robinho: I Am Extremely Proud

Robinho's showstopping performance on a difficult night for Real Madrid saw the Brazilian score two goals himself, and put in vital assists elsewhere in the game.

Now, the Brazilian midfielder has opted to dedicate his strikes to coach Bernd Schuster for picking him to face Olympiakos in the first place.

"I'm very happy with the way that I played, but the key thing is that the team won," he told Marca.

"I am extremely proud.

"I dedicate my two goals and my contribution to Schuster, who is confident in my work."

Robinho and teammate Julio Baptista were left out of the weekend squad to face Espanyol in La Liga after returning home late from international duty, allegedly due to a party back in their native Brazil.

However, Robinho earned a dramatic recall for midweek action in the Champions League, and duly proved Schuster correct in making that decision.

Real Madrid went 1-0 up early on before Olympiakos equalised, went down to ten men, and then took an unlikely lead. It took the contribution of Robinho to stage a comeback against the Greeks at the Bernabeu.

Immediately after the match, coach Schuster himself pointed out that Robinho's return had imbued the team with no end of confidence.

Real Madrid are top of Group C with seven points from a possible nine.

Walcott: Henry Is Different

The 18-year-old, England’s youngest senior international, scored twice and set up another in Arsenal's impressive 7-0 victory over Slavia Prague at the Emirates.

However, the former Southampton youngster does not want to be compared to the Gunners' iconic all-time leading goalscorer Thierry Henry, now at Barcelona. Instead Walcott is determined to make his own mark on football.

He said: “It was brilliant to train with Thierry for a year-and-a-half and take bits out of his game but I want to be my own player.

“I suppose people are always going to compare us because of the way I run and the fact that I can play out wide or through the middle.

“Straight after Tuesday’s game I heard that my second goal was a Thierry-style finish, which was nice to hear. But it was my goal.

“Everyone was disappointed when Thierry left for Barcelona in the summer but in a way people have forgotten about that now because Arsenal are doing so well this season. I’ve not spoken to him since he left but he’s doing brilliantly for Barcelona and we all wish him the best.”

Walcott revealed that the best piece of advice he was ever given came when he was just a boy at Southampton.

He said: “Five or six years ago, I was told to pass the ball into the net with power. That advice has stayed with me ever since and it’s what I did on Tuesday.

“Those two goals are a weight off my shoulders because I’ve been working really hard in training and it was great to score for the first time at the Emirates.

“The boss signed me as a striker and I think that is where I will end up playing.

“I’ve been at Arsenal for almost two years now and I’ve had to be patient. I went to the World Cup at 17 when I hadn’t even played in the Premiership but that wasn’t my decision. I never expected that.

“It was a good experience to train with world-class players, watch the way they handled themselves and how they prepared for the big games.

“But then I came back to Arsenal and wasn’t that involved last season. Of course I wanted to play — everyone does.

“But I was only 17 and I wasn’t going to go knocking on the manager’s door demanding to know when I would get my chance.

“The boss has been brilliant for me. He’s handled everything so well and now I’m a bit stronger and wiser and ready to push on. Hopefully I’ll get a few more appearances up front.”

Manager Arsene Wenger said of Walcott after Tuesday's performance: “When you go from a young promising player into a world of men, you discover suddenly the world is not like everybody had described it to you.

“You have to cope with all kinds of difficulties and have to digest it.”

Walcott's immediate aim is to keep his place when the Premier League leaders go to Anfield to tackle Liverpool on Sunday.

He said: “This is the match which will show us how strong Arsenal are going to be. I think we’ll be OK.

“Tuesday’s result in Europe has given us even more confidence. It’s no wonder so many people love to watch Arsenal. The performance against Slavia Prague is the way we want to continue playing. And I still think we can do much better.”