Showing posts with label Champions League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Champions League. Show all posts
Real Madrid 2- 0 AC Milan Highlights Video | 19 October 2010
Match Highlights and Goals Video
Real Madrid 2-0 AC Milan
13′ [1 - 0] C. Ronaldo
14′ [2 - 0] M. Özil
Real Madrid 2-0 AC Milan
13′ [1 - 0] C. Ronaldo
14′ [2 - 0] M. Özil
Real Madrdi vs AC MILAN Live Stream Online
Jose Mourinho side will be taking on AC Milan for the upcoming Champions League match on in the Midweek. Milan are coming into this match on the back of a good result in the league on the weekend. Now they will be taking on Real Madrid for the second time in few months time, they already came up against each other in the preseason match at Bernabue. You can watch this match live here, Links will be available closer to start of the match here. Real Madrid are also played a good game in midweek.
REAL MADRID vs AC MILAN LIVE & HIGHLIGHTS:
Date: 19 October 2010, TIME: 19:45 BST
Vanue Santiago Bernabue, Madird
Real Madrdi vs AC MILAN Live Stream Online
Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain had a very good game in the weekend, scoring goals and creating chances at the same time, while AC Milan are also coming into this match on the back of good result, Pato scored in the winning match, and it will be interesting to see how both teams come up against each other. Mourinho have seems to have made up a good solid unit which is winning match good or the ugly way. It is real oppertunity that they might be able to do well this year but before reaching to the knockout they have a small matter of playing against Milan on the weekend.
more info click HERE
Man Utd 2 Wolfsburg 1
MICHAEL CARRICK has not so much been out of the spotlight this season but off the stage.
The man who looked like he had become a permanent fixture after the last two seasons had been mysteriously absent for much of this.
He was not even in the squad for two of the first three league games and has started only two in all.
Rumours of a problem behind the scenes were denied very early on but the player himself must have been wondering what was going on.
There is no way Anderson is better than him, not even close.
Manager Alex Ferguson's argument was the need to use the ageing Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs while they were fresh at the start of the season.
The way they have performed, it has looked a shrewd-enough decision.
Whatever the reasons, Carrick was not playing as much he felt he should and that must have grated.
But last night with a swing of his right foot all his woes were forgotten as he delivered a 77th-minute winner to keep United on course for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The significance to Carrick must have been greater.
Having been chosen in this starting line-up, as in Besiktas, we had started to see the passes, touches and vision that will be needed more than ever this season with Cristiano Ronaldo gone. Then came his goal.
Wayne Rooney laid the ball in to Dimitar Berbatov, whose flick for Ryan Giggs was too heavy.
The Welshman stretched to keep control of it and then gave the chance to Carrick, whose first-time curling effort was unstoppable.
The Geordie lad punched the air with delight, his boat had not so much come in but finally launched.
His goal also marked an eighth straight win for United and they are still to get out of third gear.
As in Besiktas, it had not been classic Reds but it had been effective.
As ever when their game is not flowing, the heart still pumps the will to win through their veins.
They needed it last night too, having gone behind to the German champions in the 55th minute despite having the majority of the play.
Wolfsburg's front line was always one to fear, even though the team gives goals away.
Indeed Edin Dzeko and Grafite hit 71 between them last season, including a record 54 in the Bundesliga as Wolfsburg took the title for the first time.
It was Dzeko who broke the deadlock last night.
Referee Viktor Kassai of Hungary played an excellent advantage and when Maketo Hasebe flicked a cross to the far post, Dzeko was there to outjump Patrice Evra and power home a header.
United's reply would come within four minutes as Ryan Giggs celebrated his 150th United goal. It will not end up on any video of great Red strikes but it was significant all the same as the momentum quickly swung back in United's favour.
Anderson was fouled just outside the area and the crowd called for veteran ace Giggs, 35, to step forward.
He duly did and with the help of a massive deflection through the Wolfsburg wall, the ball flew past a wrongfooted goalkeeper and in.
United sensed the win and from the restart immediately went for another goal. Antonio Valencia crossed from the right only for Vidic to mis-kick his shot. Then from a corner Giggs found Rooney, who curled his effort just over.
The waves of Red attacks kept crashing down on the Wolfsburg goal and finally they would be breached again.
It is a win that should not be underestimated, for while the name Wolfsburg may not be as recognisable as Bayern Munich, they are still the best team in Germany based on last season.
While Evra was outjumped for their goal and there was always danger in the air, the Reds defence restricted them to few clear chances.
United meanwhile had opportunities spurned by Valencia and, more surprisingly, Rooney.
His first game in Europe for United was one he will never forget, but few will remember this one.
It was five years ago this week that Rooney scored a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Fenerbahce on his full debut. Last night there was a scuffed shot here and an effort curled over the bar there.
As ever though, he was whirling dervish of energy - something Michael Owen did not have the chance to be in only his third start for the club.
Having battled back from injury and got fit to be ready for United, he had the bit between his teeth, particularly after scoring the late winner in the Manchester derby.
He sat out training on Tuesday with a tight groin but felt fit to start.
Within minutes he was struggling and by the 19th he was off, replaced by Berbatov. The frustration was written all over his face.
Fabio Capello watched from the stands and a chance for Owen to shine in front of the England manager had gone.
It was a chance Carrick was able to take.
Apoel Nicosia 0 Chelsea 1
CHELSEA had to sing for their supper before they made APOEL crumble in Cyprus last night.
A goal from Nicolas Anelka was enough to claim the spoils in Nicosia - but this was a performance starved of any substance.
There was no goal glut, no delicious skill and certainly no feast of football.
In fact, most of what was tasty about this tie came from the Cypriots. They hassled and harried, pressured and pushed and generally made a nuisance of themselves.
And when Chelsea did think they had got on top, APOEL just kept coming back - like a kebab the morning after the night before.
For Carlo Ancelotti, it must have felt like Groundhog Day.
Last weekend his team were outfought at unfancied Wigan.
Last night they came to one of the furthest outposts of the Champions League and failed to match the effort of the minnows from Cyprus.
Skipper John Terry made the point after their first defeat of the season that every player had to stand up and be counted.
But for much of this contest, Chelsea looked more like they were still lying by the pool of their hotel.The Blues fans - some 1,400 of them - had all opted to stay by the sea on this holiday island.They were then bussed into Nicosia a couple of hours before kick-off but they surely did not expect to see their team treading water when they got there.
Chelsea's form in away matches in the group stage of this competition has been poor - two draws and a defeat last season. Up until last night they had not won a match in mainland Europe since beating Rosenborg in December 2007.
Progress was again patchy last night, with the visitors' best chances coming from scrappy set-pieces.
Frank Lampard supplied decent crosses but Branislav Ivanovic failed to get his head on the end of them.
The first clear sight of goal came after 15 minutes when Michael Essien and Anelka linked up and a speedy centre found Salomon Kalou in space.
He made a decent fist of a first-time shot but it trundled harmlessly past a post.
APOEL had a bad habit of giving the ball away cheaply and, when Juliano Belletti went galloping down the right, they were made to pay dearly. A simple cutback found Anelka, who pinged a gorgeous right-footer high into the far corner.
The France striker also hit the only goal in Chelsea's win over Porto on Matchday One and he is proving a brilliant stand-in for the suspended Didier Drogba.
Remarkably, it was the first time Chelsea have scored before the half-hour mark in any competition this season.
Yet, within a minute, APOEL were on the attack and the ball fell to Constantinos Charalambides on the edge of the box. He had time to do much better than scuff his volley well wide. APOEL refused to lie down and let their more prestigious opponents walk all over them.
They kept Chelsea waiting to start the second half - and, when they did, they came out fighting.
First, Terry gave the ball away 40 yards out and had to backpedal to snuff out the danger.
Just as silly, Ricardo Carvalho gifted it to Nektarios Alexandrou - and Ashley Cole had to sweep in and knock the ball out for a corner. The hosts could smell fear and swarmed forward in waves - a tactic they would not have dared risk in the first period.
Kamil Kosowski came on to add some height to the industry on the flanks and, for 10 minutes or so, Chelsea were on the back foot.
And they should have been pegged back after 64 minutes.
Savvas Poursaitides found himself completely alone just 12 yards out. But he hesitated and shot weakly at Petr Cech, who cleared with his feet.
Inevitably, with APOEL pushing forward, there were gaps left at the back and Lampard crossed with 12 minutes left.
Florent Malouda met the ball just 10 yards out but his finish was poor and straight at the feet of keeper Dionisis Chiotis.
Joe Cole came on for a late cameo which could yet be a preview to playing at the weekend.
Along with Drogba, midfielder Cole is Chelsea's top-scorer against Liverpool and, on the evidence of the last few days, Ancelotti will need all the firepower he can get if the Blues are to beat the Reds on Sunday.
Arsenal 2 Olympiakos 0
AN ancient Greek stood defiantly between Arsenal and a Champions League goal-fest last night.
Grey-haired Olympiakos keeper Antonis Nikopolidis, 38, crumbled only in the final 12 minutes as Robin van Persie slotted home and then Andrey Arshavin backheeled a second.
But, for so long, Nikopolidis was as rock-solid as the Acropolis - making a string of brilliant saves to deny the Gunners, who feared they would never break him down.
Nikopolidis was a national hero for Greece in their amazing Euro 2004 triumph, which came against all the odds.
He looks about 68 rather than 38 but proved he still has the agility to keep the best at bay.
And while Arsenal have six points from their first two games in this competition, both have been a struggle.
In their opener away to Standard Liege, they were two down in the first five minutes before coming back to win 3-2.
This was another perplexing night.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger turns 60 next month and it is performances like this which have turned him as grey as Nikopolidis.
He chose to sell Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City, getting rid of a trouble-maker and making a big wedge in return.
But he has lost a clinical finisher in the process, without replacing him even though there is £50million available to spend if he wants it.
Arsenal had 19 shots on goal with 11 on target - and a couple in the net late on was a paltry return for their dominance.
The first 45 minutes were a nonsense.
The Greek champions barely got out of their own half and Arsenal kept setting up chances without putting them away.
It was a failing boss Arsene Wenger alluded to in the build-up and it was in stark focus here.
It was clear Nikopolidis was going to have a busy night and he got down superbly to his left to keep out Arshavin's side-footed effort.
Then Cesc Fabregas volleyed against the bar, while Tomas Rosicky's follow-up was beaten away by the keeper.
Olympiakos centre-back Olof Mellberg is in the history books for being the first player to score at the Emirates when he was an Aston Villa player. But he was turned dizzy by the Arsenal onslaught.
He was not helped by the inept performance of left-back Raul Bravo.
Leeds fans will remember him without much affection for an inglorious spell at Elland Road six years ago.
The Spaniard was beaten all ends up by Arshavin, only for the Russian's near-post effort to be pushed away by the overworked Nikopolidis.
Fabregas hit a 12-yard shot straight at the keeper when he had time to find the corner.
Then Abou Diaby completely missed his header at a corner when any sort of connection would have produced a goal.
Van Persie then embarrassed Raul Bravo - beating him three times for a bit of fun - but the Dutchman's strike was easily held by Nikopolidis.
Olympiakos boss Zico, the Brazilian legend, was not finding it easy viewing.
He looked agitated on the touchline, wiping the sweat from his brow and screaming instructions.
His half-time team-talk certainly had some effect though because Olympiakos came out in more determined mood and for five minutes had Arsenal on the back foot.
In fact, when Mellberg headed goalwards, it needed the outstretched left hand of Vito Mannone to push it away.
Van Persie was getting frustrated and when another shot was blocked by the goalkeeper extraordinaire, he lunged for the loose ball, giving Michal Zewlakow a nasty crack on the ankle.
Nikopolidis again denied Van Persie on the angle and got up to foil William Gallas too - although the Frenchman had been flagged offside.
Then the inspired stopper flew to his right to keep out a Diaby header.
But, on 78 minutes, a goal at last. as Fabregas cleverly picked out Eduardo and the Croatian's ball across the six-yard box was slotted in by Van Persie.
Arshavin made sure four minutes from time, cheekily backheeling No 2, despite being clearly offside.
It was a relief for Wenger, as was the news that winger Theo Walcott - out since June with a back problem - came through an hour of a specially-arranged practice game with the Greeks' reserves.
Fiorentina 2 Liverpool 0
RAFA BENITEZ may have mastered the real Lionel Messi - but he could not hold a candle to the Montenegrin version.
Fiorentina golden boy Stevan Jovetic has still to leave his teens behind, yet already has attracted envious glances from Real Madrid and Manchester United.
And boy didn't he show exactly why as he ripped Liverpool to shreds and made a mockery of their standing as one of this competition's giants.
Jovetic is known as the Montenegrin Messi, such is his standing in his homeland. Well no one inside Anfield will be arguing with that nickname after his double destroyed the five-time winners.
Ironically Benitez's men had snuffed out the Argentine real deal when they went to Barcelona and gave them a bloody nose in the Nou Camp two years ago.
But Jovetic - or Jo-Jo as he is affectionately known by Viola fans - was a far different proposition. And one the visitors never came close to mastering.
It must be said, he was helped in no small part by a first-half display even Benitez dubbed the worst in his five years on Merseyside.
Yet take nothing away from the man whose team were as good as Liverpool were appalling. In fact, Fiorentina were so dominant in those opening 45 minutes there was almost a sense of disappointment among some home supporters that they were only two goals to the good.
As for Benitez's battered and shell-shocked troops, well in the quest for small mercies, at least they finally found their fighting legs after the break - for all it mattered.
For by then that was nothing more than academic, as the team which has the rest of Europe's big guns running scared when it comes to this competition were nothing but a shadow of their usual selves.
As well as Jovetic striking twice, Juan Vargas could have had another, Adrian Mutu at times looked the man who arrived at Chelsea with such a reputation. Everywhere you looked, there was a threat.
The visitors, in contrast, could not string two passes together in that first period, and if Benitez had enough hair to get a decent clump, he would have been pulling it out.
The Spaniard had brought his side here without having leaked a goal against Serie A opponents on their last four trips to Italy. How things change.
They had been given fair notice of the threat they faced by the time they fell behind on 28 minutes, Jovetic shooting across goal and Marco Marchionni sending an overhead kick close.
Yet any warnings clearly went unheeded, when Cristiano slipped the deftest of passes behind an advanced backline.
Suspicions of offside were shot down when TV replays showed Emiliano Insua a fraction behind the other defenders.
Not that Jovetic was hanging around to debate the point, as he made the most of finding himself in front of the exposed Pepe Reina and clinically despatched his shot.
If that was bad enough, much worse was just around the corner - and once again it was the Montenegro international who emerged as destroyer-in-chief.
Marchionni started the initial panic with a cross from the right which Martin Skrtel managed to head out to the lurking Vargas on the opposite flank.
The Peruvian immediately drilled it back into the danger area and there was Jovetic to deflect it past the stranded Reina.
In the land of Chianti, Liverpool looked as if they had downed a couple of bottles each before kick-off, such was their dazed state.
Yes, they did finally muster up that famous old fighting spirit after half-time, thanks to a roasting off their stunned and steaming manager.
But this time there was to be no Istanbul repeat. That night, lest anyone should have just landed, saw them overturn that 3-0 deficit against Milan to win the unlikeliest of European crowns.
Last night, for all they threw men forward in a vain attempt to claw something back, it never remotely looked on for one minute.
They may well have not lost a group game since crashing to Besiktas in Turkey two years ago next month, but even then they went down with a bit of a punch.
Last night was more of a whimper. And in the eyes of their perfectionist manager, that was the most annoying fact.
Lucas summed up their dismay when he powered their best chance - a free header from little more than 10 yards - way over the top.
And Fernando Torres summed up the frustrations when he went berserk with German referee Felix Brych for failing to award a penalty when Alessandro Gamberini clattered into him in the box.
Now if only the Spaniard and the rest had shown anything like a similar fighting spirit beforehand, they may well have had something to cheer.
Torres is bang up Fiorentina it
RAFA BENITEZ has warned Europe that lethal Fernando Torres is hitting peak fitness - bang at the right time.
The Kop's star Spanish striker blasted a hat-trick in 47 minutes against Hull on Saturday.
Perfect timing, with Liverpool facing a week which could shape their season.
Tomorrow they are in Italy to face Fiorentina, seeking to make it two Champions League wins on the bounce.
Then five days later they travel to Stamford Bridge for a battle of the title hopefuls, aiming to repeat last season's victory over Chelsea.
Hitman Torres will fly to Florence for the Group E clash in red-hot form, with his weekend hat-trick making it five goals in two games.
And manager Benitez has told Cesare Brandelli's men the Spaniard is only now beginning to find his feet again after another summer with barely a break.
Torres was the most important of Anfield's Spanish contingent to play through much of the close season on Confederations Cup duty.
It led to a sluggish start, with Liverpool losing two of their first three Premier League games as he showed the effects of a brief pre-season.
Yet after his destruction of the Tigers, Benitez believes Torres is once more showing why he is rated Europe's deadliest striker.
The Kop boss said: "We knew it would take time for the Spanish players to get fitter and it would take maybe a month or two to see the best of Fernando.
"But he has been working really hard and, in the last few games, you could see that hard work paying off.
"One thing he wants to do is score more goals away from home. Everyone is the same, they want to score goals.
"With him, he is always willing to learn and how much he does depends on him."
Torres is more concerned with what lies ahead, rather than the scalps already taken - and desperate to keep his purple patch going.
He admitted: "It has been an amazing week for me, with five goals in two games, and now we have two more important games coming up.
"If we can get six points from our first two Champions League matches it will be very positive and then we have that big game at Chelsea."
Even though he is topping the striking charts, the Anfield sureshot believes the spread of goals throughout the team should not be overlooked.
Seven different players have already found the target and Torres insisted: "We're not just relying on one player to score our goals.
"The positive thing for me is we have a lot of people scoring.
"That's important for the team, because it means the opponents are worried about Liverpool as a whole."
Barcelona 2 Man.Utd 0
NO quadruple, no successive Champions League titles and no complaints.
Manchester United left Rome in ruins, as they were not just beaten but played off the park by a Barcelona team superior in every department.
Cristiano Ronaldo lost his personal duel with Lionel Messi in the footballing Colosseum of the Stadio Olimpico - a case of the Cristiano being thrown to the Lionel - and United lost their way from back to front.
This was not how a previously outstanding season was supposed to end.
It was thought the experience of manager Alex Ferguson, who has seen and done it all, would find out young buck Pep Guardiola in his first campaign as Barca boss.
Far from it. Guardiola asked all the questions and provided all the answers, as he completed an incredible treble of domestic league and cup and now Europe's biggest prize at the tender age of 38.
In the process, Guardiola became the youngest-ever Champions League-winning coach and one of a rare breed to lift the trophy as both player and manager.
His brilliant midfield duo of Andres Iniesta and Xavi ran the show.
Such was their dominance, it seemed United had decided not to bother with a midfield at all. They were dragged all over the shop and, at times, there was only Michael Carrick between defence and attack.
From the moment the Catalans went ahead through a Samuel Eto'o strike on 10 minutes, they never looked like losing.
They hit the post from a Xavi free-kick early in the second half and finished United off when the smallest man on view, Messi, rose unmarked and hung in the air for what seemed like an age before heading in 20 minutes from time.
How Thierry Henry revelled in the celebrations, as Barca skipper Carles Puyol raised the trophy aloft.
The popular Frenchman strived for so long to win the Champions League at Arsenal and was distraught when they were beaten by Barca three years ago.
Now he has all football's major medals in his trophy cabinet. Who would begrudge him that, after the entertainment he gave English football fans up and down the land for eight magnificent years?
Fergie had joked that Barca were his lucky team. They were the victims when he won his first European trophy with United in the 1991 Cup Winners Cup, he completed the treble in the Nou Camp in 1999 and knocked Barca out at the semi-final stage last year.
Yet if we thought Barca were fortunate to be here after the way they struggled past Chelsea, they proved what a great football team they can be if they are allowed to play.
They did have a wobble early on, though, when United took the game to their supposedly dodgy defence and Ronaldo might have had a hat-trick.
A 30-yard free-kick tested a panicky Victor Valdes in the Barca goal and, just as Ji-Sung Park prepared to bury the rebound, former United defender Gerard Pique made a superb challenge to deny the South Korean midfielder.
Ronaldo had another go with a 35-yard shot which flew past the left post and also put a volley just wide.
Iniesta, who broke Chelsea hearts with his last-gasp goal in this season's semi, slalomed forward and fed Eto'o on the right. The Cameroon striker dropped a shoulder, cut inside Nemanja Vidic far too easily and prodded in a right-foot shot which found its way under the diving Edwin van der Sar.
It was a savage blow, which knocked the stuffing out of Fergie's men. Suddenly they were nervous and ponderous, while Ronaldo forgot he had any team-mates by shooting from daft angles when there were better passes on.
Argie star Messi began to cause serious problems. He fizzed one left-foot shot just over from 20 yards and, as he ran at United, the ball seemed glued to his blue boots.
United skipper Ryan Giggs had surprisingly been employed as a striker, with Park playing deeper than expected. But it was not working. The PFA Player of the Year was not seeing any of the ball, while behind him Anderson was struggling to get into the game.
Meanwhile, the ineffective Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo were getting ever more frustrated, waving their arms at one another in exasperation.
Fergie had to change it and introduced Messi's fellow countryman Carlos Tevez at the interval in place of Anderson.
It just meant more gaps for Xavi to exploit. His gorgeous pass found Henry, who turned Rio Ferdinand inside out before seeing his near post effort saved by Van der Sar.
Messi then went down in the area screaming for a penalty, claiming he had been pulled back by John O'Shea, while Tevez's first act was to fell Iniesta just outside the area.
It was a real chance for Barca and United breathed a sigh of relief as Xavi's right-foot curler rattled an upright.
Time for another United forward and on came Dimitar Berbatov for Park. It was almost 4-1-5, as Giggs linked with the attack again leaving Carrick to do the work of three men. But Barca were too good not to make the most of the spaces.
Xavi had time to line up a deep cross over the head of Ferdinand and there was
5ft 7in Messi, leaping two feet off the ground to arch his neck and head into the far corner.
United did have a chance to pull one back, when Berbatov's cross found its way to Ronaldo at the far post.
But he was denied by Valdes and that was the end of that.
Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1
Michael Essien scores a wonder goal to put Chelsea 1-0 up against Barcelona
HEARTBREAKER ... Andres Iniesta fires in a 93rd minute equaliser to end Chelsea's European dreams
JUST when it seemed Chelsea would get a chance for sweet revenge against Manchester United, Andres Iniesta wrecked their dreams.
They were shattered by last season’s penalty shootout defeat in Moscow and this time Barcelona left them in tears.
Michael Essien’s stunning ninth-minute volley had put them en-route for the final in Rome.But in a dramatic finale, Essien failed to clear and Lionel Messi fed Iniesta to fire into the top corner from the edge of the box in the third minute of added time.
Chelsea had numerous penalty appeals turned down, while Barca barely had a shot. But they beat Petr Cech in the end, despite finishing with 10 men after the dismissal of Eric Abidal.
Didier Drogba was fuming with Norwegian referee Tom Ovrebo at the final whistle and had to be dragged away before he stuck one on the official.
You could understand the Blues’ frustration but Drogba’s actions crossed the line.
Now it will be Barca who face United on May 27.
The Spaniards, without former Arsenal skipper Thierry Henry because of a hamstring strain and missing regular centre-backs Carles Puyol and Rafael Marquez, found themselves under pressure early on.
They had whinged after the first leg about Chelsea’s containing game at the Nou Camp and their failure to come out and play. But the home side took the game to the opposition this time.
The Blues were right in the mood, fired by boss Guus Hiddink’s pre-game assessment that many could be looking at their last chance to win Europe’s biggest club prize.
Although Jose Bosingwa had to hook away an early deflected Xavi shot from beside a post, the Blues looked the more dangerous and their goal was an absolute stunner.
After good build-up play involving Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda, Frank Lampard’s ball into the box hit makeshift centre-half Yaya Toure and looped in the air.
In an instant, Essien latched on to it with his left boot and crashed a magnificent volley over Victor Valdes and in off the underside of the bar. What a start it was.
For Barca, it still meant if they scored one they would go through by virtue of the away goal. And Daniel Alves hit a dipping 30-yard free-kick inches past a post, though Cech had it covered.
Chelsea were finding holes in Barca’s suspect back four and a brilliant ball over the top by Lampard found Drogba marauding through the middle.Drogba blew his one chance in the first leg, when Valdes foiled him, and again as he bore down on goal the keeper just got there in time to clear the danger.
There followed two controversial decisions by Danish referee Ovrebo, which denied Chelsea a couple of penalties in the space of three minutes.
First Malouda was clearly shoved over by Alves and it appeared to be inside the area. But the official awarded a free-kick right on the line, much to Chelsea’s frustration.
Drogba smashed the ball at goal from a narrow angle and Valdes kept it out with his left knee.
Then came Abidal’s challenge from behind on Drogba as he shaped to shoot from 12 yards.
Even if Drogba does have a reputation for diving, there was no way he was going to ground in that position unless he had been fouled. But the ref waved play on.
On the law of averages, Chelsea should have got one of them.
As tempers overheated, Alves crashed into Cole by the touchline and was booked to rule him out of the final.
Very little had been seen of the much-vaunted Messi, who did not do a great deal in the first leg either.
He could not get away from the dogged Cole and, if he cut inside, there were John Terry and Alex to shut the door.
But Barca were always in it while Chelsea only had the one-goal advantage and you felt sooner or later the Spanish League leaders would create a decent chance.
So Hiddink was cursing just after the break when Nicolas Anelka fed Drogba on the right and, after the big Ivory Coast striker had left Gerard Pique on his backside, had the goal at his mercy.
He sized up the opening but his left-foot shot was too close to Valdes and the keeper saved with his outstretched right leg.
Drogba was destined never to score in this tie and, when he shook off Toure again, the defender got back to take ball then man in the area.
There were screams for a spot-kick for a third time and Drogba was on the ground pleading profusely. Once more, though, Barca got the benefit of the doubt — correctly on this occasion.
The visitors were really up against it on 66 minutes, as Abidal was dismissed for allegedly clipping Anelka’s heel with the Frenchman heading towards goal. The defender was very unlucky. If he caught his fellow countryman at all, it was an accident.
But the 10 rose to the occasion and the previously anonymous Iniesta stunned the Bridge with that cracker into the top corner that sealed Chelsea’s fate.
Arsenal 1 Man Utd 3
Park Ji Sung wheels away after putting United ahead
Ronaldo fires in his goal-bound free kick
Ronaldo celebrates his spectacular free-kick
David Beckham in the stands at The Emirates
Ronaldo tucks in United’s third
Darren Fletcher sees red
They would not be trading up, they would be trading down!
The rumours will not go away, despite denials, that Ronaldo is bound for Real Madrid with Kaka arriving from AC Milan.But Ronaldo is the World Player of the Year for a reason. He is the best and no amount of money or any other player could compensate if he left Old Trafford.
The Portuguese star’s sensational double ensured United made it to Rome with the chance to become the first team to retain the Champions League crown. In Porto he scored with a stunning 40-yard drive to get his team through their quarter-final.
Here, from a free-kick a yard further out, Ronaldo found the target once again.
His second goal, United’s third, was very different but equally brilliant. He started and finished the move, racing 70 yards to crash a shot into the roof of the net.
The only downside to United’s triumph was the 75th-minute dismissal of Darren Fletcher, who brought down Cesc Fabregas in the area and was shown a straight red card. That means he is out of the final.
The Scot did just get the ball. But it was still a rash challenge from behind and, like Paul Scholes and Roy Keane who missed United’s 1999 success, he will have to watch from the stands.
Arsenal rode their luck in the first leg to escape with a 1-0 deficit. But they had no such fortune this time round, as their suspect defence caved in.
Young Kieran Gibbs, so impressive since coming into the team in place of the injured Gael Clichy, caught the defensive jitters which allowed United to take a stranglehold on this semi-final, second leg.
Poor Gibbs was about to clear a low cross from Ronaldo on eight minutes when he slipped on the turf always specially watered to aid the Gunners’ slick passing.
Park Ji Sung could not believe his luck, as the ball arrived at his feet with Gibbs sprawling in front of him. The Korean took a touch then slid a close-range shot over the helpless Manuel Almunia.
It was a massive boost for United, who were cursing after the home leg with only John O’Shea’s effort to show for their superiority.
Alex Ferguson was always confident his team would score in North London, though he could not have imagined it would come quite so easilyWenger had predicted ‘a magnificent performance’ from his youngsters. He proclaimed boldly: “If they score one, we will score three.”
He did not specify what they would do if United scored two. And by the 11th minute their task had become impossible, as Ronaldo bagged a cracking second after being brought down by Robin van Persie.
The moment Ronaldo lined up the free-kick, even though he was so far out, you could sense the anxiety round the ground.
As he unleashed his right-foot strike, the ball rose then dipped before beating Almunia diving to his left.
Almunia was the hero of the first leg, making three amazing saves to keep the score down, and there was much debate about him becoming England’s keeper when he qualifies through residency this summer.
But he should have got across to save Ronaldo’s kick and it begged the question whether he is any better than the other more English keepers Fabio Capello has available.
Wayne Rooney’s 25-yard curler was finger-tipped round a post by Almunia as United kept coming.
There was not much the managers could say to their players at half-time. Wenger would have been asking for a miracle, Fergie simply that his men did not blow it. Almunia saved another Ronaldo shot but, on the hour, United were well and truly home and dry — and what a goal it was.
It came from an Arsenal corner, which Nemanja Vidic headed clear. Ronaldo fed Park, who in turn picked out Rooney on the left.
Ronaldo kept his run going and was in the box to take Rooney’s return pass and leave Almunia grasping thin air.
Van Persie’s late penalty, converted after Fletcher’s foul on Fabregas, was no consolation.
So the Champions League has eluded Wenger again and the Arsenal trophy cabinet will be bare for another year.
Meanwhile, United should start ordering extra supplies of silver polish. The Quadruple is still on.
Man United 1 Arsenal 0
ONE man is responsible for the fact Manchester United do not already have this Champions League semi-final sewn up — Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia.
The Spaniard single-handedly kept the Gunners in the tie with a series of magnificent first-half saves.
Despite total dominance, United head to the Emirates next week with only a slender advantage through John O’Shea’s 18th-minute strike into the roof of the net from six yards.They are still hot favourites to go through to the final in Rome, with a chance of becoming the first team ever to retain the Champions League trophy.
But how they were cursing that they did not bury their opponents last night.
United had 14 shots at goal to Arsenal’s five and eight efforts on target to the Gunners’ one. Almunia, though, stood defiant.
When he first got into Arsene Wenger’s side, he was dubbed Fawlty Manuel after the hapless Spanish waiter in the hit comedy Fawlty Towers.
He had no pedigree in the game and Wenger’s judgment was called into serious question.
But Almunia has risen above it all, shown why the manager believed in him, and is steadily becoming one of the best keepers in the Premier League.
You have to wonder whether England boss Fabio Capello might yet consider him for the World Cup.
He qualifies for the national side this summer on residency grounds and Capello has so few decent stoppers to choose from he will not care about the ethics of the situation if he believes Almunia can help his cause in South Africa.
There was ample evidence here to show why he could do England a service.
Inside the first two minutes, Almunia sprang to his left to claw out Wayne Rooney’s looping header which was dropping in the corner.
Then he made a wonder save from a close-range shot by Argie striker Carlos Tevez, then got up again to block the rebound.
But he had no chance from the resulting corner. Michael Carrick collected and his deflected cross was smashed home by the unlikely figure of O’Shea. United deserved the lead and the visitors were in danger of a real tonking.
They were being over-run in midfield and resorting to long balls in the vague direction of lone striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who had no support.
It was not the usual Arsenal way and they were getting pulled apart.
It required some of the grit which Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea employed at Barcelona the night before — but the red wave just kept on coming.
Wenger reckoned this was the tie in which we would see the fruits of the Arsenal he has been building — but they spent most of the game scrambling to clear their lines.
Theo Walcott, on the right, could not get into the action, Samir Nasri was struggling in central midfield and Cesc Fabregas, who was supposed to be linking with Adebayor, always seemed to be too far away from his striker.
Any time they dwelt on the ball, the energetic Tevez was chasing back to whip the ball off their toes and restart a United attack.Carrick and Anderson were well in control in midfield too.
Anderson cost £20million a couple of years ago and it is only now that the fans are beginning to understand why boss Alex Ferguson spent so much cash on the Brazilian.
Almunia made another incredible save to keep out Cristiano Ronaldo’s point-blank header and he was there again diving to his left to block the winger’s effort from the edge of the box.
But Almunia suffered for his art when he came out bravely at the feet of Tevez and got a boot in the neck. Tevez was booked but it was a ball he was justified in going for.
Arsenal were delighted to hear the half-time whistle. It was a minor miracle that they were only one down.Arsenal were delighted to hear the half-time whistle. It was a minor miracle that they were only one down.
But, as the game passed the hour, Wenger’s men got more of the ball, perhaps because United could not keep up the relentless pace.
Fergie could see it and brought on the newly-crowned PFA Player of the Year Ryan Giggs — for his 800th club appearance — and Dimitar Berbatov for Anderson and a disbelieving Tevez.
The on-loan Argie was clearly miffed at getting the hook, shaking his head as he left the field.
The crowd rose to applaud their favourite and again implored Fergie to sign him up permanently.
Ronaldo, who had been relatively quiet, suddenly sprang to life and hit a vicious dipping 30-yard shot which comprehensively beat Almunia, only to hit the top of the crossbar.
It was that sort of night for United and a worrying rib injury to ace defender Rio Ferdinand near the end will be cause for concern.
Wenger took off the ineffective Walcott and brought on Nicklas Bendtner.
But the manager did not change tactics, leaving Adebayor stranded up front without any back-up.
Bendtner did get his head to one late chance but was well wide of the target.
And Wenger, who desperately wants the big European prize on his CV, admitted Arsenal were glad to get away with the one-goal defeat.
The Gunners have never before lost a European semi-final.
If they succeed this time it will be one of the greatest achievements in their history.
Bacelona 0 Chelsea 0
SO Guus Hiddink was having us all on, the wily old fox.
The Dutchman said Chelsea would fight fire with fire, that they would take the game to free-flowing Barca.
We were promised thrills and skills and a feast of attacking football.Instead, Chelsea dug the trenches, put their bodies on the line and, with goalkeeper Petr Cech back to his best, they frustrated the life out of their illustrious opponents.
Barcelona’s ‘Holy Trinity’ of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o, who had rattled in 90 goals between them since September, suddenly forgot where the net was.It was the first time all season that Barca had failed to score at the Nou Camp and the Blues deserve enormous credit for getting back to London with a 0-0 draw.
It was a tall order for the Blues given their defence has not looked the most solid in recent weeks — conceding four against Liverpool in the quarter-final second leg at Stamford Bridge before scrambling home 7-5 on aggregate.
But you still would not like to bet which one of these two will make the Champions League final.
A goalless draw in the first leg is one of those scores which often leaves the home side vulnerable in the return, knowing they cannot afford to concede an away goal.
And, as Barca have so many attacking options, Chelsea will find it tough keeping them out again.
They can take heart, though, from the fact Manchester United drew 0-0 here in last year’s semi-final and went through.
Chelsea sailed pretty close to the wind at the end, however.
As the game went into stoppage time, Dani Alves swung over a cross from the right and teenage substitute Bojan headed over from a couple of yards. It was an absolute sitter.
Ex-Arsenal midfielder Alex Hleb could still have given his team the advantage after that as he broke down the left but Cech came out well to block his shot and Hleb then blasted the rebound into the side-netting.
Chelsea had only one clear-cut opportunity all night and Didier Drogba will feel he should have taken it, having seized on a woeful Rafael Marquez backpass late in the first half.
His first effort was saved by the diving Victor Valdes and, when the rebound fell at the Ivorian’s feet again, he tried to chip the ball over the keeper — only for Valdes to get both hands to it to thwart the danger.
Chelsea also had a chance with a flick header by Michael Ballack which went just over the barIt became obvious from the moment Hiddink handed in the teamsheet that he had conned us about his approach to the game.
He employed two holding midfielders in Ballack and John Obi Mikel and had the defensively-minded Michael Essien on the right of the three supporting Drogba.
The effect was to stifle the creativity of star man Messi.
The Argentinian never got a grip on the game and full marks to Jose Bosingwa, who had to fill in as an emergency left-back because of the suspension of Ashley Cole.
Maybe if Bosingwa had been booked when he took out Messi early on, it might have been a different story because he could not have afforded another lunge. But the Portuguese escaped and went on to do a commendable job.
Messi could not find space down the flank and, when he cut inside, he just ran into a wall of Chelsea players.
Henry meanwhile struggled to create any room on the left and was restricted to shots from outside the box which Cech saved well.
The Frenchman was, however, pretty miffed at not getting a 74th-minute penalty as he turned in the box and had his shirt tugged by Bosingwa.
It was one of those which defenders get away with most of the time but, just occasionally, a ref spots it. Fortunately for the visitors, German official Wolfgang Stark did not.
Striker supreme Eto’o was also well snuffed out by skipper John Terry and his Brazilian partner Alex.
Cameroon international Eto’o did get past Terry once in the second half when he nutmegged him just inside the halfway line and also evaded the challenge of Alex — but Cech again got down well to save with his legs.
At times it was all very untidy — and Barca players spent a lot of time rolling around on the ground claiming various forms of assault. Alves had a running battle with Drogba but Chelsea did no more than apply a little bit of muscle in all areas of the park, which did not allow those with the twinkle toes to work their magic.
The irony was that it was actually Barca who were punished most when sub Carles Puyol, on for the injured Marquez, fouled Ballack. The shaggy-haired defender was shown a yellow card and is now out of the second leg.
In the event they only had themselves to blame for failing to take those late chances which might just have opened the door to a second successive final for Chelsea.
Porto 0 Man Utd 1
ALEX FERGUSON believes his Manchester United teams should sometimes come with a government health warning.
Late goals, drama, comebacks, now add clinging on by their fingernails as they put their fans through the wringer.
But they are through to the semi-finals after becoming the first English team to win in Porto in 13 attempts, thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo cracker
Next up are Arsenal in the semi-finals, but they are determined to be the first club to successfully defend the Champions League.
Fergie knew he had to win or get a high- scoring draw after the 2-2 at Old Trafford, so he went with an adventurous line-up which at times looked like 4-2-4.
Dimitar Berbatov and Ronaldo took up the central roles with Wayne Rooney wide on the right and Ryan Giggs on the left.
It meant Rooney and Giggs were having to put in a fair shift to help out the midfield and defence — not a problem for the England ace, 23, but harder on Giggs at 35!
United had been distinctly off the boil in the first leg — even though they very nearly nicked it. Mariano’s late goal ensured the teams went into this match with Porto having the advantage with the two away goals. But there is rarely an advantage when you have 90 minutes against Fergie’s men.
The holders have had a blip of late, allowing Liverpool and Chelsea back into the title race and offering a carrot to Porto. But in the first half last night they showed once again they can find form in an instant.
With only six minutes gone, Ronaldo stepped up to fire a sensational winner.
He was always expecting the bird from the home fans following his spell at rivals Sporting Lisbon. But of late, he has admitted he quite enjoys being booed because he then knows he is doing something right.
He certainly did that with a memorable strike. Picking the ball up inside the Porto half, he was allowed to run on a few steps and take aim from 40 yards.
Even for this wonderful player it seemed he was too far out — but Ronaldo does not believe in the impossible when he has the ball at his feet. So he unleashed a right-foot drive that flew through the air with speed and spin and left keeper Helton helpless.
The Portuguese wing ace charged off to the side of the pitch staring up to a section of the main stand from which he had no doubt been getting a bucketload.
The United players engulfed him and those on the bench burst from their seats. As Ronaldo continued to pose, the Porto fans booed — but the 2,700 United fans were singing his name.
His 21st goal of the season fired his team-mates and Michael Carrick decided to have a go from distance on 12 minutes but was just wide.
The goal had far from killed the tie, however, as Porto knew one for themselves would put them back in the box-seat.
They almost had it too, when a Carrick foul gave the home side a free-kick 25 yards out.
Centre-half Bruno Alves took it and sent a curling drive just wide of the left post with Edwin van der Sar at full stretch.
Captain Lucho had a go when he chested the ball down, turned and volleyed straight at Van der Sar but soon after hobbled off injured. United responded with a deep cross from Berbatov that found Giggs and the Welshman’s far-post volley stung Helton’s fingers.
Bruno Alves got forward to force a header just wide. Then, a minute before the break, United should really have gone two up.
Nemanja Vidic loves to get forward and score from set-plays. But when Giggs swung the ball in and John O’Shea headed on, the Serbian somehow stretched and fired over from three yards out.
It started to become tense in the second half.Just two minutes after the break, Raul Meireles had a shot which flew over the angle. Then, when Meireles crossed, Mariano’s header went across goal with no one there to turn it in.
Next, when Evra charged into Mariano, Hulk hit a stinging free-kick into Van der Sar’s grateful arms. But unlike Porto 2004, there was no late leveller and heartbreaking exit this time.
Arsenal 3 Villarreal 0
WHO said Arsenal’s season was going nowhere?
The Gunners have been written off for the big prizes while all the focus has fallen on Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
But Arsene Wenger’s men could yet end up doing a Champions League and FA Cup Double four years after they last won any silverware.
Wenger got so excited by Arsenal’s march to a semi-final date with Manchester United that he did a bit of dad dancing on the touchline when his kids bagged their second goal.
Embarrassing maybe, but he certainly did not care.
The French boss has always protested in the face of fierce criticism that these youngsters were capable of great things.
Even when they were losing to the likes of Fulham, Hull and Stoke and dropped out of the qualifying places for next season’s Champions League, the manager backed his team to the hilt.
Now he is being vindicated. The saying at Arsenal is that ‘Arsene knows’ and we should learn not to doubt it.
His big guns are back, fit and firing at a vital time, and the manner in which the inspirational Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor are combining would scare any opponent.
Arsenal have already beaten United back in November and the fact the Gunners have not conceded a single goal at The Emirates in Europe this season will give them extra cause for optimism.
Walcott has been a big miss since he dislocated his collarbone in training on England duty five months ago.
A knee injury was a further setback but the advantage is that he now looks as fresh as a daisy and ripping his way past leg-weary defenders.
What a sight it was on 10 minutes as Walcott collected Emmanuel Eboue’s through ball, which was faintly flicked on by Fabregas, and produced an exquisite wedge shot with his right foot over sprawling keeper Diego Lopez.
The ball seemed to take an age to come down and you could see the backspin as it rotated through the air before obligingly dropping under the bar.
It was a magnificent sight.
A year ago Walcott went on an amazing 60-yard run to set up Adebayor for what looked like the decisive goal in the quarter-final against Liverpool in the second leg at Anfield.
But the Reds hit back and Walcott’s brilliance on that night was largely forgotten.
This time it mattered.
Former Arsenal winger Robert Pires, whose last appearance for the Gunners was in the 2006 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona, received a warm welcome on his return to North London.
And his shot which was deflected wide was one of the visitors’ best efforts on goal as they failed to take advantage of Arsenal’s makeshift defence.
But Pires was powerless to prevent Arsenal strengthening their grip.
Adebayor thought he had scored the second goal on 29 minutes after Van Persie’s free-kick was beaten out by Lopez and the big striker’s goalbound header was hacked right off the line by Gonzalo Rodriguez.
Diego Godin’s header just over the bar on the stroke of half-time was a reminder to Arsenal that they needed another one before they could feel comfortable following the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Spain.
It duly arrived bang on the hour.
Van Persie collected in midfield, weighed up his options as he turned one way then the other, and picked out Adebayor on his left.
There was no messing about from Adebayor as he took a touch forward then prodded the ball into the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot for a marvellous finish.
Cue a celebration dance by the corner flag from the Gunners players and Wenger’s own jig of delight.
Villarreal, know as the Yellow Submarine, were sunk. There was no way they were going to come back.
The Spaniards’ frustrations boiled over completely after 69 minutes when Godin was undone by the trickery of Walcott and clipped the England winger’s ankle in the penalty area.
German referee Wolfgang Stark had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot and Villarreal did not like the decision one bit.
Sebastien Eguren went too far with his argument and his reward was a second yellow card and a sending-off which reduced the embattled visitors to 10 men.
Van Persie stepped up and smashed home the kick to seal an emphatic victory and a date with United.
Next up it is Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
Make no mistake, Arsenal are in the mood.
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