MANCHESTER United, the reigning European Cup holders, will play Villarreal, Celtic and Denmark’s Aalborg in the group stages of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Rome target
The 32 teams were split into eight sections of four with last season’s runners-up Chelsea FC drawn alongside AS Roma, who are hoping to reach the final in their home city, FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Romanian newcomers CFR 1907 Cluj in Group A. Read the rest of this entry »
ENGLISH sides dominate the seedings for the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage draw which will take place from 18.00 CET on Thursday at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum. Read the rest of this entry »
THE draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League takes place this afternoon at 17.00 UK in Monaco.
Thirty-two clubs enter Europe’s top club competition and although all roads lead to Rome only two teams will eventually make it to the final in Italy’s capital city on May 27, 2009.
Defending champions Manchester United are again one of four Premier League sides represented in the draw, along with last year’s beaten finalists Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool who came through qualifying on Wednesday night. Read the rest of this entry »
A superb late goal from Fernando Torres gave Liverpool a 1-0 Premier League win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
It was one bright moment in an ordinary game and, after their Euro 2008 triumph, it was fittingly an all-Spanish affair.
The goal was created by a player that boss Rafa Benitez wants to sell, but that Liverpool fans want to stay - Xabi Alonso, who turned in a man-of-the-match performance despite only playing the second half. Read the rest of this entry »
SAMIR Nasri ensured Arsenal made a successful, if unconvincing, start to the new campaign as his debut goal secured a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
The French playmaker, who signed from Marseille last month, took just four minutes to open his account for Arsene Wenger’s side as he converted Denilson’s pass from close range.
But Arsenal failed to build on that flying start and Albion, making their return to the Premier League after winning promotion last season, might have caused their illustrious opponents significant embarrassment had they applied a finish to some promising possession. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: Olympic
- Date: Aug 17,2008
Argentina required extra time to edge the Netherlands 2-1 in a thrilling quarter-final in the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring and then created the game’s deciding goal for Angel Di Maria as Sergio Batista’s side booked a date with Brazil in the last four.
The match began at a frenetic pace, which was to continue throughout the first half.
The Netherlands registered the first shot on goal through Urby Emanuelson, but Argentina responded swiftly and, as is often the case, Messi was at the core of most of their purposeful advances. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: Olympic
- Date: Aug 17,2008
NIGERIA won the battle of Africa 2-0 against Côte d’Ivoire in Qinhuangdao to book their place in the final four of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament.
These two African teams knew each other incredibly well and, as a result, both sides cancelled each other out in the opening 45 minutes.
The midfield battle was a stalemate which made chances difficult to come by and, indeed, there were only three genuine opportunities in the first half for the fans to get excited about. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: Olympic
- Date: Aug 17,2008
PLAYING with a man down for most of the match, Belgium twice came from behind to beat Italy 3-2 in Beijing on Saturday, setting up a semi-final with either Nigeria or Côte d’Ivoire.
The match ended with both sides reduced to ten men as the full moon in Beijing seemed to take an effect on one of the most incident-packed games of these Olympic finals.
The Italians began the contest in lively fashion with their diminutive creator, Sebastian Giovinco, leading the way. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: Olympic
- Date: Aug 17,2008
BRAZIL were made to work hard by their numerically-inferior opponents, but they eventually prevailed to beat Cameroon 2-0 and reach the semi-finals of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament.
A tight, chance-shy 90 minutes failed to separate the two sides, before extra-time goals from Rafael Sobis and Marcelo earned the Seleção a meeting with either Argentina or the Netherlands.
Dunga curiously left Thiago Neves and Alexandre Pato out of his starting line-up and without them, Brazil appeared shorn of their usual spark during the first half, with the mercurial right-foot of Ronaldinho from set-pieces their only genuine source of opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »
