UEFA Champions League Review - Week 3 Tuesday

When scanning the potential footy matches at my disposal on Tuesday night, I thought of giving Arsenal vs Slavia Prague a watch. After all, it would be good to see some free-flowing football, but the Gunners would probably score a couple and sit back in a comfortable, lazy, easy victory.

But then a certain Rangers v Barcelona jumped up and grabbed my attention with both hands. Ibrox, a European fortress, pitting the only 2 unbeaten sides in Group E against each other, with the talents of Ronaldinho, Messi and Henry on display. Tantalising indeed.

The game ended 0-0, and was entertaining if not enthralling. Some of the crisp, quick and free-flowing passing from Barca was a joy to behold, even if they could not break through the Rangers defence. The home team had a couple of chances themselves, with the impressive Daniel Cousin volleying just wide in the final moments. But, as a 70/30% possession ratio will tell you, the Glasgow side were made to work hard for their draw.

In the group's other game, Lyon completed a 2-0 victory away to the winless Stuttgart. Fabio Santos and Benzema with the goals for the French champions.

So, after the game, I flick over to ITV4 to see if Arsenal had managed a routine victory over Slavia Prague. As it turns out, they did. And with added gusto may I say.

The Arse ran out 7-0 victors in a display described as being 'perfect football' (as if to rub it in my face even more that I missed it). Fabregas with 2 superb goals, Walcott's brace which had shades of Henry, the brilliant Hleb, Bendtner and an own goal led the North London side to a record-equalling winning margin. Each goal was a peach, and even though it wasn't a top European side, other Premier League clubs should be very afraid of Arsenal's potential.

Also in Group H, Sevilla beat Steaua Bucharest 2-1 at home, thanks to goals from Kanoute and Luis Fabiano after 17 minutes. Petre grabbed a consolation after the break.

So to Manchester United, who seem to have rediscovered their goalscoring touch after a 4-2 win against Dynamo Kiev. Rio Ferdinand's header opened the scoring, before Wayne Rooney tapped in the second. Diogo Rincon's bullet header found its way past a sleeping Ronaldo on the post, before said dozer knocked home Ryan Giggs' cross to restore the 2 goal advantage. After half-time, the Portuguese winger made it 4 from the penalty spot, however Bangoura pulled one back with the 4th headed goal of the match.

United go top of Group F, 3 points clear of Roma who defeated Sporting Lisbon 2-1. A superb individual goal from Vucinic won the match, after Sporting's Liedson had cancelled out Juan's earlier opener.

Finally to Group G, where Inter got their campaign back on track with a 2-1 victory away to CSKA Moscow. Brazlian Jo opened the scoring for the Russians, before Hernan Crespo equalised. Walter Samuel (who's only 29 can you believe that?!) grabbed the winner following a hilarious/unfortunate 'keeper error.

Fenerbahce took yet another step to the knocout stages with a 0-0 draw against PSV Eindhoven. The Turkish side's goalscoring talisman Liedson was strangely sent off for an unreckless, small foul.

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Champions League Review, Week 2 Wednesday - Bad night for the home sides... except one

What is it about Celtic Park on European nights? A few things are guaranteed, if you go there, you will witness one of the most intense atmospheres in Europe, you be faced by pumped up, passionate footballers, and most certainly, you will not win. Since 2001, the likes Porto, Juventus, Lyon, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have all been held or defeated by the hoops, as had AC Milan twice. Make that 3 times.

Celtic took the lead in the first half after Scottish defender Stephen McManus bundled the ball in from a corner. However, Kaka equalised from the penalty spot (controversially) after he was felled by Lee Naylor. But the men in white and green pulled off a stunning victory, when Dida failed to control a shot, and Scott McDonald was on hand to tuck away the rebound in the final few minutes.

It was McDonald who famously scored twice for Motherwell in the last minutes in the final game of the season against Celtic, handing Rangers the title. He said he hoped his goal "would make Celtic fans forgive him now".

In the other group D game, Shakhtar continued their impressive start with a 1-0 win away to Benfica, thanks to a goal from Jadson.

Chelsea pulled off a great 2-1 victory in Valencia to get their Champions League challenge back on track. Things weren't looking so good after 7 minutes, when David Villa took advantage of a defensive mix-up to slot home. However, Joe Cole equalised soon after when he turned in Florent Malouda's low cross. It was game on, and Chelsea scored the decisive goal when Drogba raced onto a fabulous ball from Cole, and shot low past the 'keeper. the Blues go top, one point ahead of Valencia.

Also in Group B, Schalke dispensed with Rosenborg thanks to a 2-0 win. Jermaine Jones grabbed the first after a quick free-kick, before Kevin Kuranyi curled in the second.

Liverpool slumped to a disappointing 1-0 home loss to Marseille as their stuttering early form continues. It was a goal worthy of winning any game however, when playmaker Mathieu Valbuena played a one-two before curling an unstoppable shot that smacked in off the crossbar. Liverpool tried to rally, but it was too little too late, with Torres' shot off the post being their best chance. Marseille lead Group A with 6 points, while Liverpool remain on 1.

Porto moved up to 2nd with a 1-0 away win over Besiktas. Portuguese wonderkid Ricardo Quaresma slotted home in injury time to claim a valuable 3 points.

Finally to Group C where Lazio and Real Madrid played out a entertaining 2-2 draw at the Stadio Olimpico. Van Nistelrooy gave the away side the lead before an excellent Walter Pandev volley equalised. However, Ruud was on hand once again to give Real the lead, before Pandev once again equalised with a low drive.

Olympiakos pulled off a stunning 3-1 away win over Werder Bremen. It was the German side who took the lead through Almeida, but the Greeks came surging back in the last 15 minutes with goals from Stoltidis, Patsatzoglou (unbelievable strike) and Kovacevic.

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Champions League Review Week 2 Tuesday - 6 points out of 6 for Britain

We start our round-up with at Lyon where Rangers completed an amazing 3-0 victory over their hosts. It could have been very different as the home side hit the woodwork on no fewer than 3 occasions.

Lee McCulloch bulleted a header in from a DaMarcus Beasley corner, before the lead was extended by a brilliant strike from Daniel Cousin. He striker turned his man in the box expertly before hammering home the strike. The Glasgow side rounded off the win, when Cousin's long-range pass found Beasley, who slotted past the stranded 'keeper. What is it about Scots in France?

The Gers find themselves level on points with Barca, after they beat Stuttgart 2-0 in Germany. The home side were kept out by some fine shot-stopping from Valdez, and Puyol and Messi scored for the Catalan club.

Man Utd continued their quest to hold their record for most 1-0s in a season, after they defeated Roma at Old Trafford. Totti missed a sitter for the away side (who were wearing a sleek looking black and orange strip), and they were made to pay when Rooney's first-time angled shot hit the post and bounced in. His first goal of the season took the Red Devils to the top of Group F.

In the other game, Sporting Lisbon defeated Dynamo Kiev 2-1 in Ukraine to go joint 2nd. Tonel and Polga scored for the Portuguese side, with Vaschuk scoring for the home side.

In Group H, Arsenal needed a late goal from Robin van Persie to secure a 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest (or Byoocharest if your Jim Rosenthal). A card happy and inconsistent ref added some excitement to an otherwise dull encounter with few real chances. It's a case of job done for the Londoners who stay top.

Sevilla got their campaign back on track following an exciting 4-2 win over Slavia Prague in Spain. Kanoute, Luis Fabiano, Escude and Arouna Kone scored for the home side, with a wonder goal from Pudil and another from Kalivoda for the Czech side.

Finally, in Group G, Inter recorded their 1st win with a 2-0 victory over PSV. A penalty and a looping header from Ibrahimovic the difference between the 2 sides. CSKA Moscow drew 2-2 at home to Fenerbahce. Alex opened the scoring for the away side before Krasic and a Vagner Love penalty took the lead for the Russians. However Deivid scored a dramatic 30-yard equaliser with just 5 minutes remaining.

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Champions League Review - Good Night for Britain

In stark contrast to the fortunes of Celtic, Chelsea and Liverpool, the other 3 British clubs pulled off excellent wins to go either top or 2nd in their group.

Rangers came from behind at Ibrox to grab a 2-1 win over Vfb Stuttgart. Things weren't going so well when Mario Gómez flicked in from close range to give German champions the lead. However, the Glasgow side rallied, and when man of the match Alan Hutton found Charlie Adam on the right, the winger stepped inside and curled a beautiful shot into the net. Gers completed the comeback when Hutton was brought down by Fernando Meira in the box, and Jean-Claude Darcheville tucked away the resulting spot kick.

Also in group E, Barcelona completed a convincing win over French champions Lyon. A Clerc own goal, Messi drive and Henry tap in gave the Catalan side a 3-0 victory.

Thanks to another 3-0 victory, Arsenal got their Champions League campaign off to a flier against Sevilla. Cesc Fabregas proved once again why he is the man of the moment, with an imperious display against the UEFA Cup champions. His 25 yard strike took a wicked deflection of Escude to give Arsenal the lead, before he set up Van Persie for a 2nd and then Eduardo Da Silva to finish the scoring. The London side go top of group H.

Slotting in behind them is Champions League newcomers Slavia Prague. They ran out 2-1 winners against Romanians Steaua Bucharest.

Manchester United's travels to Portugal were more fruitful than Liverpool's, as they beat Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in a low-key encounter. Former Sporting favourite Cristiano Ronaldo met Wes Brown's cross with a diving header to score the only goal of the game. He was applauded by the home side for his minimalist celebration.

Group F's other game saw Roma defeat Dynamo Kiev 2-0, with goals from Simone Perrotta and Francesco Totti.

Finally, in Group G, Fenerbahce surprisingly dominating their game against Inter Milan, winning thanks to a superb volley from Deivid. PSV Eindhoven beat CSKA Moscow 2-1 in the group's other game.

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Champions League Review - Bad Start for Britain

Die Meister!
Die Besten!
Les Grandes Equipes!
The Champions!

Yes it's back, Europe's greatest, nay, the World's greatest club competition has returned! With sell-out crowds, spectacular goals, and passion flowing through each stadia... unless you were at Chelsea clearly. Or Porto. Make that Donetsk as well.

It was a disappointing return to action for all the British clubs. Liverpool can hold their heads the highest after drawing 1-1 with Porto in the hardest game of their group. 10 tattoo man Lucho Gonzalez tucked away the opening goal, becoming the 1st man in 325 attempts to beat Reina from the penalty spot. However, Dirk Kuyt grabbed an equaliser following Sami Hyppia's flick on. An error-strewn performance was compounded when Jermaine Pennant was sent off for a second bookable offence.
In the group's other game, Marseille beat Besiktas 2-0 to go top of Group A. Julien Rodriguez and Djibril Cisse with the goals.

Chelsea were left frustrated after their 1-1 encounter with Norwegian minnows FK Rosenborg. A poor crowd turned up leaving 20,000 seats free and a hollow atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge. The Londoners clearly struggled without the influential Lampard and Drogba, and it showed as Miika Koppinen gave the away side the lead. Chelski pressed for an equaliser, before Shevchenko nabbed his first goal of the campaign by shouldering the ball into the net. Their desperation was evident, as they resorted to pumping long balls forward to makeshift striker John Terry. Mourinho clearly missed his Class 1 Eggs, with Salomon Kalou being particularly wasteful in front of goal.
Valencia took full advantage of this slip up. David Villa scoring the only goal of the game away to Shalke to lead Group B.

Celtic carried on with their not so proud tradition of failing to win away in the Champions League. Shakhtar Donetsk pair Brandão and Cristiano Lucarelli grabbed a goal each to make it 2-0 inside the 1st 8 minutes. Vennegoor of Hesselink shaved the post with Celtics best chance, but they have an uphill battle with champions AC Milan up next.
Said club won convincingly against Benfica. Pippo Inzaghi and Andrea Pirlo making it 2-0, before Nuno Gomes pulled one back in injury time.

In Group C, Real Madrid got off to a winning start in their 300th European Cup game. Raul opened the scoring which was then cancelled out by Boubacar Sanogo. However, Ruud van Nistelrooy was on hand to grab his 50th Champions League goal and all 3 points for the home side.
It was a tale of 2 Lucianos as Olympiakos and Lazio drew 1-1 in what proved to be a tight, contested game. Luciano Galletti scored the 1st for the Greek side before Luciano Zauri equalised.

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