*remembers when Middlesbrough were 3-0 down in the uefa cup only to come back to win 4-3*

Don't remind me.:(

*remembers when Middlesbrough were 3-0 down in the uefa cup only to come back to win 4-3*

 

However, Middlesbrough weren't playing a team anywhere near as good as Chelski.;)

You're talking about a team that recently beat Man United 4-1 at Old Trafford.:P

 

As I said, its not impossible but highly unlikely.

I have a feeling the comeback kings might comeback and force the tie into extra-time.

I have a feeling the comeback kings might comeback and force the tie into extra-time.

 

Deja vu? :P

If Bolton can put 3 pass chelsea, liverpool could do the same :P

Deja vu? :P

 

Doesn't he play for Barcelona??:rolleyes:

This was pretty hectic match,but on the other hand very exciting.

Shame we couldn't have had another half an hour of it.

This was pretty hectic match,but on the other hand very exciting.

Shame we couldn't have had another half an hour of it.

 

True. It was a great match.

Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool (agg: 7-5)

 

 

Chelsea survived a huge scare before drawing one of the most entertaining Champions League games of recent times to seal a 7-5 aggregate win over Liverpool and book a semi-final against Barcelona.

 

Guus Hiddink's team led 3-1 after the first leg at Anfield but Fabio Aurelio's free-kick after an awful misjudgement from Petr Cech and Xabi Alonso's penalty put Liverpool in control at the break.

 

Jose Reina fumbled Didier Drogba's deft touch into his own net and Alex's thunderbolt free-kick levelled the scores on the night with two goals in six dramatic second-half minutes.

 

The inspirational Frank Lampard put the Blues 3-2 ahead, slotting home Drogba's intelligent cross.

 

The tie looked finished but Liverpool were not done yet and Lucas Leiva's deflected strike was quickly followed by Dirk Kuyt's near-post header.

 

It was 4-3 to Liverpool with seven minutes of normal time remaining and Stamford Bridge was stunned, while the Reds required just one more goal to complete a sensational victory on away goals.

 

But Lampard converted Nicolas Anelka's pass to level at 4-4 in the final dramatic action of a truly memorable game of football.

 

Liverpool were without their skipper Steven Gerrard because of an injury but came close to pulling off a memorable victory without their inspirational leader.

 

 

Liverpool gave the hosts an early warning when a delightful touch from Yossi Benayoun after 13 minutes created a clear opening for Fernando Torres, who failed to hit the target with his left-foot strike.

 

It was a poor miss and Liverpool's slim hopes were almost completely extinguished a minute later but Lampard narrowly missed the target with a free-kick.

 

Then came the moment that embarrassed Cech and handed Liverpool a lifeline, as Aurelio smashed his free-kick into the bottom corner.

 

 

Chelsea had only bothered to put one man in the wall and Cech was so focused on dealing with a floated ball into the congested area that he neglected the possibility of a low shot at goal.

 

Even so, it was a terrible error as the Czech keeper was caught completely out of position and scrambled across goal in vain.

 

Buoyed by their goal, Liverpool suddenly found an incisiveness and rhythm to their play, while Chelsea, with suspended skipper John Terry watching from the stands, looked uncharacteristically brittle.

 

Terry will be back for the semi-final first leg tie against 2006 champions Barcelona at the Nou Camp in two weeks, but left-back Ashley Cole will be absent after picking up a yellow card for a foul on Alvaro Arbeloa.

 

The Blues defensive unit struggled to cope with the passing and movement of an attacking line that had struggled so manifestly at Anfield eight days earlier.

 

And the Reds doubled their lead through Alonso's unstoppable penalty after the Spaniard had been fouled by Chelsea's first-leg hero Branislav Ivanovic.

 

Chelsea boss Hiddink withdrew Salomon Kalou and brought on Anelka after 35 minutes.

 

And his bold decision was vindicated when the Frenchman's low cross from the right shortly after the restart was deflected by Drogba past Liverpool keeper Reina, who could only parry the ball into his own net.

 

Drogba was inches away with a free-kick as Chelsea found the attacking menace that had almost completely eluded them in the first-half and it came as no huge surprise when they did draw level, Alex drilling home his long-range free-kick.

 

Liverpool now needed to score twice more but Michael Ballack should have put the result beyond doubt after Drogba broke down the right and picked out the unmarked German with a precise low cross. Ballack, however, shot tamely and Reina dived to his left to save.

 

Torres, an increasingly marginal figure, went close from distance but it was Chelsea who were in control now and Lampard put his team ahead with a close-range finish from Drogba's cross.

 

 

The tie seemed to be dead and buried before Lucas' deflected strike after 81 minutes was quickly followed by Kuyt's bullet header from substitute Albert Riera's cross.

 

Suddenly it was only the visiting supporters who could be heard but the final goal of a pulsating match fell to Lampard, whose strike went in off both posts.

 

There was hardly any time remaining but the fragile Cech still managed to fumble a cross that David N'Gog drilled towards goal, forcing a superb headed clearance from Michael Essien.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7977038.stm

B Munich 1-1 Barcelona (agg 1-5)

 

Keita capped off a 17-pass move with an superb finish

 

Barcelona reached the Champions League semi-finals after drawing their last eight second leg with Bayern Munich to seal a comprehensive aggregate victory.

 

Facing a 4-0 first-leg deficit, Bayern made a strong start with Luca Toni and Franck Ribery going close early on.

 

Ribery rounded Victor Valdes to put the hosts ahead after half-time but they did little to extend their lead.

 

Seydou Keita produced an emphatic first-time finish to level and set up a last-four meeting against Chelsea.

 

The Premier League side drew 4-4 with Liverpool in the second leg of their tie to go through 7-5 on aggregate.

 

Barca and Chelsea will meet for the fourth time since 1999-2000, with the first leg at the Nou Camp on Tuesday 28 April and the second at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 6 May.

 

Josep Guardiola's men will be full of confidence going into that tie after seeing off Bayern so comfortably.

 

The damage was done six days earlier in Spain and under-pressure Bayern boss Jurgen Klinsmann admitted before the game it would be "unrealistic" to expect his side to progress to the semi-finals.

 

But the four-time champions began as if intent to do exactly that and, backed by a vociferous home crowd, they attacked Barcelona from the outset.

 

The orchestrator of Bayern's attacking play was Ribery, the Frenchman coming in from his position on the left to break forward at every opportunity.

 

But it was Jose Ernesto Sosa on the opposite flank who created the first meaningful chance as he crossed from the right to an unmarked Toni, who failed to connect sufficiently with his header from a glorious position six yards out.

 

Aware that an early goal was surely necessary if they were to stand any chance, the hosts continued to probe for a breakthrough and Ribery turned Barca captain Carles Puyol inside out before shooting narrowly over the bar.

 

Bayern had overturned seven of their previous 17 first-leg deficits in Europe's top club competition but all of those were by one goal and a four-goal first-leg deficit has never been overturned in the Champions League.

 

And their hopes began to fade as Barca weathered the early storm and gradually began to assert their authority.

 

Despite Guardiola having to watch the game from that stands after being sent off in the first leg, the visitors needed no prompting to impose their slick pass-and-move game on proceedings.

 

Lionel Messi was, predictably, at the heart of their intricate patterns and caused the home defence no shortage of problems with his nimble dribbling and incisive through-balls.

 

But, apart from a blistering Daniel Alves drive that sailed marginally high and wide, chances were few and far between for Barca and two minutes after half-time they were behind.

 

Ze Roberto sidestepped Yaya Toure to slide Ribery through on goal and he neatly took the ball past goalkeeper Valdes before coolly slotting it high into the net.

 

But Klinsmann's men failed to capitalise on their momentum and it was Barca who took the initiative to ensure their would be no late drama.

 

The impressive Andres Iniesta put Messi through on goal, only for the Argentine to be incorrectly flagged offside when one-on-one with Hans Jorg Butt, and then Samuel Eto'o was denied by Lucio's perfectly timed sliding tackle after Messi's run and cross.

 

An equaliser seemed inevitable and it arrived when Keita pounced at the end of a mind-boggling 17-pass move, primarily involving Eto'o, Iniesta and Xavi.

 

Spain midfielder Xavi curled a free-kick inches wide just before the end but by that point Barca's passage into the last four had long since been secured.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann:

"We reacted well to the defeat in Barcelona. If we had scored early and if we had led 2-0, who knows what would have happened. Maybe they would have lost some confidence.

 

"We wanted an early goal, then anything could have been possible, but we have lacked the little bit of luck.

 

"The team gave a good account of themselves against one of the teams who are favourite to take the Champions League title."

 

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanov:

"We are very happy to be back in the semi-finals. We still have a lot of time before we have to think about Chelsea but they are a great team. It would not have been an easier game if we had faced Liverpool.

 

"We played really well in defence and did a good job keeping Ribery and Toni in check.

 

"We have not reached our goals yet. We have to continue working."

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7996734.stm

QUARTER-FINAL SECOND-LEG TIES (1945 BST)

HT Porto 0-1 Man Utd (agg 2-3)

HT Arsenal 1-0 Villarreal (agg 2-1)

Ronaldo fires Man Utd past Porto

 

Porto 0-1 Man Utd: Cristiano Ronaldo, playing in his native Portugal, opens the scoring with a 39.6-yard thunderbolt in the sixth minute

 

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a stunning goal as Manchester United saw off the threat of Porto to seal a Champions League semi-final tie against Arsenal.

 

Ronaldo's thunderous early strike from just shy of 40 yards flew across goal and into the top corner.

 

Nemanja Vidic missed a great chance from five yards late in the first half and Dimitar Berbatov had a shot saved.

 

Lisandro Lopez might have scored a dramatic late goal for Porto but his shot was weak and Edwin van Sar saved.

 

It was United's first clean sheet since their FA Cup victory over Fulham on 7 March and it could not have been more timely as United became the first English club to win at Porto in European competition.

 

With Rio Ferdinand restored to the side after a three-game absence there was an increased assuredness to the United backline and in truth Porto failed to create any clear-cut openings until Lisandro's 85th-minute chance.

 

However, United's failure to score a decisive second goal ensured a nervous final few minutes to the tie as Porto pushed for the equaliser that would have put them through on the away goals rule.

 

The first 20 minutes of the match must have been close to perfect for United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was presiding over his 150th Champions League game.

 

Wayne Rooney started on the right with Ryan Giggs on the left and Ronaldo supporting Berbatov up front. This formation allowed Ronaldo to occasionally drop deep in search of possession, which he did after six minutes before smashing his spectacular opener.

 

United dominated possession, allowing them to play the game at a steady, controlled tempo, and there were few alarms for Van der Sar, who allowed a free-kick from Bruno Alves to drift wide of his goal.

 

Porto gradually forced their way into the match, slowly pushing United towards their own goal, and Var der Sar was eventually forced into action to save Christian Sapanuru's shot on the turn while Bruno Alves headed wide from a free-kick.

 

The home team lost momentum when Lucho Gonzalez was stretchered off the field after a delay while he received treatment and United went on to create a brilliant chance to take full control of the match.

 

John O'Shea flicked on Giggs' corner and the ball dropped invitingly to the unmarked Vidic but the defender's effort flew wastefully over the crossbar.

 

Raul Meireles and Hulk shot over after the break while Berbatov collected a beautifully weighted pass from Rooney but his subsequent shot lacked power and Helton saved.

 

By this stage it was pouring down in Porto but Van der Sar made no mistake with a Hulk free-kick as the home team continued to press while Porto's Rolando headed wide beyond the far post.

 

Porto continued to press as the match became increasingly tense as United dropped deeper and deeper.

 

But it was United who went close to a second goal, with Helton making a good low save to claw away Ronaldo's shot.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7976970.stm

Arsenal 3-0 Villarreal (agg: 4-1)

 

Walcott scored Arsenal's first and was the inspiration behind their victory

 

Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League semi-final after producing a dominant attacking display to beat 10-man Villarreal.

 

Theo Walcott scored the first, collecting a Cesc Fabregas flick before running clear and chipping in.

 

Adebayor put the Gunners firmly in charge, producing a neat finish with the outside of his right foot.

 

Sebastian Eguren was sent off for disputing an Arsenal penalty that Robin Van Persie scored to seal the victory.

 

In 2006 Arsenal faced Villarreal in a Champions League semi-final and after securing a 1-0 first-leg advantage would have paid for their defensive approach to the second leg had Jens Lehmann not saved Juan Roman Riquleme's last minute penalty.

 

Partly due to this chastening experience, and through a necessity dictated by the loss of a number of key defenders through injury, Arsene Wenger's approach promoted attack as the most efficient form of defence.

 

From the off Arsenal bit into tackles, were the first to loose balls and at every opportunity sought to release the superb Walcott down the right.

 

Every time the England winger received the ball he threatened to embarrass the Villarreal defence, in particular his marker - the Spanish international full-back Joan Capdevila.

 

It was a break from Walcott that created the Gunners' first chance.

 

Whilst his initial cross evaded Van Persie in the box Fabregas was able to collect on the opposite wing and find the Dutch striker with a cross but his header went over the bar.

 

Walcott's next contribution to the game was even more significant.

 

Emmanuel Eboue's forward pass was flicked on by Fabregas into the path of Walcott who bore down on goal, drew out Villarreal keeper Diego Lopez before exquisitely chipping the ball over him and in to reward his side's initial endeavour.

 

For all the talk of Arsenal's defensive fallibility in the absence of the likes of William Gallas, Manuel Almunia and Gael Clichy, it was the Spaniards who were vulnerable.

 

It would be simplistic to blame the absence of influential midfielder Marcos Senna from the Villarreal side when so many of his team-mates' performances were lacking.

 

In one incident Gonzalo Rodriguez twice plunged his side into trouble.

 

His needless foul on Adebayor on the edge of the box gave Van Persie the chance to strike a free-kick that Lopez could not hold and Adebayor's follow-up header was almost knocked over the line by the defender before he finally cleared.

 

The start to the second half was not quite as frenetic as the first but this did not prevent Arsenal from seizing their opportunity to take firm control of the tie.

 

Van Persie picked up the ball in the Villarreal half and drove forward before neatly playing in Adebayor whose finish with the outside of his right foot was too good for Lopez.

 

Arsenal's control of the tie was converted into certain qualification nine minutes later.

 

Walcott dribbled into the box from the right and drew a rash challenge from Diego Godin, prompting the referee to point to the spot.

 

The Villarreal players protested vociferously - pointing out that the linesman had not signalled for a penalty - to which referee Wolfgang Stark took exception and brandished a second yellow card to Eguren resulting in his dismissal.

 

Unperturbed by the raised emotions of the opposition, Van Persie strode up and fired in the penalty to the left of Lopez.

 

All three goalscorers were substituted soon after and rightly received a standing ovation.

 

Two of the replacements - Nicklas Bendtner and Abou Diaby combined late on to almost score the Gunners' fourth but the latter flashed his shot across goal after being fed by the former.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7976998.stm

go united!! :dance:!!

Arsenal did very well today! Awesome goals...quite interesting dance moves too! :P Especially from Wenger!

 

 

A dancing Wenger is a happy Wenger. :P

Barca for champ! :nice:

Cracking goal from Ronaldo to win the match.

:dance: GO Hamburg! :dance:

 

Cant wait to see it this evening!

Arsenal did very well today! Awesome goals...quite interesting dance moves too! :P Especially from Wenger!

 

 

A dancing Wenger is a happy Wenger. :P

 

So was he dancing to the Wenga Boys??:rolleyes:

So was he dancing to the Wenga Boys??:rolleyes:

 

How did I not see this coming? :lol:

No, he's dancing to Ivory Tower music. :P

So Man City blew it. I guess that means all their Brazilian players will be on their way at the end of the season................ :rolleyes:

I used the "Konferenz" option on Premiere yesterday to watch Man City - Hamburg and Udine - Bremen simultaneously. Exciting matches and great results! I'm so glad my favourite team reached the semi-finals. :dance: The first half was an absolute nightmare and when Diego missed the penalty I became 10 years older. Surely! Anyway, it's 3:3 at the end. :)

 

Best goal of yesterday's matches: Landreau's own goal (Paris St.-Germain) in Kiev! Fabulous! :laugh3:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6k1LJeFjFE]YouTube - Clash Foot - Landreau (PSG) se ridiculise face au Dynamo Kiev[/ame]

Ouch hahaha.

 

What are everyone's predictions for the Semis?