April 26, 201115 yr just taking a look at the team real madrid fielded for the 02 final. and wow what a team it was. casillas replaced cesar in goal with the backline including the likes of roberto carlos, salgado, helguerra and their captain hierro. in midfield they were deadly thanks to makelele, figo and zidane and then up front raul and morientes. even on the bench they had talent like mcmanaman, guti and conceicao. and they were stupid to let go of del bosque. apparently it was because he didnt really represent the things the club stood for. edit: leverkusen ended up playing 19 matches in their champions league campaign starting in the qualifying rounds. of course this was back in the day when there were two 6 match group stages.
April 26, 201115 yr Shocking face of football thuggery as teenage hooligans invade pitch to taunt and punch goalkeeper after he let in a goal By Rob Cooper Last updated at 3:15 PM on 26th April 2011 Comments (102) Add to My Stories These were the disgraceful scenes as a goalkeeper was punched in the face and taunted by young fans - including a girl who gave him a V-sign. The group of thugs invaded the pitch at Chesterfield and attacked Bury's Cameron Belford after he let in a goal. The fans - as young as ten - surrounded the 22-year-old footballer and one supporter in a checked shirt was pictured punching him in the side of the head. Disgraceful: Fan appears to punch Bury goalkeeper Cameron Belford in the face as supporters invade the pitch during League Two match yesterday Taunts: A 'fan' gives the goalkeeper the middle finger as one thug prepares to land his punch, while a ponytailed schoolgirl swears at Cameron Belford as Chesterfield take the lead Another 'fan', wearing a blue shirt, gave the goalkeeper the middle finger - and the ponytailed young girl also gave him the V-sign. Belford admirably kept his cool and Bury went on to win the League Two clash 3-2 yesterday with a late goal and secure promotion to League One. More... First picture of teenager set on fire by boyfriend, 19, while trying to light barbecue with a bowl of PETROL But as his team celebrated, the goalkeeper last night made an official complaint about the incident. An 87th minute strike from Ryan Lowe at the B2Net stadium in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, had denied the already promoted home side the title. However, they can seal top spot if they win their last two matches. Inspector Russell Dakin said that an arrest had been made following the incident. 'It would appear a fan has encroached on the pitch and assaulted the goalkeeper,' he said. 'One person has been arrested and we will be scanning the CCTV system and liaising with the club and members of the media and collating as much evidence as possible.' Chesterfield stadium manager Colin Nellist added: 'The very minimum that will happen to this person is they will get a ban from the club and whatever happens thereafter will depend on the courts. 'But as soon as we ascertain the identity of this person he will be banned from the club until further notice because we take this very seriously indeed.' In January a Stevenage FC player was punched by a fan of his own team. It emerged that Robert Fitzgerald, 24, attacked Scott Laird 'out of loyalty' to his girlfriend, who had previously been involved with the footballer. Fitzgerald said he threw the punch because Laird 'had not treated her correctly'. Bury players celebrate promotion after their 3-2 victory in yesterday's game during which the team's goalkeeper was punched by an opposing fan Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1380596/Chesterfield-fan-punches-Bury-goalkeeper-Cameron-Belford-face.html#ixzz1KdiFx0zQ
April 26, 201115 yr HT - Man Utd somehow are not leading this game largely because of a sensational performance by Manuel Neuer in the Shalke goal so far. Making good use of the big pitch are Man Utd.
April 26, 201115 yr Neuer...absolutely incredible. Incredible 'keeping by Manuer Neuer. Absolutely fantastic performance.
April 26, 201115 yr Schalke 0 Manchester United 2: Rooney and Giggs fire Reds a step closer to Wembley By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 9:52 PM on 26th April 2011 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Barring an unlikely Schalke victory at Old Trafford next week, Manchester United will contest the Champions League final at Wembley on May 28 after a one-sided encounter in Germany. Ryan Giggs and the outstanding Wayne Rooney scored United's goals in a three-minute second-half spell in the semi-final first leg at the Vetlins-Arena. Prior to that, though, Sir Alex Ferguson's men had wasted an astonishing 13 chances to score - 11 of them coming before the break. Is this the way to Wembley? Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring Manchester United's second goal It left Schalke needing a three-goal triumph to progress to a meeting with either Real Madrid or Barcelona. On this evidence, United have absolutely nothing to worry about. And for Rooney in particular, a fifth European Cup final for the Red Devils - on the ground where they won their first in 1968 - means personal redemption, having returned to the Gelsenkirchen arena where he was sent off on his last visit for England, to produce a wondrous performance that confirmed his renaissance beyond any doubt. As United trudged in at half-time, they cannot have known whether to laugh or cry. Breakthrough: Ryan Giggs opens the scoring for Manchester United Their pace, power and precision was simply too much for Schalke, who were opened up with a regularity barely credible at this level of the game. Incredibly though, the score remained goalless. Starting with a Rooney effort that flicked off Atsuto Uchida and forced Manuel Neuer into the first of a series of magnificent saves, and ending with a last-minute opportunity when Giggs raced onto a Rooney through-ball and failed to beat the Germany number one, United created 11 clear chances. Doubling up: Wayne Rooney scores Manchester United's second goal Had they done that over the duration of both legs, Ferguson would probably have been quite pleased. To do so in a single half, and not to take any of them, defied belief. Rooney could only have wished he was on the end of some. Instead, Park Ji-sung had two opportunities charged down, Giggs was denied by Neuer twice and Fabio flashed a half-volley over the bar. But by far the worst culprit was Javier Hernandez. Knocking on the door: Manchester United's Javier Hernandez gets in a shot against Schalke Lauded to the skies in recent weeks after a series of timely interventions which have sent United surging towards a record 19th league title, the Mexican was too much for Schalke's beleaguered defence. For once, though, the 22-year-old had left his shooting boots at home. Whether he was being set up by Antonio Valencia, outstanding on the right wing, Rooney or Park, Hernandez just could not find the target. Partly it was his fault as shots flew wide of the Schalke goal, while on other occasions Neuer was in the way. Last ditch: Atsuto Uchida challenges Nemanja Vidic inside the area It appears the Germany keeper is on his way to Bayern Munich this summer, which for United is a pity, because on this evidence he would be a worthy successor to Edwin van der Sar, who is retiring at the end of the season. On a record-equalling 13th semi-final appearance, Van der Sar was a virtual bystander once he had made a couple of early stops to deny Jefferson Farfan. Worryingly for Ferguson, the profligacy just continued after the restart. Neuer denied Michael Carrick with a brilliant fingertip save but, when the Schalke defence opened up for Giggs shortly afterwards, the Welshman's effort with his weaker right foot was woeful. Stretching: Manchester United's Ji-Sung Park tangles with Schalke's Joel Matip There must have been a huge fear in the United camp that Schalke would soon start to show the form that got them to this stage of the competition and put five goals past Inter Milan at the San Siro in the quarter-final. Thankfully for Ferguson and his team, they did some damage first. Rooney was the architect of the opener, threading a fine ball through to Giggs who, with his left foot, calmly slotted home. Denied: Schalke's Manuel Neuer saves Javier Hernandez's shot Within three minutes, United had another chance as Hernandez set up Rooney. From 10 yards and in a similar position to Giggs. In the knowledge that a three-goal triumph for Schalke at Old Trafford in eight days' time is impossible to imagine, Ferguson's introduction of Anderson and Paul Scholes was designed purely to shore up the midfield. It worked, too, allowing United to stroll home and let their minds wander towards Sunday's Barclays Premier League trip to Arsenal. Where's the ball?: Schalke's Hans Sarpei,(left) and Manchester United's Antonio Valencia go up for a challenge
April 26, 201115 yr Well that's game over, then! Fergie's in the final. Good to see Giggs "play away" constructively........................... :rolleyes:
April 27, 201115 yr how the hell did that schalke team manage to put 7 past Inter!!! HOW??? SEVEN! Because Inter were dross?:rolleyes:
April 27, 201115 yr Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 2: Magical Messi settles streetfight as Jose sees red By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 10:04 PM on 27th April 2011 Comments (10) Add to My Stories Lionel Messi struck twice late on as Barcelona took a huge step towards the Champions League final with a 2-0 semi-final, first leg win over 10-man Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Messi, taking his tally to 52 in all competitions this season, netted in the 76th and 87th minutes - the second a typically brilliant solo effort - to settle an ill-tempered clash which saw Madrid defender Pepe sent off in the 61st minute. Messi magic: Two goals from Barca's talismanic forward settled the first leg That incident also saw Madrid coach Jose Mourinho - who yesterday sparked a war of words with counterpart Pep Guardiola - sent to the stands, while Barca reserve goalkeeper Jose Pinto was also shown a red card following an incident at half-time. However, the end result means Barca, European champions in 2006 and 2009, are now firm favourites to progress to next month's final at Wembley. Barca welcomed back captain Carles Puyol - who has been absent for all five of his side's defeats this season - but the visitors still had a number of absentees with Andres Iniesta, Eric Abidal and Adriano among the missing. Flashpoint: Players and club officials clash as the two teams head to the tunnel at half time Madrid, who last week ended their three-year wait for a trophy when they beat Barca to win the Copa del Rey final, were unable to call on the suspended Ricardo Carvalho and injured Sami Khedira. The first half was a cagey affair with Madrid content to let Barca have possession well away from danger and the visitors unwilling to commit too many men forward. That led to Cristiano Ronaldo showing his frustration at one point as well as the home fans, and meant goalscoring chances at either end were few and far between. Heated: The match was marked by the number of stoppages for fouls Seeing red: Pepe receives his marching orders for a late challenge in the second half Xavi tested Iker Casillas with a well-struck volley early on, while the Barca schemer also had the best chance of the opening period in the 24th minute after latching onto Lionel Messi's pass. However, he was again denied by Spain team-mate Casillas, who blocked his low shot. David Villa also saw a low effort go not far wide as Barca sought a valuable away goal. At the other end, Madrid fans had to wait until just before half-time to see their side give Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes something to think about. Light show: Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes was targeted by a fan with a laser in the crowd Ronaldo tried his luck from 25 yards and the ball rebounded back off Valdes' chest. Mesut Ozil looked set to net as he followed up, but Valdes saved his effort and an offside flag would have ruled out any goal anyway. As the players left the field following an increasingly niggly first half, there was a melee between the sides as they entered the tunnel that resulted in Pinto receiving a red card. Mourinho decided to switch things at the break, taking off Mesut Ozil and sending on Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored twice here in the 4-0 quarter-final, first leg win over Tottenham. Banished: Mourinho watched most of the second half from the stands after being asked to leave his technical area by the referee Both sides had half-chances at the start of the second period, with Messi and Ronaldo seeing efforts blocked, before Madrid defender Sergio Ramos picked up a yellow card which rules him out of the second leg. Much worse was to follow for Madrid though as they were reduced to 10 men when Pepe was shown a straight red card following a challenge on Dani Alves that left the Brazilian writhing in agony. That was the fourth time in four clashes with Barca this season that Madrid have had a player sent off, and Mourinho's anger on the touchline resulted in him being sent to the stands. Brace yourself: Messi slides home his second, late in the game Barca sensed a great opportunity to take control of the tie and almost went ahead in the 68th minute when Villa saw a shot saved by Casillas and Pedro headed the rebound inches wide. And their next opening saw them take the lead when substitute Ibrahim Afellay did well to create space down the right and his low cross was turned in by Messi running in at the front post. Messi was not finished and struck a brilliant second with three minutes remaining to leave Barca with one foot in the final. The Argentina ace dribbled past several Madrid defenders at pace before sliding a right-footed shot past Casillas. Let's be friends: Despite all the trash talking ahead of the game, the two managers shook hands before kick off Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1381233/Real-Madrid-0-Barcelona-2-Magical-Messi-settles-streetfight-Jose-sees-red.html#ixzz1KlU4TTej
April 28, 201115 yr Barcelona and Real BOTH in the dock as UEFA take action after mayhem in Madrid By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 7:35 PM on 28th April 2011 Comments (8) Add to My Stories UEFA have announced a probe into the behaviour of both sets of players during Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final first leg clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid. An ill-tempered match was marred by a series of unsavoury incidents, culminating in a multi-person melee at half-time and the sending to the stands of Madrid boss Jose Mourinho. Madrid face five charges in total, including one against the fans, while Barcelona face just one. Ugly scenes: Half-time was marred by a clash between players and staff from both teams as they made their way to the tunnel A statement on the UEFA website said: 'Following last night's UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona, UEFA has opened the following disciplinary cases against the clubs. 'The case against Real Madrid is in relation to the throwing of missiles, a pitch invasion, the red card shown to Pepe, the dismissal of coach Jose Mourinho, as well as the inappropriate statement given by Mr Mourinho to the media after the match (UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, Article 5 – Principles of conduct). 'The case against Barcelona regards the red card administered to José Pinto. 'Both cases will be heard by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body on Friday 6 May.' Sent to the stands: Mourinho was dismissed from the touchline during the ill-tempered semi-final clash Meanwhile, Barca have announced they would also be reporting Mourinho to UEFA's disciplinary committee regarding the Madrid manager's comments. Following an extraordinary board meeting at the Catalan club this afternoon, spokesman Toni Freixa said Barca 'want to defend the history, prestige and reputation of our members, fans, players, coaches and directors, who with their hard work and their effort succeeded in winning the Champions League in 2009. 'It's unacceptable that someone questions our titles and our links with UNICEF.' Barcelona had earlier confirmed a board meeting would be held as the club considered action against Mourinho. Mourinho implied the Catalan giants receive favourable treatment from referees and claimed the club had yet to win a 'clean' Champions League title under Pep Guardiola. Is that the way to Wembley? Barca are favourites for the final after Messi scored both goals in their 2-0 win Mourinho's anger stemmed from the decision of German referee Wolfgang Stark to send off Pepe for a foul on Dani Alves on the hour mark, with the former Chelsea boss being sent to the stands too for his protests. Mourinho said: 'Guardiola is a fantastic coach, but he has won one Champions League which I would be ashamed to win after the scandal at Stamford Bridge and this year, if he wins it again, it will be after the scandal at the Bernabeu. Seeing red: Pepe was sent off in the second-half for a rash tackle on Dani Alves 'I hope that one day he will win a clean Champions League, with no incidents behind it.' The first 'scandal' Mourinho was referring to was the Champions League semi-final between Barca and Chelsea in 2009, when the Catalan club progressed through to the final following a controversial second leg in London. Andres Iniesta's injury-time strike earned Barca an away-goals win, but at the final whistle Chelsea's players confronted referee Tom Ovrebo, who had waved away at least four penalty appeals during the game. Barca would go on to beat Manchester United in the final. Thumbs up: The Real Madrid manager sarcastically gestures to the referee after being sent to the stands Mourinho, who last season saw his Inter Milan side reduced to 10 men in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final at Barca but still progressed through to the final, did not stop there either in his post-match rant last night. He added: 'Today it's clear that against Barcelona you have no chance. 'I don't understand why. I don't know if it's the publicity of UNICEF (the club's shirt sponsor), I don't know if it's the friendship of (Spanish football federation president Angel Maria) Villar at UEFA, where he is vice-president, I don't know if it's because they are very nice, but they have got this power. The rest of us have no chance. Get your goggles: Fans around the world were disappointed with the constant diving of certain players 'Why couldn't Chelsea reach the final two years ago? It was a miracle that Inter reached the final last year. 'I am here just to ask this question and I hope to get the answer one day.' Regarding the match itself, which saw Lionel Messi score two late goals to earn Barca the victory, Mourinho believes it is now 'mission impossible' for his side to progress through to the final. However, Barca boss Guardiola is not assuming the tie is already over heading into next week's second leg at the Nou Camp. Respect the ref: Players from both teams were quick to surround the referee throughout the match 'We are a step away from the final, but we will carry on respecting Madrid, very, very much,' said Guardiola, who refused to respond to questions about Mourinho's comments. 'If we start to believe we are already through, Madrid can punish us. We don't believe we are already there (Wembley).' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1381602/Barcelona-Real-Madrid-face-UEFA-probe-following-ill-tempered-Clasico.html#ixzz1Kqwc4Cik
April 28, 201115 yr The way Jose Mourinho conducts himself in these massive, close ties is terrible. Remember a few years back and his comments about Anders Frisk in the Barcelona match which in turn influenced death threats towards Frisk causing him to retire instantly. I hope he enjoys seeing Guardiola screwing him over!
April 28, 201115 yr The way Jose Mourinho conducts himself in these massive, close ties is terrible. Remember a few years back and his comments about Anders Frisk in the Barcelona match which in turn influenced death threats towards Frisk causing him to retire instantly. I hope he enjoys seeing Guardiola screwing him over! Yup. He should be charged with incitement.:dozey:
April 28, 201115 yr There gonna miss Jose when he leaves Spain.. he provides so much entertiament in his news conferences.
April 29, 201115 yr There gonna miss Jose when he leaves Spain.. he provides so much entertiament in his news conferences. Do the press generally like him in Spain compared to Italy where he couldn't really warm over the press? As for England well with it's sycophantic big gob journalists it was his easiest job in management yet. When it emerged he had had an affair and was a keen post coital cookie monster they didn't go near that story for fear of losing their popularity with him.
May 4, 201115 yr Do the press generally like him in Spain compared to Italy where he couldn't really warm over the press? As for England well with it's sycophantic big gob journalists it was his easiest job in management yet. When it emerged he had had an affair and was a keen post coital cookie monster they didn't go near that story for fear of losing their popularity with him. There seem to be two different groups of press in Spain, both in football, and in culture in general. The Catalan press, which is what I tend to read, adores Pep and is always making Mourinho look evil. The press in Madrid is obviously much more pro-Mourinho, although they're extremely disappointed that they'll only end up with one trophy this season. Really depends where you go/what you're reading.
May 4, 201115 yr I can't see United's defence coping with Barca's attack, given they are at their best when kicking and grabbing, and won't have an English referee ignoring handballs or bowing to the pressure. I can't see United's attack doing all that much other than Nani, unless they pull something out of the bag which they haven't been doing recently or are extremely clinical in whatever chances they get. They've yet to play a top foreign side in the competition this season, Valencia being the closest to that (15 points behind Barcelona in the League). This will be their hardest game of the season.
May 4, 201115 yr I can't see United's defence coping with Barca's attack, given they are at their best when kicking and grabbing, and won't have an English referee ignoring handballs or bowing to the pressure. I can't see United's attack doing all that much other than Nani, unless they pull something out of the bag which they haven't been doing recently or are extremely clinical in whatever chances they get. They've yet to play a top foreign side in the competition this season, Valencia being the closest to that (15 points behind Barcelona in the League). This will be their hardest game of the season. Inter managed it last year, I'm hoping Utd can pull it off personally!.
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