Champions League

Champions League: All the latest Champions League flavoured news, views, rumours and other assorted bits and bobs

• Daily Vote – Man Utd vs Barcelona: who was your man of the match? April 30th, 2008 Champions League

  Simple question, to those of you who watched last night’s Champions League semi. Who was your man of the match? There were several fine performances, mostly from men in red shirts, but I’ve narrowed it down to a shortlist of eight players. If I’ve missed someone off the list, leave an angry comment. Vote below: […]

• Football videos – Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona, match highlights April 30th, 2008 Champions League

  Watch the best moments from last night’s enthralling Champions League semi final second leg, including, of course, Paul Scholes’ wonder goal.

• Man Utd 1-0 Barcelona – player ratings April 30th, 2008 Champions League

  MAN UTD Edwin van der Sar Safe hands overall, despite one spill and a couple of sliced kicks. Took a couple of knocks for his trouble, from team-mate Wes Brown. In truth, Barcelona, never really tested him. 7 Owen Hargreaves Robot-like stamina saw him patrol the right-hand line with admirable discipline. Unsure of his positioning […]

• 10 conclusions – Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona April 30th, 2008 Champions League
  

  1 What a time for Paul Scholes to score his second goal of the season. And what a goal!

• Eamon Dunphy calls Cristiano Ronaldo a “disgrace to professional football” April 24th, 2008 Champions League

  RTE pundit Dunphy doesn’t hold back in his condemnation of C-Ron’s “disgraceful” performance against Barcelona last night: Bit harsh on Ronaldo, no? His petulant, look-at-me display was distasteful, but not disgraceful.

• Football videos – Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea, Jon Arne Riise’s own goal April 24th, 2008 Champions League

  Didn’t get a chance to post this up yesterday. For the seven people in England who heven’t yet seen it, here’s Jon Arne Riise’s tragi-comic own goal: Oops. You have to laugh (unless you’re a Liverpool fan).

• Daily Vote – who will reach the Champions League final? April 24th, 2008 Champions League

  The Champions League semi-final picture is no clearer after the first legs. Both games ended in draws, with little to choose between either set of teams. Chelsea probably have the edge after Riise’s late own goal, but it’s way too early to write off Liverpool, who outplayed the Blues for most of the first leg […]

• Barcelona vs Manchester United – player ratings April 24th, 2008 Champions League

  BARCELONA Valdés Rarely called on, had no say in Ronaldo’s penalty miss. 6 Zambrotta Showed his pedigree and almost scored with a killer shot from range. 7 Márquez Very fortunate to get away with a foul on C-Ron in the area. Otherwise solid. 6 Milito Unlucky to give away the penalty so early on, but […]

• Pies predicts – Barcelona vs Man Utd, Champions League semi final first leg April 23rd, 2008 Champions League

  Pies has looked deep into its crystal match ball. This is how our team of footy-mad bloggers thinks tonight’s Barca vs Man Utd clash will pan out: Ollie, Pies Ed. “Fresh from predicting a 1-1 draw at Anfield last night – not an amazing feat, I admit – I can confidently say that I have […]

• Classic Barcelona vs Man Utd Moments – Barca 4-0 Man Utd, 1994/95 April 23rd, 2008 Champions League

  In which Barca, inspired by the genius of Hristo Stoichkov and Romario, dished out a football lesson to United. HARD FACT Man Yoo have never beaten Barcelona in the Camp Nou.

• Snapshot – Cristiano Ronaldo prepares for Barcelona semi final April 23rd, 2008 Champions League

  C-Ron juggles a ball during a Man Utd training session at the Camp Nou, ahead of tonight’s Champions League semi final against Barcelona. Photo Martin Rickett/PA Wire

• Classic Barcelona vs Man Utd Moments – David Beckham curls one in, 1998-99 April 23rd, 2008 Champions League

  En-route to the Treble, United enjoyed two thrilling 3-3 draws with Barca in the Champions League group stage. In a true group of death, Barca were eliminated as the Red Devils and their future final opponents, Bayern Munich, progressed. During the opening group game at Old Trafford, David Beckham gave United a 3-2 lead with this trademark free-kick. All the good work was undone by naughty Nicky Butt who conceded a penalty for handball and (literally) handed Barca a point.

• Daily Vote – Gillett’s son vs Hicks’ son: who’s the most convincing Liverpool fan? April 23rd, 2008 Champions League

  On the left is Tom Hicks Jr, son of Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks (funny that). On the right is Foster Gillett, son of Liverpool co-owner George. Both heirs attended last night’s Champions League semi final at Anfield; both men were seen wearing a Liverpool scarf – Hicks Jr even waved his about like a proper […]

• Sky Sports’ Phil Thompson reacts to Riise’s late own goal April 23rd, 2008 Champions League

  Good to see that Thommo, an ex-Liverpool stalwart, is professional enough to retain his composure when things don’t go his way… If this childish petulance represents the level of punditry in this country, we’re in serious trouble. Desperate stuff. Chaps, you’re not down the pub.

• Liverpool vs Chelsea – player ratings April 23rd, 2008 Champions League

  LIVERPOOL Jose Reina Had little to do. Some decent distribution out of hand, and could do nothing about Riise’s own goal 6/10 Alvaro Arbeloa Not one of his best games. Sloppy in possession. 5 Jamie Carragher A typically committed performance from a player who thrives on nights like this. Not pretty, but very effective. 7 […]

• 10 conclusions – Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea April 23rd, 2008 Champions League
  

  1 If John Arne Riise had a sensible haircut he probably wouldn’t have diverted Salomon Kalou’s cross into his net.

• Pies predicts – Liverpool vs Chelsea, Champions League semi final, first leg April 22nd, 2008 Champions League

  Pies’ gang of “experts” (cough) calls tonight’s CL semi: Ollie, Pies Ed. “The red team will score first, then the blue team will equalise. Either that, or it will happen the other way around. This is a nailed-on 1-1 draw. Again.” Prediction 1-1 Lee, Chelsea Pies Ed. “Nothing (literally nothing) will happen for 60 minutes, […]

• Liverpool vs Chelsea, the alternative build-up – religious nutter is rubbish at football predictions April 22nd, 2008 Champions League

  God, who apparently is like “the referee on life’s big pitch”, has not revealed the correct score of this Chelsea vs Liverpool encounter. At least not to this preaching loon, who seems a little startled when a Chelsea fans confronts him. The fence-sitting Jesus freak, as I believe they are called, goes for a 2-2 […]

• Football news – Gillett invites DIC to Champions League semi, Man City want £20m Jo, Valencia sack Ronald Koeman April 22nd, 2008 Aston Villa

  Liverpool co-owner George Gillett has invited prospective new owners Dubai International Capital to the Champions League semi-final with Chelsea. BBC Sport Manchester City are close to their highest ever transfer pay-out after reportedly agreeing terms to pay £20m to CSKA Moscow for Brazilian striker Jo (pictured, left) – surely Jo is the man with the […]

• Classic Moment – Liverpool v Chelsea Champions League semi-final April 22nd, 2008 Champions League

  Ooh… erm… let me see. There must be something – they’ve played four Champions League semi-finals matches against each other in the past three years. Surely this series of matches must have generated at least one memorable moment. Well, erm… did Steven Gerrard have a shot at some point? I can’t remember – I think I was must have drifted off at that point. Oh! There was Luis Garcia’s goal, but then again that wasn’t really a goal… Hmm… what about Stephen Warnock’s chewing gum prank on John Arne Riise.

• Football news – Lampard & Gerrard fit for Champions League semi, Mourinho to Inter, Eto’o unhappy at Barcelona April 21st, 2008 Champions League

  Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard should both be fit for tomorrow night’s Champions League semi-final at Anfield. Which is nice. F365 Jose Mourinho has finally agreed to manage Inter Milan. Not only that, but he wants to snatch Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba from Chelsea. The traitor. The Sun Striker Samuel Eto’o […]

• Forgotten wonder goals – Lee Sharpe’s backheel against Barcelona, 1994 April 18th, 2008 Champions League

  What a cheeky little goal from Lee Sharpe. The main reason it is forgotten is that United only drew the match 2-2, while Barcelona won 4-0 at the Nou Camp. The Red Devils were left behind at the group stage as Barca and unlikely table-toppers IFK Goteborg progressed. I can’t wait to see these pair getting together on Wednesday night (even it is minus Lee Sharpe!).

• 10 conclusions – Liverpool 4-2 Arsenal April 9th, 2008 Arsenal
  

  1 What a match! Thrilling, pulsating action and a couple of great goals. An old fashioned English cup tie, Champions League style.

• Champions League preview and predictions, Arsenal v Liverpool, Fernabahce v Chelsea April 2nd, 2008 Arsenal

  Arsenal vs Liverpool (7.45pm BST)
  The battle of Britain commences with the first of three games in succession between these two teams. Arsenal will have to decide whether to move Eboue back into defence in place of the injured Bacary Sagna while Liverpool will continue with their latest system of using Gerrard in the hole behind the in-form Fernando Torres.