Arsenal pulled off one of the most decisive Champions League wins in history against Porto on Tuesday. Bendnter bagged his first hat trick, Eboue scored off of a beautiful Arshavin assist, and Nasri scored THE goal of his career.
Will the Gunner’s be able to out-finess more physical teams like Chelsea and Inter?
Arsenal v FC Porto
Uploaded by gerveenio. – Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
We expected Manchester United to win today, but 4-0 was an upset by anyone’s standards. Rooney, Fletcher, and Park made the score sheet, thanks to brilliant supporting play from every square inch of the field.
Rooney (now with 30 goals in all competition this season) was being compared to United great Dennis Law today. The truth is that he was simply being his own legendary self.
Manchester United vs AC Milan
Uploaded by grenndallos. – Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
Stevan Jovetic – photo credit: Getty Images
Despite being knocked out by Bayern Munich on goal aggregate, you have to appreciate Fiorentina’s performance today. Anyone who saw the game couldn’t help noticing the talents of 20 year old Stevan Jovetic. He had 2 goals on the day and immediately became a summer-transfer target for larger clubs.
Jovetic started his career at Partizan when he was 16 and was named the squad’s captain just two years later. After scoring 12 goals in 51 appearances for the club, Jovetic received interest from high-profile teams such as Manchester United and Real Madrid, but instead made the move to Serie A squad Fiorentina. He netted two goals to beat Liverpool in last season’s group stage of the UEFA Champions League. After today’s performance, the young stunner has surely earned a place in Viola history.
By Jake Glavies
For years Dynamo Kyiv’s success was buried behind a red wall of Soviet silence. One of the most decorated clubs in Eastern Europe, Dynamo is also one of soccer’s best kept secrets.
Now playing in the Ukrainian Premier League, and formerly in the Soviet Top League, the squad has brought home 12 Ukrainian league titles – more than any other team – nine Ukrainian Cups, 13 USSR Championships and nine USSR Cups.
After the Ukraine was freed from Soviet rule in 1990, professional soccer began just two years later. Dynamo has been involved in every championship match since the league’s inception in 1992. Though they finished as runners-up to Tavriya Simferopol during the inaugural season, they went on to dominant for years to come. Winning nine straight titles from 1993-2001, the Bilo-Syni became the most dominant force in Eastern Europe. In recent years, the team also managed to make it to the Champions League quarterfinals in 1998 and the semifinals in 1999.
Dynamo suffered through its longest title drought when they finished second during the 2005 and ’06 seasons when nemesis Shakhtar Donetsk took home the title. Kyiv also gave up the title to the Hirnyky in 2008, before again claiming victory in 2009.
Through the years Dynamo has seen a number of quality players come through its ranks. During the Soviet days, Oleg Blokhin was the pride of Kyiv. Suiting up for the Bilo-Syni from 1969-1988, Blokhin was the squad’s shining star. With 432 Soviet Top League appearances and 211 goals, both of which are more than any other player in league history, Blokhin helped lead Dynamo to 10 titles of various kinds. He also became the first Ukrainian born player to win the Balloon d’Or, when he took home the honor in 1975.
Just over 10 years later though, Dynamo would find a new savior, as Ihor Belanov was named European Footballer of the Year in 1986. More recently, Andriy Shevchanko has become the face of Kyiv. Beginning his professional career with the club in 1994, he was behind much of the team’s early Ukrainian league success. Shevchenko netted 60 goals in 117 appearances during his five-year stay with the team. After spending time with Milan, where he won the Ballon d’Or in 2004, and Chelsea, he returned to Dynamo in 2009 after signing a two-year deal.
Currently, Dynamo Kyiv holds a slim two-point lead over Shakhtar Donetsk in the league standings.
We love Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but 2010 will long be remembered as the year of our lord, Wayne Rooney. He may not win the Champions League, or the Premiership, or the World Cup… but at this point no single player is more capable of winning them all.
In Rooney, we have witnessed the maturation of a pure striker in his prime. He is an archetype, breaking the game down to a balance of bullish force and complete fluidity.
Manchester United v Aston Villa
Uploaded by rebhami01. – Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.
You’ve got Barcelona and Real Madrid, and a few mid-table contenders, but what has happened to Spanish football!?
Today’s 5-1 victory over Tenerife was almost unfair. Coming off of a loss to Lyon, you have to wonder if Madrid is suffering from a lack of competition in La Liga. Here are highlights.
Barça’s 2-1 victory over Málaga was more conservative, though a 1-1 tie to Stuttgart in the UCL begs a similar question about the quality of their competitors.
The two Spanish giants are expected to win everything, but the quality of their play will almost certainly suffer if they can’t be challenged. All across Europe the title races are getting tighter and tighter with many teams competing for top spots. In turn, we see stunning performances from Lyon, Bordeaux, Stuttgart, and Panathinaikos in the Champions League.
Here’s a look at Barça vs Málaga…
By Jake Glavies
As Stuttgart prepare for the second leg of their showdown at Barcelona on March 17, the resurging German powerhouse will have a few things to focus on.
The first area to address is the most basic of the game: holding onto the ball. Stuttgart managed to control the ball for just 28 percent of today’s match – or just over 25 minutes. If the south German club lets Barcelona’s front line operate at its leisure in their second-leg showdown, they will surely find themselves on the losing end of things.
A bright spot to be taken from today’s match was Stuttgart’s chances in front of the goal. Attempting 13 shots, with five on target, compared to just eight, with four on goal, for Barcelona, the German outfit will certainly get its share of goal scoring chances during the team’s next meeting. With a pair of solid offensive weapons in Pavel Pogrebnyak and Cacau, Stuttgart has the firepower to orchestrate an upset in enemy territory.
And the club’s new-found confidence might be just what it needs to steal a victory at Camp Nou. Compiling a 6-1-1 record since Christian Gross took over coaching duties from Markus Babbel on Dec. 6, the squad has been a force to be reckoned with in the Bundesliga. Under Babbel, the team started the season just 2-6-7.
Nevertheless, Stuttgart will have to play a near perfect match if it wants to dethrone last season’s Champions League victors.
By Yoni Ginsberg
Before the game, Belarusian midfielder Alexandr Hleb, who is on loan from Barcelona to Stuttgart, figured his team had a 10 percent chance of winning. I figured it was more like zero. However, an enthusiastic performance from the Germans, complemented by a bleak showing from the Catalans, landed Christian Gross’s side a respectable 1-1 tie.
Although they now have to score at the Nou Camp, the Germans proved that they can play with the big boys. Despite a ninth-place position in the Bundesliga, the Germans (fairing much better under new management) looked upbeat and ready to play, controlling the majority of the first half and scoring a wonderful goal through the head of Cacau.
But honestly, did you ever doubt Barça? Of course you didn’t.
Down a goal, the Spaniards bounced back and, immediately following the break, leveled the score through their big Swede, Zlatan. The game finished on a low note as fans booed an unsportsmanly Sergio Busquets who, after a mild foul, took his sweet time getting back into the game.
Stuttgart fans should be pleased with the team’s current form. Just this past Saturday they defeated FC Koln 5-1, with Cacau registering 4 goals to his name. The Spaniards were just as good over the weekend, thrashing Racing Santander 4-0. Although it wont be easy, Barcelona should advance to the quarter finals in a matter of two weeks.
VfB Stuttgart v Barcelona
Uploaded by gauillardo. – More professional, college and classic sports videos.
By Jake Glavies
Sunday’s clash between Manchester City and Liverpool is the showdown that could have been. While both teams prepare to face off for the fourth spot in the Premier League, they’ll each be doing so without their most dangerous offensive weapons. Boasting two of the league’s most proficient goal scorers in Carlos Tevez and Fernando Torres, the contest in Manchester could have been one of the league’s best. However, neither player will be in uniform when their teams meet this weekend.
An injury plagued year has held Torres to just 15 league appearances, in which time he’s netted a team-high 12 goals. After returning from nearly a month long layoff during the first half of the season, Torres managed to stay healthy for just five league matches before again returning to the sidelines. As for Tevez, an extended family leave to look after his daughter in Argentina has kept the forward out since a 2-0 victory over Bolton on Feb. 9. After getting off to a slow start during his first season at City, Tevez has come on strong over the past two months – scoring 11 goals in 11 matches to help Manchester rise to No. 4 in the league, just one point ahead of Liverpool.
Scoring a combined 25 goals this year – with Tevez accounting for a team-leading 13 scores – the duo has helped keep their respective clubs in the top quarter of the table for most of the season. With both scratched from the line-up for Sunday though, the match will take on a completely different dynamic. Both teams must look to their background players for the lift they need to stay in Champions League contention. For Liverpool it’ll be a combination of Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard. The duo has teamed up for 14 goals this year – with Kuyt leading the way with nine.
On City’s side, Emmanuel Adebayor will attempt to pick up the slack while Tevez is across the Atlantic. Netting nine goals this season, including three in his last four league matches, Adebayor will be the focal point of Manchester’s attack.
Though both teams are without their top offensive stars, neither should have much difficulty finding the back of the net. City has allowed 33 goals this season, most amongst the top five teams in the league. Liverpool has fared only slightly better, giving up 27 scores.
After playing to a 2-2 draw on Nov. 21, each team would certainly like to knock the other out of the top quarter of the table. But just who’ll step up and grab the victory for his team won’t be known until the action begins Sunday.
By Jake Glavies
David Beckham’s first match against former club Manchester United was a bit anticlimactic thanks in large part to the stellar play of striker Wayne Rooney.
Playing at the San Siro in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 Tuesday, Rooney was nothing short of magnificent while netting two late goals in just eight minutes to give United a 3-2 victory over Beckham and AC Milan. The first goal came in the 66th minute when Rooney headed home a cross from substitute Antonio Valencia; he used his head again for his second score, knocking in a pass from Darren Fletcher. The scores were Rooney’s first European goals of a year, which give him a total of 25 for the season.
Milan got on the board first when Ronaldinho scored in the third minute off a Beckham free kick. Paul Scholes made it a 1-1 match with a goal in the 36th minute. After the break it was all Rooney until Milan’s Clarence Seedorf drew the Rossoneri to within one, hitting the back of the net at the 85-minute mark.
AC Milan v Manchester United
Uploaded by peerzoner. – Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
In other Champions League action, Lyon stunned red-hot Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their showdown. Jean Makoun netted the match’s lone goal when he scored on a rocket shot from 25-yards out. Madrid dominated every facet of the match except the scoreboard. The squad had six shots on goal compared to four for Lyon; it also attempted three more corners and held the ball for 66 percent of the match.
The closest Madrid got to lighting up the scoreboard came in the first half when Gonzalo Higuaín received a quality pass from Cristiano Ronaldo but couldn’t manage to get past defender Jean-Alain Boumsong. In the second half, Ronaldo tried his best from 25-yards away but was rejected by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Olympique Lyon v Real Madrid
Uploaded by peerzoner. – Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.
Heading into the match, the return of former Lyon star Karim Benzema dominated headlines. Benzema entered the match in the 64th minute as a substitute for Higuaín and had little to show leading up to the final whistle.
Despite allowing an away goal, Madrid’s statistical dominance Tuesday will give it an advantage when Lyon travels to the Bernabeu March 10. United will take its distinct goal advantage home to Old Trafford when it faces Milan again the same day.
