Smacchat World Soccer Blog

Chelsea gets stung in extra time, must watch another final from home

2009-05-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

One of the things that makes tournament soccer so great is the how quickly you can have a reversal of fortune. The Blues had their date set with their perpetual foes from the EPL in the finals of the Champions League but saw everything slip away almost 3 minutes into EXTRA time. FC Barcelona snatched a remarkable UEFA Champions League semi-final win through Andrés Iniesta's goal three minutes into added time to earn a showdown with Manchester United FC in Rome on May 27. Chelsea FC thought they had done enough to earn a repeat of last season's final as they defended Michael Essien's breathtaking ninth-minute strike with great resilience only for Essien to then err in failing to clear his lines in the dying moments. Lionel Messi squared to Iniesta and he cut his shot skilfully away from Petr Čech to give the 2006 champions – playing with ten men after Eric Abidal's second-half dismissal – victory on away goals and the chance to reclaim their crown, although they will have to do it without the suspended Abidal and Daniel Alves. Since “the special one left, Chelsea has not been able to close the deal and their frustration is beginning to show in their mannerisms off the pitch. Arguing the refs, looking for calls when the issue would have been a moot point if they “manned up” and played some D for four minutes of extra time after holding them scoreless for over 180 minutes of game time. The truth is that the Blues are quickly becoming the best second place finisher in Europe, but without the intestinal fortitude to finish. Does Chelsea need to make a fundamental change in order to return to their old glory? Let us know here and in the World Soccer Chat rooms.

Premier League Table - May 11 2009
Team............P.......W.......D.......L.......GD......Pts
Man United......35......26......5.......4.......42......83
Liverpool.......36......23......11......2.......46......80
Chelsea.........36......23......8.......5.......41......77
Arsenal.........36......19......11......6.......28......68
Aston Villa.....36......16......10......10......5.......58

Liverpool finishes the year without any hardware
End the end it wasn't the amount of losses on the pitch for Liverpool as they had half as many as the side that will hoist the trophy Manchester United, but when the Reds look back on the EPL 09 campaign surely it will the points that they let slip away in the course of totaling 11 draws. Two of those converted to victories would have made the difference between adding some hardware to the storied cupboard and dusting an empty space for six months. Most of all, adding some distance between themselves and the afore mentioned Man U at the top of the all time table 19-17, rather that sharing the honor with the Red Devils at 18. Man U now need just four points from their remaining three fixtures to claim their 11th Premier League crown, and third in succession, to match the achievements of their bitter Anfield foes, whose own wait for top-flight glory is now almost certain to extend into a 20th year. Perhaps too content with sitting on leads throughout the season or adding some much needed defenders could bridge that gap next season. What changes do you think Liverpool needs to make to stem the tide? Let us know here and in the World Soccer chat rooms.

Gunners look strong as they move into semis

2009-04-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Arsenal produced an impressive performance to overcome Villarreal 3-0 at Emirates Stadium and win their UEFA Champions League quarter-final 4-1 on aggregate. Theo Walcott gave the Gunners a perfect start when he coolly chipped the ball past Diego Lopez after 10 minutes, although Emmanuel Adebayor missed a good chance to make it 2-0 before the break. Villarreal improved after half-time and enjoyed a brief spell of pressure, but Adebayor's fine finish on the hour-mark eased Arsenal's nerves.
Any chance of a Villarreal fightback then disappeared nine minutes later when Walcott won a penalty after being brought down by Diego Godin, and Sebastian Eguren was sent off for protesting too much. Robin van Persie stepped up to smash the spot-kick home and Arsenal coasted through the closing stages to set up a meeting with defending champions Manchester United in the last four.

EPL top squads trying to focus as there are multiple task at hand

2009-04-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

In an unprecedented display of consistency and excellence, the top four EPL sides are simultaneously battle with each other to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League while being separated by only one point at the top and 10 points between fourth place in the EPL table. Rarely has there ever been so much resting on each game as there will be over the next two weeks. Although their focal point was off his game Chelsea still sent an impressive message in their quarter final let one victory over Liverpool and returns to friendly confines of ‘The Bridge’ where they should close the Reds out. Also returning home will be Arsenal need just to hold serve to move on to the semis. The current EPL leaders will have to get some road work done if they are to keep hopes alive as a trip to Porto will not be easy with two away goals presenting a high hurdle. No doubt the two home sides have a great opportunity to advance but what about what about the other two? Who do you think will advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League? Let us know here and in the World Soccer Chat Rooms.

Barcelona 4 - 0 Bayern Munich
Liverpool 1 - 3 Chelsea
Man Utd 2 - 2 FC Porto
Villarreal 1-1 Arsenal

EPL comes down the home stretch with much to be decided

At the top, defending champions Manchester United are wobbling. It has been suggested the jelly feeling has been due, too many scrapes indicating a collapse was on the horizon. And so it has proved. Sir Alex Ferguson, though, has a habit of turning the tide, of avoiding the self-destruct button. The talent is there, and one would prefer not to be Sunderland come 3pm.

Liverpool will no doubt have the taunt of a midweek Chelsea defeat fresh in their smarting minds. It will be intriguing viewing to see how the Reds respond in their quest for the title against a rough and ready Blackburn Rovers still grappling for survival.

Meanwhile Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League showing against Liverpool reminded all of their horsepower, and they'll need all they can muster if they're going to overtake the leaders. Gary Megson's bullish Bolton Wanderers have fared well at Stamford Bridge in the past, but be warned of Michael Essien and co. That Merseyside injection was no short-term fix.
The return of Newcastle United hero Alan Shearer on Tyneside last Saturday proved an anticipated anticlimax, but perhaps the occasion got the better of the 'Messiah' - a pseudonym which ultimately defines as saviour, and screams much expectation for a former television pundit to bear. Do you think Man U can hold off the other three Champions League participants to raise the cup? Let us know here and in the World Soccer Chatrooms. Here are the EPL standings going into the final weeks.

Premier League Table - April 5 2009
Team.............P.......W......D.......L.......GD.....Pts
Man U ....... 30......21..... 5...... 4..... 32......68
Liverpool ......31......19......10......2.......34......67
Chelsea.........31......19......7.......5.......34......64
Arsenal.........31......16......10......5.......23......58
Aston Villa.....31......15......7.......9........6......52

Related Feature

2007-02-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

The above article features related content

EPL teams continue to dominate Champions League

2009-03-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

The self proclaimed ‘best league in the world’ made a major statement this week as all four EPL sides continued to advance in the Champions League tournament with Liverpool looking the most dominant in their disposal of Real Madrid. Chelsea eliminated the defending Italian Champions on aggregate, while Man U won the other British/Italian matchup with a 2-0 shutout of Inter at Old Trafford. The match of the day, and tournament thus far was Arsenal’s 7-6 pk win over Roma, completing the English sweep over Italy. Meanwhile, lost in the shuffle was Barcelona who continued to live up to their billing as the side most likely to sample success in Rome on 27th May as they brushed aside Lyon 5-2 to wrap up a 6-3 aggregate win. Thierry Henry set Pep Guardiola's side on their way in the Camp Nou in the 25th minute as he collected Rafael Marquez's pass to stride into acres of space and slot past Hugo Lloris. Another formidable opponent, Porto advanced after a goalless stalemate they with Atletico Madrid in Portugal, allowing the home side to progress on away goals following a 2-2 draw in the first leg. A tense night at the Estadio Dragao saw a game of few chances. Fernando had an effort for Porto in the first half, while Sergio Aguero turned down the opportunity to pass as Atletico's best attack went to waste. The Spanish side introduced Diego Forlan in the second half after the striker had surprisingly been left on the bench, but it was Porto who almost snatched the win on the night as Lisandro hit a post in the dying minutes. So don’t start engraving the trophy just yet as there is plenty of football left to play and some other countries still might have something to say about the British ‘dominance’ before it’s all said and done. Who is your pick to win the Champions League? Let us know here and in the world soccer chat rooms.

UEFA Champions League Results
Wednesday 11th March
------------------------------
FC Porto 0 - 0 Atletico Madrid
Roma 1 - 0 Arsenal
Man Utd 2 - 0 Inter Milan
Barcelona 5 - 2 Lyon

Tuesday 10th March
------------------------------
Juventus 2 - 2 Chelsea
Liverpool 4 - 0 Real Madrid
Bayern Munich 7 - 1 Sporting
Panathinaikos 1 - 2 Villarreal

Five Games in

2007-09-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

The cream is rising to the top as names at the top of the EPL become to look more familiar. Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea are tied for the lead with Everton still surprising the field games in. The second tier also has some powerhouses names with Man City and Man U. Newcastle and Blackburn try to prove that deserve to be in the same breath with the others. As the schedule makes its rounds the big boys should get some separation. Who do you think should be coming out of the pack?

Finally! The Champions League is here!

2007-09-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Champions League gets under way today with the following matches:

Group A
FC Porto v. Liverpool
Marseille v. Besiktas

Group B
Chelsea v. Rosenborg
Schalke 04 v. Valencia

Group C
Olympiacos v. Lazio
Real Madrid v. Werder Bremen

Group D
AC Milan v. Benfica
Shakhtar Donetsk v. Celtic

England’s hopes for Euro 2008 disappear in four minutes

2007-10-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Has England lost its chance to qualify for Euro 2008? A devastating loss on the artificial field at Luzhniki Stadium 2-1 to Russia takes their fate out of their hands and now they need Israel to upset the same Russian club on Nov 17 or they will be forced to watch the Euro 08’ from home. Numerous questions surround the game including, should it have been a penalty kick or just a free kick? The replay indicates Roman Pavlyuchenko was outside the box when he was taken down by Rooney. Also, should Steve McClaren resign? And lastly, how does this team, which such high expectations, end up needing and upset by someone else just to get in to Euro 2008? England, which would have qualified with victory, has only a game against Croatia on Nov. 21.

Big Week in the EPL

2007-09-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Arsenal leads the league in scoring and also leads the table. They may not get a break this week even though Bolton’s near the bottom of the table, because the dismissal Sammy Lee may motivate the Wanderers to play at another level. Man U coming off a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic, travels to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa who will be looking to get the win and pull into contention. Manchester City goes to Birmingham City on Saturday and tries to keep pace with the leaders who will probably get the result they want. Liverpool has fallen off the pace, but can they put it together? Can any of the 3 (Rovers, Chelsea, Villa) in the middle of the pack make a run?

Becks makes an appearance.....whatever

2007-10-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Beck’s finally gets back on the pitch but is it too little too late for the Galaxy? If they squeak in as the last seed can they make a run?

Henry out for at least one match

2007-11-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

Henry has an Achilles tendon injury and definitely misses Thursday's Primera Liga fixture against Real Valladolid. The Frenchman is also struggling to be fit for Sunday's clash with Real Betis, can they win without him?

EPL Game Week 13

2007-11-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

Arsenal still least the table but familiar names have found their way to the top. Going into the weekend the table looks like this:

Team Gms Pld Points

Arsenal	11	27
Man Utd	12	27
Man City	12	25
Chelsea	12	24
Portsmouth	12	22
Blackburn	11	22

Chelsea and Man U are at home against tough opponents in Everton and Blackburn respectively, and will have to work to keep the pace. Liverpool is just outside the top tier(19 pts), can they get back in the hunt? Who else can make their presents felt in the month of November?

Game Week 14

2007-11-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

GameWeek 14

Many EPL Clubs will need to use the international break to get healthy and gear-up for what could be the opportunity to get separation or get back into the hunt. Here's what the top of the table looks like going into this weekend's matches:

Team Played Points

Arsenal	12	30
Man Utd	13	30
Man City	13	26
Chelsea	13	25
Liverpool	12	24
Portsmouth	13	23

Arsenal almost promises to keep the pressure the lads from Manchester by taking on Wigan Athletic should easily get the desired result. Man U also should stay atop the table when they travel to Bolton. Meanwhile City does not have it quite as easy taking on 'middle of the table' Reading, but they are at home. Lastly, Chelsea goes to last place Derby County and will be at 28 points going into the break and Blackburn needs a win on the road to get back into the hunt. In one of the closest and most enjoyable races for the championship in years, which club is poised to take control of the Premiership this year?

Dynamo take the MLS Cup, shock Revolution in the process

2007-11-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row, Houston Dynamo fell behind to the New England Revolution in the MLS Cup Final. And for the second year in a row, Dynamo came back to deny the Revolution victory, winning MLS Cup 2007 2-1 at RFK Stadium. The Dynamo are the first back-to-back MLS champions since D.C. United in the first years of league history.

For the Revolution, it was yet another heartbreak. They've played in four MLS Cup Finals -- bested only by D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy -- and have yet to lay claim to the MLS Cup trophy. Dynamo won the MLS Cup last year in their first season in south Texas, defeating the Revolution on penalty kicks after the teams played to a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes. This puts them in dubious company with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills of the NFL, as four-time losers of the final game.

The fallout of England’s loss begins as Steve McClaren sacked as manager

2007-11-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

The expected carnage, introspective, and accusations are in full force as Steve McClaren being sacked as manager of English national team appears to be just the beginning. A heart wrenching Craig Johnston critiqued everyone from the FA, to the players, and believes that the kids of today are not prepared to work hard to become better footballers. The FA itself requested a complete “a full root and branch” examination of the whole England senior team center. The fans claim that the FA is at the center of the problem themselves, believing they pick up their paychecks regardless of the outcome or performance on the pitch. Roy Keane believes there are too many egos on the England squad. What do you think? Was it coaching? Was it the players themselves? Lack of training from the very bottom? Post your thoughts here and on the soccer chat room.

Champions League/EPL Update

2007-12-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

The EPL is now 14 games in and Arsenal is looking for a little breathing room, but all of the top five clubs have upcoming matches they should win. The top of the table looks like this: Played Points

Arsenal	14	36
Man Utd	15	33
Chelsea	15	31
Liverpool	14	30
Man City	15	30

Champions League
Celtic booked their place in the knockout round by "backing in" after a 1-0 loss in San Siro. Celtic went into the game needing a point to be certain of finishing second in Group D, but with Shakhtar Donetsk going down 2-1 at home to Benfica, the Scottish giants were able to celebrate regardless of their own result, but they don't look like they have the fortitude necessary to go much further. The rest of the Champions League fixtures for December 11.

FC Porto Vs. Besiktas
Marseille vs. Liverpool
Chelsea vs. Valencia
Schalke vs. Rosenborg
Real Madrid vs. Lazio
Olympiakos vs. Werder Bremen

Champions League/EPL Update

2007-12-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

In Champions League action, marquee clubs Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Chelsea advance in convincing fashion, with Schalke also advancing but backing in with a draw. Meanwhile Olympiakos quietly went about their business and also moved on. Scores for the day included:

Meanwhile the only surprise in the EPL this weekend was a shocker as Arsenal suffered its first defeat of the year to Middlesbrough 2-1. This tightens the noose at the top of the table and going into this weeks matches, looks like this:

	Team	P	Pts
1	Arsenal	16	37
2	Manchester United	16	36
3	Chelsea	16	34

Carling Cup update/EPL match day 17

2007-12-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

Ten-man Tottenham Hotspur ended Manchester City's 100 per cent home record and booked a place in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup with a 2-0 away win. Jermain Defoe opened the scoring before Didier Zokora was sent off for a challenge on Elano. City dominated much of the second half, but Spurs clinched the contest in the dying moments through a superb break-away goal after 83 minutes.
*************************************************************************
EPL Update 17 games in:

Arsenal 17 40
Man Utd 17 39
Chelsea 17 34
Man City 17 33

the match of the weekend has to be Portsmouth traveling to Anfield to take on Liverpool with both clubs sitting on 30 points.
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Chelsea have won the race to sign Argentine hot-shot Franco Di Santo. The Blues have agreed a deal worth $7million (£3.4million) with his club - Chilean outfit Audax Italiano, and the 18-year-old will move when the transfer window opens in January.

EPL Boxing day mile post/Fulham makes a change

2007-12-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

Former Blackburn boss Roy Hodgson has been named as the new Fulham manager. Lawris Sanchez paid the price for a disappointing first half to the season as he was sacked before Christmas. Ray Lewington has been in caretaker charge for the last two matches but The Cottagers have continued to struggle. Fulham were keen to make a swift appointment and John Collins had been tipped to take the reins. The questions is will it be enough to keep them from regulation?

After 19 games in the EPL it is shaping up to be one of the most highly contested campaigns in quite some time. The top of the table looks like this:
1. Man. Utd 14 - 3 - 2/ 45 (winners of 5 out of 6 setting a tough pace)
2. Arsenal 13 - 5 - 1/ 44 (2 ties and 1 lost in last 6 have cost them)
3. Chelsea 11 - 5 - 3/ 38 (4 wins w/1 draw last 6 but are 3 wins shy)
4. Liverpool 10 - 6 - 2/ 36 (4 wins but two costly losses in last 6)
5. Man City 10 - 5 - 4/ 35 (only 6pts last 6 matches 10pts may be too far back)

FA Cup Third-Round Match-ups

2008-01-04T22:55:00.000-08:00

Aston Villa v. Manchester United
Barnsley v. Blackpool
Blackburn v. Coventry
Bolton v. Sheffield United
Brighton v. Mansfield
Bristol City v. Middlesbrough
Burnley v. Arsenal
Charlton v. West Brom
Chasetown v. Cardiff
Chelsea v. QPR
Colchester v. Peterborough
Derby v. Sheffield Wednesday
Everton v. Oldham
Fulham v. Bristol Rovers
Huddersfield v. Brimingham
Ipswich v. Portsmouth
*****************************************************************
The big-spending Championship outfit will be looking to make their mark against the Stamford Bridge side, who are no strangers to spending big in the transfer market.
Chasetown, the lowest ranked team to reach the third round, will be out to savour the biggest day in the history of the British Gas Business Division One Midlands outfit as they play host to Cardiff City.
There is an all-Premier League showdown at Villa Park as Manchester United are the visitors, the fourth time in seven seasons the two clubs have met in the competition.
Premier League strugglers Fulham and Derby will be hoping the cup can provide some cheer as they come up against Bristol Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday, respectively. Burnley will be dreaming of an upset as they welcome table-topping Arsenal to Turf Moor, while Middlesbrough face a tricky trip to Championship side Bristol City.
Blackburn host Coventry, Bolton welcome Sheffield United to The Reebok Stadium and Everton are at home to Oldham. Birmingham travel to Huddersfield and Portsmouth face Ipswich at Portman Road in other ties involving Premier League clubs.
*****************************************************************

FA Cup match-ups for the 4th round

2008-01-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Game of the Day**********************************
What: FA Cup Third Round Replay
Who: Newcastle Utd (11th EPL, 26/66 pts) v Stoke (4th Championship, 44/81 pts)
When: Wednesday 16 January, Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Where: St James' Park, Newcastle
Winners away to Arsenal in Fourth Round. Result Newcastle 4 - 1

Other Results:
Man City 1-0 West Ham
Havant and W 4-2 Swansea City
Hereford United 1-0 Tranmere Rovers
4th round up coming where things REALLY get interesting.
*******************************************************************************
Barclays Premier League this weekend:
15:00 Birmingham vs Chelsea
15:00 Blackburn vs Middlesbrough
15:00 Fulham vs Arsenal
15:00 Portsmouth vs Derby
15:00 Reading vs Man Utd
15:00 Tottenham vs Sunderland
17:15 Newcastle vs Bolton
******************************************************************************

Champions League Reaches the Knockout Phase

2008-02-19T23:17:00.000-08:00

Late goals from Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt helped Liverpool see off 10-man Internazionale at Anfield, while Chelsea drew with Olympiakos in Greece. Chelsea will be happy enough with a 0-0 scoreline from the first leg of their last-16 meeting with Olympiakos in Piraeus. Roma came from behind to claim a 2-1 win over Real Madrid and give themselves a slender advantage to take to Spain for the second leg. Real dominated possession for long periods and took a deserved lead through an opportunist strike from Raul in the eighth minute. Schalke and Porto's UEFA Champions League tie remains on a knife-edge after the German side beat the Portuguese champions by a narrow 1-0 margin. Germany's only representatives left in the competition went in front in the fourth minute of the first-leg of the last 16 stage thanks to Kevin Kuranyi's goal.
Following day matches include:

Arsenal vs. Milan Fenerbahce vs. Sevilla
Celtic vs. Barcelona Lyon vs. Man Utd

Champions League Update

2008-03-11T01:16:00.000-07:00

Arsenal succeeded in becoming the first team to beat Milan on their home turf with a 2-0 victory (2-0 on agg.) Fabergas converted from 26 yards away and when it was all over but the shouting Adebyor got a great feed from Walcott to seal the deal. So the question now, “is it finally time for AC to make some changes as age catches up with them?
After a series of Bundesliga losses, Schalke clinched a 4-1 win on penalties against Porto thanks to a star performance from its young goalie Manuel Neuer. He hopes the win will boost the team's flagging morale. The win was sealed with three successful shots in the penalty shoot-out from Schalke after a 1-1 aggregate deadlock and a round of extra time.

The most successful team in Champions league history Real Madrid was shown the exit by Roma in a stunner 2-1 as a ruthless AS Roma got the win over 10-man Real Madrid at the Bernabeu to clinch their place in the Champions League quarter-finals 4-2 on aggregate. Real took the initiative for most of the game, but suffered a major setback when Portugal centre-back Pepe was sent off for picking up a second booking 19 minutes from time.

Schalke beat 10-man Porto 4-1 on penalties to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time after drawing 1-1 on aggregate on Wednesday. An 86th minute Lisandro Lopez strike cancelled out Kevin Kuranyi's first-leg goal while the Germans had young goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to thank for knocking out the former champions.

Chelsea cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a comprehensive 3-0 (4-0 agg) victory over Olympiacos at Stamford Bridge.

Who is poised to make it to the semi finals? Talk about it here or in the World Soccer chatroom.

2008-03-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

For the first time in the history of the Champions League one country has 4 sides among the remaining 8. Liverpool became the 4th EPL side to advance to the quarterfinals in the Champions League with a 1-0 (3-0) aggregate victory over Inter Milan. Already down 0-2 to start the evening with a mountain to climb, Milan gave up the decider early in the second half.

EPL powerhouse Liverpool and Champions League Staple Inter Milan will battle to see who will punch the last ticket to the final 8 sides of the knockout stage. However Inter face an almost impossible task already being down 0-2 on aggregate. They will have to play a perfect match otherwise 50% of the remaining sides will reside in the EPL. 5 of the other 7 are familiar faces with Fenervache and Shalke 04, being the newcomers to the “great 8”, with Real and Milan the conspicuous no shows at the final table. From here on expect the cream to rise with powerful EPL sides Man U, Arsenal, and Chelsea still in the mix.

previous champions league post

2008-04-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Liverpool came from behind to claim a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final at Emirates Stadium. The Gunners dominated early on and they deservedly went ahead on 23 minutes as Emmanuel Adebayor rose unchallenged to head home a corner. Arsenal were the better team thereafter but they could not find a breakthrough. They should have had a second-half penalty after Kuyt appeared to tug back Alexander Hleb in the box but the ref only gave a corner. Now Liverpool go into next week's second leg as slight favorites thanks to their away goal.
Fenerbahce fought back from a goal down to claim an unlikely 2-1 success over Chelsea in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League clash. Avram Grant's side had been in firm control of the contest early on courtesy of Deivid's own goal from Florent Malouda's cross after just 13 minutes. The Blues dominated the remainder of the first half, but crucially, they failed to add to their early advantage despite peppering Fener keeper Volkan Demirel. With the Blue’s back against the wall it sets up an intriguing second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United are in a commanding position to qualify for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League after a 2-0 win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney grabbed the goals for the Premier League leaders to give Roma a mountain to climb in the second leg at Old Trafford next week. United look poised to move on to the final next week where they will face the familiarity of a Premiere League side. This sets up to be Man U’s best chance at the trophy in quite some time.

Barcelona will take a narrow lead to Camp Nou after securing a 1-0 win against Schalke in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final. Bojan Krkic grabbed the only goal of the game for the visitors and ensures that the Catalan giants will be the favourites to progress to the last four when the two sides meet again next week. It took just 12 minutes for the visitors to take the lead, when 17-year-old striker Krkic handed them the advantage. Thierry Henry troubled Schalke down the left and when his snap-shot was parried back to his feet from Manuel Neuer, he squared for his young team-mate to tap home. Only a trip to the finals will save Frank Rijkaard’s job and with the talent he’s working with it should be doable. The question is should he be asked to step down either way?

Smacchat World Soccer Blog

Chelsea gets stung in extra time, must watch another final from home

Gunners look strong as they move into semis

EPL top squads trying to focus as there are multiple task at hand

Related Feature

EPL teams continue to dominate Champions League

Five Games in

Finally! The Champions League is here!

England’s hopes for Euro 2008 disappear in four minutes

Big Week in the EPL

Becks makes an appearance.....whatever

Henry out for at least one match

EPL Game Week 13

Game Week 14

Dynamo take the MLS Cup, shock Revolution in the process

The fallout of England’s loss begins as Steve McClaren sacked as manager

Champions League/EPL Update

Champions League/EPL Update

Carling Cup update/EPL match day 17

EPL Boxing day mile post/Fulham makes a change

FA Cup Third-Round Match-ups

FA Cup match-ups for the 4th round

Champions League Reaches the Knockout Phase

Champions League Update

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previous champions league post