ROUND UP OF UCL GROUP STAGE WEEK 4

GROUP A



Malmo vs. Atletico Madrid 0-2
Malmo took on Atletico Mardid in the return leg and lost by two goals to nil. Atletico scored the opener in the 30th minute through Koke. Atletico later doubled their lead through Garcia in the 78th minute. This took the aggregate to 0-7 against Malmo, the home side were rather unlucky even though they created lots of chances.

Juventus vs. Olympiacos 3-2
The Old ladies took on Olympiacos in a  crunching encounter. Five goals were produced in that game with high attacking football. Pirlo opened the game with a goal in the 21st minute but th e goal was short lived after Bortia got the equalizer in the 24th minute. At the start of the second half things took a different turn as N'Dinga gave Olympiacos the lead in the 61st minute sending Olympiacos fans into a frenzy. However they shoot themselves in the foot when Roberto scored an own goal putting the host level pegging. Finally the winner everyone wanted in such games came from no one else but Pogba in the 66th minute to ensure Juventus backed all three points.

GROUP B

Basel vs. Ludogrets 4-0
Basel gave ludogorets a whooping four goals in their return leg taking them on to six points above Liverpool and ludogorets. Embolo gave Basel the lead in the 34th minute , Gonzalez later doubled the lead in the 41st minute.  At the start of the second half two more goals were scored with Gashi in the 59th minute and Suchy in the 65th minute.This takes them to second in Group B.

Real Madrid vs. Liverpool 1-0
Liverpool travelled to the Bernabau to play Madrid, in the first leg to Reds lost by three goals. In this fixture however  they lost by one goal to nil taking the aggregate to 0-4 against the Reds. The only goal of the game came in the 27th minute through Benzema ensuring Madrid beat the Reds back to back. It was a good game though but the Reds were still out classed and Madrid could have had more goals. The win enures Madrid qualifies for the round of 16  with 12 points amassed.

GROUP C
Zenit Saint Petersburg vs. Bayern Levekusen 1-2
Leaders Leverkusen travelled to face Zenit , the first half ended in a goalless with chances coming by for the home side . Both teams played some great attacking football but it was Son Heung -Min who got the opener 63rd minute for Leverkusen. He later got his brace in the 73rd minute.
Zenit pulled one back in the 89th minute through substitute  Rondon. The win takes Leverkusen five points clear on top and well in for the next stage.

Benefica vs. Monaco 1-0
Amazing result for Benefica after the beat Monaco in the return leg. The only goal of the game came from Talisca in the 82nd minute. Monaco were the high pressing team in the first half with some chances but in  the second half Benefica picked up the pieces and got their first win of the competition.

GROUP D
Arsenal vs. Anderlecht 3-3
Arsene Wengers men flattered to deceive  in this encounter after losing a three goal lead. It kind of remindered me of Istanbul final 2005 but that was nothing to compare since it was a group stage game. Arteta put the host in the host in the in front in the 25th minute through a penalty after Welbeck was fouled in the box. Sanchez got the second in the 29th minute , later Chamberlain made it three for the away team. In the second half Arsenal took their feet of the pedal and it cost them as Borre got his brace in the 61st and 73rd minute through a penalty , the equalizer then came through Mitrovic in the 90th minute to ensure they share a point a piece.

Dortmund vs. Galatasaray 4-1
Even with Dortmunds poor run of form in the Bundesliga Klopp's team still manage play so well in the Champions League.  In the first half Reus opened the score in the 39th minute In the second half Papastathopoulos  doubled the lead in the 56th minute Balta then pulled one back for Galatasaray , Immobile made it three in the 74th minute and to put the game to rest Kaya scored an own goal in the 85th minute. This takes Dortmund into the round of 16 for the third time running.

GROUP E
Manchester City vs. CSKA Moscow 1-2
CSKA Moscow got of to a flying start after Doumbia put them in the lead in the 2nd minute. Manchester City got back with a brilliant free kick from Toure in the 8th minute , however Doumbia got his brace in the 34th minute. In the second half City went down to nine men after Fernadinho was sent of in the 70th minute and Toure in the 82nd minute .The game stayed that way with Moscow bagging the 3 points , this further makes things difficult for City if they are to qualify  since they are still without a win.

Bayern Munich vs. As Roma 2-0
Bayern Munich beat Roma in the return fixture with goals from Ribery in the 38th minute still announcing his presence and Gotze scoring in the 64th minute to seal the deal for Bayern. Bayern now sit on top with two games to spare.

GROUP F

Paris -Saint Germain vs Apoel 1-0
Cavani scored the only goal of the game just as he did in the first leg, the goal came in the 1st minute catching the Apoel defense unawares. This ensured Paris made it to the round of 16 with two games to spare and landing the final blow on Apoel.

Ajax vs. Barcalona 0-2
Ajax took on Barcalona in a game that featured Suarez in the Champions League for the first time with Barcalona facing his formal club. The opening minutes of the game were a bit slow with few chances but nonetheless Messi scored in the 36th and 76th minutes making him equal the all time Champions League record. He was happy he had equaled it but the win that ensured they booked their place in the 1/16 brought him more joy as per Uefa.com.

GROUP G
Maribor vs Chelsea 1-1
Chelsea nearly got the scare of their lives when they nearly lost to Maribor away from home , escaping their first defeat of the season. The game really got of in the first half Ibraimi scored in the 50th minute to give the host the lead , Chelsea got the equalizer through Matic in the 73rd minute to share the spoils. There was late drama though as Handanovic saved Hazards penalty to preserve the point.

Sporting lisbon vs. Schalke 04 4-2
Sporting  got of to a bad start in the game with Slimani scoring an own goal in the 17th minute, however they manage to level things up in the 26th minute before the end of the first half. In the second half   Jefferson scored in the 52nd minute to give the host the lead , Nani then made it three for the host in the 72nd minute. Schalke then pulled one back through Aogo to keep up the pressure. However in the dying embers of the game Slimani got the final goal to put the game to bed. What a way to cover up for your mistake.

GROUP H
Athletic Bilbao vs FC Porto 0-2
Porto went high and might on Athletic Bilbao as they beat them by two goals to nil. Goals came in the second half with Martinez scoring in the 56th minute and Brahimi doubling it in the 73rd minute.
Martinez however missed a penalty in the 42nd minute but still covered up for that in the second half.
Bilbao are still bottom of the group after the game.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bate 5-0

Bate lost to Shakhtar Donetsk by five goals to nothing , in the first half Srna got the lead for the host in the 19th minute In the second half  Teixeira  made it two in the 48th minute. Adriano who's the leading goal scorer this season in the Champions League scored a hatrick with goals coming in the 58th minute with a penalty and later in the 83rd and 90th minute. They now have a five point cushion over Bate in Group H.

ROUND UP OF EPL WEEK 9

At the start of week 9 matches , West Ham took on Manchester City in a game were many expected Manchester City to pick up 3 points , but Sam Allaydce had other plans for the champions. In the first half Amalfitano got the opening goal in the 21^st minute , the other goals came in the75th minute through Sakho to give the host the cushion they needed. Man City’s consolation came in real quick in the  76^th minute   through Silva’s individual effort. Manchester City there on mounted pressure on West Ham but it was to no avail , as the game ended 2-1 in favor of the Hammers.

                                          SAKHO CELEBRATES WITH A DASH

Next of was a goalless draw between Liverpool and Hull City , Liverpool however were coming from a heavy defeat during Mid week in the Champions league. A win would have been a real moral booster at Merseyside but things didn’t go as planned for the men in Red. Hull City on the other hand played well and deserved the points the got out of the game it was rather disappointing on the path of Liverpool.

                                             BALOTELLI FRUSTRATED 

Southampton also took on Stoke City , and the Saints kept on the high spirit as they came away with three points at Home. The only goal of the game came through Mane in the 33^rd minute , Stoke City on the other hand were poor on the day and really couldn’t create enough chances.

                                           MANE CELEBRATES HIS GOAL

Arsenal on the other hand ended their draw streak with a win over Sunderland , Arsenal scored two goals in the game with all of these goals coming in each half.In the first 45 Sanchez got the opener in the 30^th minute , he later got his second in the 90^th minute after a defensive error on the  path of the Black Cats.

                                               SANCHEZ CELEBRATES BRACE

Next of West Bromich Albion faced Crystal Palace in a 4 goal thriller  with two goals coming in every half.

Hangeland  got the opener in the 16^th minute for the visitors and later Jedinak took the tally to two goals in the 45^th minute with a penalty kick.  At the start of the second half Anichebe got a goal for the home side in the 51^st minute , Berahino then scored the equalizer from the penalty spot to ensure West Brom shared the points a piece.

                                             BERAHINO PENALTY SECURES A POINT

Swansea City took on Leicester City and picked up three points which they so dearly needed after a poor  run of matches. Bony got all two goals for the Swans in the 34^th minute and  54^th minute , this took him on an overall of 20 goals level with Michu as Swansea’s all time top scorer in the Premiership.

                                               BONY SET FOR HALL OF FAME

  

On Sunday Tottenham took on Newcastle , it was a game many expected Spurs to run away with the three points but were handed a shocking 1-2 defeat by Pardew’s men.  Adebayor got the opening goal with a sweet header in the 18^th minute. At the start of the second half Ameobi got the equalizer for Newcastle in the 46^th minute , later Perez got the winner in the 58^th minute to help take Newcastle out of the relegation zone.

                                                   PEREZ GETS THE WINNER

Later on Burnley hosted Everton who were coming of a win from last weeks matches , Martinez men were finally getting some wins and it continued for them as they put three pass Burnley. Eto got the visitors underway in the 4^th minute  later Burnley got their equalizer through Ings in the 20^th minute. Lukaku later put the visitors infront again in the 29^th minute. In the second half Eto gave Everton the final cushion the needed in the 86^th minute thus putting the game beyond reach.

                                              ETO'O CELEBRATES WITH TEAMMATES

 

Finally Manchester United took on Chelsea at Old Trafford, as the Master came face to face with his apprentice for the first time this season. The first half ended goalless as both teams were really well organized at the back and in attack , closes chances in the first 45 came from Van Persie and Drogba both testing their keepers.

                                                KING DROGBA IS BACK

In the second half however the King Drogba opened the score sheet with header from a corner in the 53^rd minute  , Man United pulled back in the 90^th  minute as Di Maria’s free kick was parried away by Courtois which fell for Fellaini who made things easier for Van Persie to fire home. 

                                             VAN PERSIE GOES ECSTATIC


On Monday night Queens Park Rangers took on Aston Villa in a game that  proved crucial to both teams.Queens park Rangers bounced back after their disappointing loss to Liverpool and  made away with all three points , two goals from Charlie Austin in the 17th minute and the 69th minute helped power his club to victory and move them from the bottom of the league.
Aston Villa on the other hand tasted their fifth straight defeat this season and things have really taking a different turn for Villa as they now hover two points above relegation zone.

                                             AUSTIN SECURES  VITAL VICTORY

ROUND UP OF UCL GROUP STAGE WEEK 3

Group A

Olympiacos vs. Juventus 1-0

Only one goal from Kasami 36^th minute was enough to get three points in the bag for the Greeks. Roberto however kept Olympiacos at bay after he forced Morata’s header to the bar. This means Olympiacos go top with Athletico in

Athletico Madrid vs. Malmo 5-0

Athletico continued their fine form by beating Malmo five goals to nil. Koke opened the game with his goal in the 48^th minute  and  in the second half Mandzukic  scored in the 61^st minute followed by Greizmman’s goal in the 63^rd minute . Godin also took the tally to  four in the 87^th minute. Cerci later made it five in injury time. 

Group B

Liverpool vs. Real Madrid 0-3

Liverpool hosted Real Madrid at Anfield  a ground were Ronaldo has never scored , and they were also looking get a win against Liverpool , something they haven’t done in along time. Liverpool’s defence frailities were exposed after Ronaldo scored in the 23^rd minute to silence Anfield . Later on Liverpool allowed in easy goals as Benzema scored a brace the first from a poorly defended corner and a sweety lob header to put the game to rest. By second half Madrid had taking their feet of the pedal as they substituted players ahead of the El – Classico , it was that obvious that Liverpool weren’t going to be a threat to them. Now Madrid sit pretty on top of the Group B with six points and a great start to their title defense.

Ludagorets vs. Basel 1-0

The only goal of the game came in  injury time when Minev scored. Basel however played 72 minutes with ten men after Serey Die received a red early in the game. This meant Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to earn points in the Champions League. This takes them on level points with Liverpool and Basel in Group B.

Group C
Bayern Leverkusen vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg 2-0

Leverkusen beat Zenit at home to ensure they keep their hopes alive in qualifying to the next stage. Donati opened the game in the 58^th minute and Papadopoulas scored in the 63^rd minute to put the game to bed. Leverkusen now top Group C with 2 straight home wins and could be well into the next stage.

Monaco Vs Benefica 0-0

Monaco dropped to second after the draw against Benefica. Danijel Subasic kept Benefica at bay with four saves to Arthurs one save for Monaco. This showed Benefica were more of a threat than Monaco after creating more chances in the game. Whiles Lucas Ocampos missed on open goal for the host earlier on in the game.

Group D

Galatasary vs. Dortmund 0-4

Galatasary lost at home to Dortmund who seem to be in fine Champions League form other than how they are fairing in the Bundasliga. In the first half Aubameyang  scored the first goal in the 6^th minute and his second in the 18^th minute. Later Reus scored in the 41^st minute with a long range chip to take the tally to three , finally Ramos put the game to bed when he scored in the 83^rd minute after coming of the bench. This ensured Dortmund maintained their 100% record.

Anderlecht vs. Arsenal 1-2

Wenger got a great birthday gift   after Arsenal managed to still three points from Anderlecht in the dying embers of the game.  Najar opened the game with his goal in the 71^st minute putting the host in front . In the 89^th minute when Anderlecht thought they would make away with three points , Gibbs pulled parry for Arsenal and finally Podolski scored in the 90^th minute to rescue three points for the gunners. This means Arsenal go second in Group D.

Group E

CSKA Moscow vs. Manchester City 2-2

Manchester City travelled to Russia to face Moscow , two goals were produced in each half of game. Aguero opened the game with a goal in the 29^th minute and Milner made it two to the visitors in the 38^th minute. At the start of the second half  Moscow pulled one back through Doumbia in the 65^th minute. Later Natcho got the equalizer with a penalty in the 86^th minute to put the host level leaving Moscow on 1 point and Manchester City on 2 points.

AS Roma vs. Bayern Munich 1-7

This game really didn’t go according to the scripts as many expected the game to be tough one it ended up being a blood bath. Robben opened the match with his goal in the 9^th minute and later Gotze made it two to the visitors in the 23^rd minute   Lewandoski followed with his in the 25^th minute , Robben also scored again to make it  three  in the 30^th minute. To make things more miserable for the Italian giants Muller scored a penalty in the 36^th minute.

At the start of the second half  Gervinho pulled one back in the 66^th minute but that didn’t stop Bayern from scoring as Ribery scored in the 78^th minute and Shaqiri scoring in the 80^th minute. The game ended 1-7 in favor of Bayern.  

Group F

Barcalona vs. Ajax 3-1

Barcalona hosted Ajax in a very entertaining game , 4 goals were produced in the game with two goals coming in each half. Neymar opened the game with his goal in the 7^th minute , later Messi made it two in the 24^th minute. At the start of the second half  Ajax mounted a lot of pressure and pulled one back in the 88^th minute , and from that point Barcalona were living on the edge of their seats since their key players were substituted early in the game. Finally new boy Ramirez put the game to bed with his goal in injury time.

APOEL vs. Paris –Saint Germain 0-1

This game produced only one goal which came late in the game in the 87^th minute through Cavani. It was APOEL’s first home defeat of the season even with their spirited display . PSG came out tops in possession with 62% but failed to break through early. Thanks to PSG influential defender David Luiz who made two goal line clearances in the second half to help PSG hold on to 3 points.

Group G

Schalke 04 vs Sporting 4-3

Sporting travelled to Schalke with the aim of causing an upset which they so nearly did. The game produced seven goals , Nani open the score with his goal in the 16^th minute , but his goal was cancelled in the 34^th minute to put the host level. At the start of the second half Huntelaar got the host infront in the 51^st minute with Howedes later making it three for the host in the 60^th minute.  Sporting however were quick with a responds in the 64^th minute  after Silva scored his penalty to ensure they still had a chance to ruin the party. Silva later leveled the visitors in the 78^th minute to put Schalke coach Di Matteo under pressure. Schalke were saved with a late penalty awarded and Choupo- Moting scored to ensure Schalke got maximum 3 points.

Chelsea vs. Maribor 6-0

Else were Chelsea took Maribor to school at Stamford Bridge in a six goal thriller. Remy opened the game with his goal in the 13^th minute  but later got injured in the processes forcing an early substitution for Mourinho’s side. Drogba also continued to increase his Champions League goals after converting a penalty in the 23^rd minute. Captain John Terry also got his goal in the 31^st minute . In the second half  things got worse as Viler scored an own goal in the 54th minute , Hazard later made it five in the 77^th  minute with a sweetly converted penalty and later put the game to bed in the 90^th minute.

Group H

BATE vs. Shakhtar Donetsk  0-7

BATE were completely white washed by Shakhtar  as the game was full of goals and was very one sided.

Teixeira opened the game with a goal in the 11^th minute  , later Adriano scored a penalty in the 28^th minute , Douglas Costa scored in the 35^th minute to make it three for the vistors. Adriano  continued with more goals scoring in the 36^th , 40^th , 44^th and  another penalty in the 82^nd  to complete his milestone . What a way to make history in the night of Champions League highest scoring week.

Porto FC. vs. Athletic Bilbao 2-1

Herrera opened the game in the 45^th minute putting the host in front. Athletic pulled one back in the 58^th minute through Fernandez bringing the visitors on level terms. In the 75^th minute Quaresma got the host infront again to finally put the game to bed and finish the hero for Porto FC.

ROUND UP OF UCL GROUP STAGE :WEEK 2

GROUP A

Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus 1-0

This game was tipped by the pundits to be a close at intense game , fair enough the game was entertaining put only one goal was produced in the game. The goal came in the 75^th minute through Turan and his goal really put the visitors on their toes. However Juventus couldn’t salvage a draw as Atletico run away with all three points.

Here are the STATS from the game

Malmo vs. Olympiacos 2-0

Surprise of the week will officially be this game between debutants Malmo and Olympiacos. The two goals that were produced came in different halves of the game. During the first half Rosenberg opened the score in the 42^nd minute. In the second half Rosenberg got his brace in the 82^nd minute to seal of the victory. Even though Olympiacos dominated most of the game the failed to take their chances , which is often the case these days in football.

Here are the STATS from the game.

GROUP B

FC Basel vs. Liverpool 1-0

Liverpool were looking to secure 3 points to improve their chances of qualification but Basel had other plans. The only goal of the game came in the second half through Streller in the 52^nd minute. The visitors on the other hand tried on several occasions to get back but failed to.  Liverpool created more chances this time around but failed to take any as per SKY SPORTS .

Razgrad vs. Real Madrid 1-2

The first half Marcelinho opened the score in   7^th minute giving the host the lead . Ronaldo  then got the equalizer  in the 25^th minute from the penalty spot. In the second half Benzema scored his in the 77^th minute  to give Madrid the lead for the first time in the game.  For most parts of the game Madrid had the better possession while Ludagorets played well but were unlucky not to run away with the 3 points.

Here is the match report as per SKY SPORTS .

GROUP C

Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Monaco 0-0

The game ended in a goaless draw  even though many chances came the way for both sides none where able to convert them into goals. For Monaco Berbatov was left to carry the day alone  with Hulk trying to bring the Russians alive as per SKY SPORTS.  For possession Zenit had a better spell than Monaco but both teams sharing a point a piece would be enough to push them closer to the next round.

Bayern Leverkusen vs. Benefica  3-1

Four goals were produced in this game with 2 goals coming in the first half. The opening goal was scord by Kiebling in 25^th minute and later Son scored in the 34^th minute.  In the second half Salvio pulled one back in the 62^nd minute  to give Benefica hope of coming back in the game.  Soon Calhanoglu increased  Leverkusen’s tally from the spot kick in  64^th minute  to put the game to bed. 

Here are the STATS  from the game.

GROUP D

Arsenal vs. Galatasaray 4-1

Arsenal were on fire though , as their game was a 5 goal thriller. The Gunners opened their account through Welbeck in the 22^nd minute , he then got his brace in the 30^th minute. Sanchez also got his in the 41^st minute to end the first half. In the second half Welbeck got a hatrick 52^nd minute  , Szczesny  got a red card in the 60^th minute.  Galatasaray then got an penalty in the 63^rd minute and Yilmaz put it home for the visitors.

Here are the  STATS from the game.

Anderlecht vs. Borussia Dortmond 0-3

Three goals were scored in the game , Immobile scored the opening in the 3^rd minute . In the second half Ramos got the his in the 69^th minute and later got his brace in the 79^th minute. Anderlecht tried to get back but couldn’t  , Dortmund however controlled most of the game  gaining more possession.

Here are the STATS from the game.

GROUP E

CSKA Moscow vs. Bayern Munich 0-1

This was a game were many expected to see goals but surprisingly only one came in the 22^nd minute through Muller from the spot kick. It was the only goal of the in the first half even though Bayern had many chances come their way. Moscow on the other had created few chances since Bayern were dominant through out the game as per the SKY SPORTS .

Manchester City vs. As Roma 1-1

Next in group was Manchester City taking on As Roma , the first half produced the only goals of the game  with Aguero opening the score for City in the 4^th minute. However Roma legend Totti got the equalizer for Roma in the 23^rd minute. From that point on both teams had a fair share of chances with Roma coming the closest with 4 shots on target.

Here are the STATS from the game.

GROUP F

Paris Saint Germain vs. Barcalona 3-2

This game produced five goals and some fine passing game from both sides. In the first half David Luis opened the score in the 10^th minute to give the host the lead  , but it was short lived after Messi got the equalizer in the 12^th minute. Later Verratti scored to put the host back infront in the 26^th minute. In the second half of the game Matuidi scored in the 54^th minute but the lead was reduced by  Neymar in the 56^th minute.

The STATS from the game were as follows.

Apoel  vs. Ajax 1-1

The first ‘45’ saw two goals produced with Ajax opening the score in the 28^th minute through Anderson . Apoel then got their equalizer  through a penalty effected by  Manduca in the 31^st minute. Ajax were obiviously the better side in the game but were unlucky not to run away with all 3 points.

Here are  the STATS from the game.

GROUP G

FC Schalke vs NK Maribor 1-1

The champions league is always full of suprises and this game was no execption. The opening goal game in the first half for Maribor through Bohar in the 37^th minute and Schalke in their own home had to struggle and come from behind in the second half through Huntelaar in the 56^th minute. Even though Sckalke had a better spell of possession Maribor did well to see through to secure a point away from home which would prove vital in the long run.

Sporting Lisbon vs. Chelsea 0-1

In this game only one goal was produced and it came in the first half through Matic in the 34^th minute. The game was intense with many chances coming both teams way with Chelsea having the better spell of possession. 

Here are the STATS from the game.

GROUP H

Shaktar Donetsk vs. FC Porto 2-2

Four goals were produced in this match with no goal being scored in the first half , surprisingly Ibrahimi had a chance to put the host in front but missed his penalty in the 35^th minute. At the start of the second half however Teixeria scored the opening goal of the game in the 52^nd minute to give the host the lead. Donetsk then took a 2 nil lead after Adriano scored in the 82^nd minute . Porto then had a life line after a penalty was awarded and Martinez put the ball home in the 89^th minute. Just when Donetsk fans could almost taste victory Martinez again scored to level thing up in the 90^th minute , heartbreak for Shaktar Donetsk fans.

BATE vs. Atletico Bilbao 2-1

All goals came in the first half which was very entertaining but the second half failed to produce any. The opening goal came in the 19^th minute through Polyakov for BATE. Karnitski then made it 2 nil in the 41^st minute before Aduriz pulled one back in the 45^th minute. Both teams had a good spell of possession in each half as per the SKY SPORTS .