Category Archives: Football

Champions League 2014/15: Juventus vs Barcelona in the final

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June 6 2015 the final in Champions League 2014/15 is played at the Olympic stadium in Berlin, Germany. In the final Italy will face Spain as Juventus and Barcelona fight for the tournament win. Juventus managed to beat the champions from last year, Real Madrid, in the semifinal while Barcelona eliminated Bayern Munich.

Juventus won unexpectedly against Real Madrid

Not many believed that Juventus could outlast Real Madrid in game two, despite getting a 2-1 victory in the first game at home. A 1-0 victory would be enough for Ronaldo and his friends, and they wont play a game in Santiago without scoring at least one goal. They good a good start, with Ronaldo scoring a penalty shot in the 23rd minute. However, one goal wasn’t enough for Real today, they would have to score two since former Real player Alvaro Morata scored the equalizer in the 57th minute. The Italians then managed to close the game and went ahead to the final with a total score of 3-2 from both legs. A superstitious person would have said that it was a cursed minute 57 that made Real Madrid failing to reach the final this year. A more down-to-earth person would say that their individual skills couldn’t match Juventus team skills.

Barcelona beat Bayern

Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola would try to beat his old team with the German team machine Bayern Munich. In the first leg they almost made it, until Lionel Messi woke up in minute 77. Two goals in the lap of three minutes and another one by Neymar ten minutes later made things much harder for Bayern. In game two they got a bit of hope with an early 1-0 lead seven minutes into the first half. However, the offensive ambitions created holes in their defenses and a team with qualities like Barcelona will take advantage of that. Neymar scored 1-1 in the 15th minute and 2-1 in the 29th. Despite two goals by Bayern and a win in the second leg, they failed to reach the final against a sovereign opponent.

Juventus vs Barcelona in the final

The final will be an interesting game. Barcelona have reached it by winning group F before Paris SG, Ajax and Apoel. In the round of 16 they beat Manchester City, in the quarterfinal Paris SG and as noted above, in the semifinal Bayern Munich. Juventus reached the final after getting second place in group A which Atlético won. Olympiakos got third spot and Swedish Malmö FF placed last with 3 points. In the round of 16 Juventus beat Borussia Dortmund and in the quarterfinal Monaco. Not bad teams but neither the cream of the crop. However, in the semifinal Juventus showed that they earn a place in the final by beating last years champions Real Madrid. The final is Juventus first since 2003. Barcelona’s forward Suarez and Juventus defender Chiellini will meet for the first time since World Cup 2014 where Suarez got suspended for biting the Italian defender.

Who will win the final then? We place our money on Barcelona FC. They have such a sophisticated offensive play that Juventus won’t be able to shut down. Neymar, Messi and Suarez will not only bite, but eat the Juventus defenses..

The state of Europe’s football, may 2015

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While our biggest focus right now is the Stanley Cup and Ice Hockey World Championships we continue to cover the progression of the football leagues in Europe, especially Champions League.

Strike in La Liga?

There is a possibility that the players, leaders and referees of La Liga will go out on a full fledged strike May 16. The background is a government decision which would mean less money to the league. At that date there is still two games left in the league (which Barcelona tops, 2 points ahead of Real Madrid).

Semifinals in Champions League

In the semifinals of the 2015 Champions League Barcelona beat Bayern Munich 3-0 even if the goal scoring began a bit late. Lionel Messi scored 1-0 in the 77th minute and 2-0 three minutes thereafter. Neymar put some salt in the German wounds, setting the final score of 3-0 in the fourth minute of extra time. In the first leg between Juventus and Real Madrid the Italians scored 1-0 already in the eight minute of the game. Ronaldo tied the game shortly thereafter while Tevez scored 2-1 on a penalty in the second half, which also became the final score. The second legs are played 12th and 13th of May.

Standings in the other leagues of Europe

Chelsea is leading Premier League by 13 points before Manchester United. In Italian Serie A Juventus has a similar advantage of 15 points before Roma, just like Bayern Munich in Bundesliga, 14 points before Wolfsburg. French Ligue 1 is a bit tighter with Paris SG at the top, 3 points before chasing Lyon. The Swedish Allsvenskan has just started and last year’s winner Malmö FF is at the top after 7 games, 1 point before Elfsborg and Gothenburg. Malmö is of course hoping to reach the Champions League this year again, just like they did last year.

Schedule for the 2014/15 Champions League semifinals

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olympiastadion

Four teams are fighting for two spots in the 2014/15 Champions League final. The final is played June 6th at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. Thus, there is a chance for Bayern Münich to raise the trophy at home soil, but to get the chance for it they need to eliminate the Spanish giants Barcelona. In the other semifinal Italian team Juventus will face another strong Spanish team: Last years champions Real Madrid. The semifinals are played 5-6th of May and the second leg is played 12-13th of May. Juventus and Barcelona will start at home.

Results from the quarterfinals

In two of the quarterfinals only one goal differed between the teams: Juventus scored the decisive goal against Monaco trough a penalty in the first leg while the second game ended in a goal less draw. In the Madrid derby between Atletico and Real, which was a rerun of last year’s final, Real scored the only goal of the series in the second game. The other two quarterfinals offered plenty of goals though: Bayern Münich lost the first game against Porto with 1-3 but did a strong comeback at home, winning 6-1 = 11 goals in two matches. Barcelona did no mistake against Paris SG and won two consecutive games 1-3 and 0-2.

How will the semifinals end?

The semifinals can end in some interesting scenarios, one of them being an El Clásico at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin June 6th. That might even be the most probable matchup since both Barcelona and Real Madrid look incredible strong. However, we can’t look away from Bayern’s seven goals in the quarterfinals and the fact that Juventus can play a relaxed game as underdogs, even though they haven’t really been tested in this year’s Champions League. That will change in a few days, the Italians have to be on top of their game if they are to stand a chance against Real Madrid.

Schedule for the 2014/15 Champions League semifinals

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olympiastadion

Four teams are fighting for two spots in the 2014/15 Champions League final. The final is played June 6th at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. Thus, there is a chance for Bayern Münich to raise the trophy at home soil, but to get the chance for it they need to eliminate the Spanish giants Barcelona. In the other semifinal Italian team Juventus will face another strong Spanish team: Last years champions Real Madrid. The semifinals are played 5-6th of May and the second leg is played 12-13th of May. Juventus and Barcelona will start at home.

Results from the quarterfinals

In two of the quarterfinals only one goal differed between the teams: Juventus scored the decisive goal against Monaco trough a penalty in the first leg while the second game ended in a goal less draw. In the Madrid derby between Atletico and Real, which was a rerun of last year’s final, Real scored the only goal of the series in the second game. The other two quarterfinals offered plenty of goals though: Bayern Münich lost the first game against Porto with 1-3 but did a strong comeback at home, winning 6-1 = 11 goals in two matches. Barcelona did no mistake against Paris SG and won two consecutive games 1-3 and 0-2.

How will the semifinals end?

The semifinals can end in some interesting scenarios, one of them being an El Clásico at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin June 6th. That might even be the most probable matchup since both Barcelona and Real Madrid look incredible strong. However, we can’t look away from Bayern’s seven goals in the quarterfinals and the fact that Juventus can play a relaxed game as underdogs, even though they haven’t really been tested in this year’s Champions League. That will change in a few days, the Italians have to be on top of their game if they are to stand a chance against Real Madrid.

Champions League quarterfinals 2014/15: Results from the first leg

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The first leg of the 2014/15 Champions League quarterfinals were played this week and we got to see some good football action.

FC Porto 3-1 Bayern Munich

Porto got the best thinkable start of this game when they were awarded a penalty shot. Ricardo Quaresma did no mistake and converted the penalty to 1-0. Quaresma also did 2-0. Thiago reduced the lead with a goal but this was Porto’s night. Martinez did the final goal, ensuring that Porto has a two goal lead with them for the second leg in Munich.

Paris SG 1-3 Barcelona

Paris were underdogs in this game and the absence of their Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who got a red card i the quarterfinal against Chelsea, didn’t changed that. Barcelona have a talented offensive trio at their disposal: Neymar, Suarez and Messi. In this game it was Neymar who began the goal scoring while Suarez did two beautiful solo goals. Barcelona actually did the fourth goal as well, but it was a self-goal by Jeremy Mathieu. Huge advantage for Barcelona before the second leg meeting at Camp Nou.

Atletico Madrid 0-0 Real Madrid

Spanish derby and a rerun of last year’s final of the Champions League. Real won last year but they had to leave this game with no goals. Atletico played with great discipline and made Real star Cristiano Ronaldo appear almost invisible. However, in the second leg they have to create some offensive play as well, otherwise Real Madrid will probably go through to the semi final.

Juventus 1-0 Monaco

Two outsiders that have made it to the play offs this year. Italian team Juventus used the home field advantage, scoring the only goal of the game on a penalty early in the second half. Both teams had their chances to score more goals but Juventus will bring a one goal advantage to the return meeting in Monaco.

The second leg is played next week, 21-22 of April.

All the British teams got points in the last round of the UEFA 2016 qualifiers

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We enjoyed some good football when the first round of the UEFA 2016 qualifiers for the year was played. All the British teams managed to get points in their games. Scotland dominated Gibraltar at home, winning with 6-1. Northern Ireland beat Finland 2-1. Republic of Ireland managed to get a 1-1 tie against Poland who is in the lead in group D. Wales beat Israel away with 0-3 in Haifa while England continues to play convincing in the qualifiers, beating Lithuania 4-nothing at Wembley Stadium.

Odd scenes in group G

In group G Sweden won away against Moldova, 2-0. The first goal came a few seconds into the second half when Moldova’s goalkeeper kicked the ball at Paris SG superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic who just turned his forehead which made the ball bounce back in the goal. Ibrahimovic also scored the second goal, through a penalty. This means Sweden keep their second place in the group after Austria who beat Liechtenstein.

Russia is trailing behind at third place. Their away game against Montenegro had to be abandoned because of fans throwing stuff on the field. Russia’s goalkeeper had to be transported to the hospital after being hit by a firework. The game will probably be decided a 3-0 victory for Russia. While Western Europe seems to have got their hooligans under control, eastern Europe have not..

Other interesting results

Former Swedish coach Lars Lagerbäcks Iceland beat Kazakhstan away 0-3. They are now placed second in group A after Czech Republic. In the same group Turkey almost beat Netherlands away, but Sneijder made it an even game with his 1-1-goal at injury time. An interesting group where Iceland have one foot in the 2016 European Championships. It will be interesting to follow them on their journey to their first championship. 2014 World Cup winner Germany beat Georgia 0-2 away. Germany and Scotland are 1 point behind Poland in group D. All first and second placed teams from the qualifiers will be directly qualified to the 2016 Euro Championships in France, together with the best third place. The other third placed teams have to fight for the remaining spots through play off.

Barcelona won El Clásico

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El Clasico

When Barcelona and Real Madrid met in Madrid in October, Real won with 3-1. Before tonight’s game Barcelona was in the top of La Liga 1 point before trailing Real. It was Barcelona who got the best start at Camp Nou. Defender Jeremy Mathieu made it 1-0 for the home team with an excellent header in the 19th minute. A bit in the first half the match turned into Real Madrid’s favor though. They put a lot of pressure on Barcelona’s defenses and Ronaldo could tie the game with his 1-1-goal in the 31st minute. Real could have scored again before the half time but the score was tied after 45 minutes of play.

Advantage Barcelona in the second half

In the second half Barcelona got their game going thanks to a goal by Luis Suarez. The goal seemed to come in a time of the game when Real had full control. Two defencemen couldn’t stop Suarez though and he made no mistake, making it 2-1 to the home team. This must have improved the home team’s esteem since they rounded up a lot of chances on goal from Messi, Suarez and Neymar. However, 2-1 became the final result and this might have been the deciding game in La Liga with 10 rounds left.

99 000 spectators on Camp Nou could enjoy a home team win, a lot of yellow cards and rough plays, and 3 beautiful goals. Football when it’s at its best!

This might not be the last time we see the two Spanish giants face each other this season though. If we are in luck, we get to see a third El Clásico this season if the teams get drawn against each other in the Champions League semi finals or final. In the quarter finals Barcelona face Paris SG while Real Madrid are drawn against their local rivals Atlético.

 

Results: Champions League Round of 16

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Last week, PSG, Bayern Munich, Porto and Real Madrid advanced to the quarterfinals in 2014/15 Champions League. Now they have been joined by four more teams:

Barcelona 1-0 Manchester City (Total score 3-1)

Manchester City became the last English team to leave the Champions League after Chelsea’s exodus against Zlatan PSG last week. Barcelona had a 2-1 advantage from the first match in Manchester and kept playing a good offense. Neymar and Suarez hit the posts. In the first half Messi served Ivan Rakitic who lobbed over Joe Hart in the City goal. City now needed two goals to have the chance to reach the quarter-finals and rescue England’s honor. They got the chance in 78 minutes when Aguero was fouled in Barcelona’s penalty area. The penalty was saved though and Barcelona won the game fair. Now English football has to take some time to think about the future. Their performance in the World Cup in Brazil last summer was miserable, and now all club teams were eliminated in round 16 of Champions League. Barclona can, however, go all the way. They are one of three Spanish teams that went through to the quarter-finals.

Borussia Dortmund 0-3 Juventus (Total score 1-5)

Italian Juventus had a 2-1 advantage from the first game against German club Borussia Dortmund. After two minutes played in the rematch Tévez made it 0-1 for the visitors who now had an overall lead of 3-1. A steep uphill for Dortmund. Juventus was able to control this game and showed a stable midfield, despite the absence of injured Pirlo and Pogba. The Italians could become dangerous in this year’s play offs.

Atlético Madrid 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Total score 3-2)

Last year’s finalist from Madrid lost the first meeting against Leverkusen 1-0 and was now pressed to win at home. The important tying-goal came in the 27th minute. The game went into overtime where Atlético was closest to get the deciding goal. However, it would take a shootout to separate these teams. Leverkusens penalty shooters had a bad day with three misses. 22-year-old reserve goalkeeper January Oblak became the big hero for Madrid. The veteran Fernando Torres scored his penalty. Atlético advanced to the quarterfinals.

Monaco 0-2 Arsenal (Total score 3-3, advantage Monaco)

Arsenal lost somewhat surprising at home 3-1 in the first game against Monaco. Now they were forced to go out and give everything to have the chance to advance. They almost succeeded. The goals came a little late though: 1-0 by Giroud in minute 35 and 2-0 by Ramsey in the 78th. An early goal to create some nerve and pressure had been ideal. Monaco persevered their away goal advantage and are now ready for the quarterfinals.

These teams are ready for the quarterfinals (country)

The quarter finals will be drawn Friday, March 20 and played in April.

Paris SG (France)
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Porto (Portugal)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Barcelona (Spain)
Juventus (Italy)
Atlético Madrid (Spain)
Monaco (Monaco, French league)

Top 20 Zlatan Ibrahimovic quotes

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The Telegraph have done a top 20 list of quotes from Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “Ibra” is not only controversial on the field, but outside it as well. This week he got a red card in the Champions League round of 16 when PSG secured a spot in the quarter-final, playing 2-2 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. In his home country, Zlatan is considered to be the nr 1 star. Although he has won many of Europe’s domestic leagues, he hasn’t won the Champions League or any World Cup/UEFA championship with Sweden. Anyways, here we go, the Telegraph’s Zlatan top 20:

20: If Rooney still wants to move next summer, I would urge him to come and play with me in Paris. But he would have to get used to the fact that Zlatan scores even better goals than him.

…welcome to Paris!

19: Onyewu resembled a heavyweight boxer. He was nearly 6ft 5in and weighed over 15 stone, but he couldn’t handle me.

…now now, it’s football you’re playing, not martial arts.

18: I didn’t injure you on purpose, and you know that. If you accuse me again I’ll break both of your legs, and that time it will be on purpose.

…enough said!

17: Reporter: Who will win the World Cup play-off? Zlatan: Only God knows. Reporter: It’s kind of hard to ask him. Zlatan: Why? You’re looking at him now.

…great, now give us some predictions about the UEFA 2016 qualifiers.

16: One time I got dressed all in black, Rambo-style, and took a massive pair of bolt-cutters and nicked a military bike.

…at least it wasn’t a grand theft auto and a Porsche…

15: I can play in the 11 positions because a good player can play anywhere.

…keep working on those defensive skills!

14: Zlatan-style!

…50% Swedish, 50% Yugoslavian, 100% Zlatan!

13: I like fireworks too, but I set them off in gardens or kebab stands. I never set fire to my own house.

…good call!

12: Come over to my house baby, and bring your sister. I’ll show you who’s gay!

…now what would Helena say about that?

11: An injured Zlatan is a pretty serious thing for any team.

…stay healthy and avoid the red cards!

10. When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari.

…not a Porsche or an airplane?

9: I don’t give a shit who wins. I’m going on holiday.

…when Sweden got eliminated in the EURO 2012.

8: First I went left, he did too. Then I went right, and he did too. Then I went left again and he went to buy a hotdog.

7: We’re looking for an apartment. If we don’t find anything, then I’ll probably just buy the hotel.

…looking for somewhere to live in Paris.

6: Nothing, she already has a Zlatan.

…when asked about what his wife Helena will get for her birthday.

5: What Carew does with a football, I can do with an orange.

…how about them apples, Carew?

4: One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch.

…then try do like Ronaldo in the qualifiers between Portugal and Sweden – be the decisive force in the match!

3: I can’t help but laugh at how perfect I am.

…well, he does have humor…

2: Absolutely not. I have ordered a plane. It is much faster.

…denying rumors about having bought a Porsche.

1: Zlatan doesn’t do auditions.

…refusing to do a trial for Arsenal when playing for his Swedish club Malmö. Zlatan later played for Ajax instead.

Results, this week’s round of 16 of Champions League

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This week four games of the second leg in the round of 16 of Champions League 2014/15 were played and below are the results:

Chelsea 2-2 Paris SG, total score 3-3

After the first leg Chelsea could go home to Stamford Bridge with a comforting 1-1 score. A goalless tie or a win would take them to the quarterfinals. The game started in their favour with PSG’s Swedish star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic getting a red card after 32 minutes of play. No one could think of any other outcome than a win for the Englishmen against 10 Parisians. The game took a whole other course though.. The first half ended 0-0 and we had to wait until minute 80 until the first goal came, Cahill scored 1-0 for Chelsea. However, David Luiz for PSG tied the game a few minutes later. The game went to a 2×15 minutes overtime. In the first overtime half Chelsea got a penalty shot after Thiago Silva playing the ball with his hand. 2-1 Chelsea who now had one foot in the quarterfinal. However, Silva repaired the damage and scored in the second overtime half. The score was now 2-2 and suddenly it was PSG who were in the quarter-final thanks to more goals scored away. A heroic victory with only 10 men on the field! Now is the question how they will act on the fact that they managed to win without their (questioned) superstar Ibrahimovic. Although they red card was harsh, people will question if the team is better without him.

Bayern Munich 7-0 Shakhtar Donetsk, total score 7-0

A quick red card also came in the game between German Bayern and Ukraine Shakhtar. From the 3rd minute and on, Shakhtar had to play with 10 men. Unlike PSG they didn’t do so well, letting 7 goals in against sovereign Bayern who are now in the quarter-final. Shakhtar can at least joy themself over doing a good game at home in the first leg, which ended 0-0.

Porto 4-0 Basel, total score 5-1

The first leg between these two teams ended with a 1-1 tie in Switzerland. At home, however, Porto made short work out of the Swiss and pulled through to the quarter-finals.

Real Madrid 3-4 Schalke, total score 5-4

With a 2-0 lead from the first leg, this game was just about finishing the job from Real Madrid. The Germans thought otherwise though. Taking the lead twice they shocked Real. However, the Spanish team has one player that himself can make the difference in important games: 2014 Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar scored 3 goals, making sure Schalke just won with one goal, securing the spot in the quarter finals for Real Madrid with a small margin.

Next week the rest of the second leg of the round of 16 will be played. The quarter finals are played in April.