CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RECAP

As predicted, this round of ties, with the notable exception of the Brittania derby, was rather disappointing. Both Barcelona and Manchester United had one foot in the door after first leg wins on the road, and the Fenerbahce-Chelsea matchup was a flattering scoreline for the Turks. An interesting note: all 4 teams that played at home in the second leg advanced. Onto the recap:

Aggregate: FC Schalke 04 0 - 2 FC Barcelona

This foray into the quarters marked the Rhineland side’s first trip this deep in the tournament and unfortunately for the Gazprom-sponsored boys, they were unable to progress any further. The team from Gelsenkirchen should keep their heads high, though, as they never looked intimidated by either the legacy of such a formidable club or the high-powered Catalan offense. In the first leg, Schalke was never able to create full chances and were resigned to relying on shots from distance and half chances to put one in the back of the net. Schalke’s hopees were dashed early after Thierry Henry found Bojan Krkic wide open after the Frenchman had had his initial shot parried. Though only in the eleventh minute, this marked the end of the first leg scoring. On the return trip to Barcelona, Schalke hardly looked intimidated by the fact that they were down a precious away goal, and Gerald Asamoah and Kevan Kuranyi (with those last names, how could they not be German?) were unlucky not to net an away goal for Schalke. It was not the German’s night however, and on the stroke of halftime, Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure (yes relation to Kolo. Those Toures of Abidjan had quite the knack for child naming) put the home side up for good. Toure is not exactly known for his goalscoring prowess, and it showed in his finish, as he bumbled the ball into the net. This effectively ended the German side (evil)’s chances, and good prevailed. (My prediction: FC Schalke 1 - 3 FC Barcelona)

Aggregate: AS Roma 0 - 3 Manchester United

Manchester United reaffirmed the Brog’s assertion concerning the British side’s seemingly infallible nature with this performance against i Giallorossi. Roma played valiantly in the first leg at home, but were unable to control the mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo, who thundered home one of the most powerful headers I’ve ever seen. Later, Wayne Rooney would take advantage of a miscommunication between the keeper Doni and central defender Phillipe Mexes to poke home United’s second away goal. Though United superstars played admirably, my man of the match would have been Park Ji-sung, and not just because I’m in love with all things Korean. Park Ji-sung, a surprise inclusion to almost everyone, including the omniscient Tommy Smyth (kidding!), turned in an industrious performance, as his hustle frustrated the Italians all night long and played an integral role in both goals. The return leg was billed to be a stroll in the park for the Mancunians (evident by the fact that Sir Alex left key players like Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench), but they came out of the gate furiously, and were truly unlucky to not score in the first fifteen minutes. After a slow start, Roma began to make some overtures towards goal, and in a moment of complacency by the United defense, Wes Brown brought down Mancini in the box, and the ref duly pointed to the spot. In a bit of karmic retribution, Daniele de Rossi (in the Brog’s opinion, one of the most classless players in calcio) soared the penalty over the bar, much to the relief of the United faithful. As well, this puts to bed any contentions that Roma were better off without Totti, because I find it hard to believe that the Roma captain would have missed such a crucial penalty. A score for Roma at this juncture would have changed the complexion of the tie entirely; however, the miss appeared to completely demoralize the side, and Roma rarely looked as if they’d mount a comeback after that point. United continued to pressure, and solid wing play from Canuck-born Owen Hargreaves (I wonder why he opted to play for the English national team? Hmm…) eventually led to an inch-perfect cross that Argentinian forward Carlos Tevez (as you’ll recall, a member of team handsome) flicked home, ensuring Manchester’s progression into the next round. (My prediction AS Roma 2 - 5 Manchester United).

Aggregate: Fenerbahce 2 - 3 Chelsea FC

Don’t be fooled by the scoreline, this game was nowhere near as close as it appears. Chelsea dominated the opening half of the first leg in Istanbul, and were unfortunate to only score once, as most pundits claimed they should have scored three or four. Their inefficiency in front of goal would lead to some worrisome moments for the wealthy west London side, because in the second half, English-born Kazim Kazim would break the Chelsea offside trap, followed by Deivid making amends for his previous own goal with a stunning 30-yard wundergoal to give the Turks the lead going into the return leg. Chelsea, undaunted by the fact they had to score, easily broke through the Fener defense and went into the lead in the fourth minute. Chelsea largely tooled the Asian club for the rest of the match, scoring an insurance goal near the end of regular time to book their place in the semifinal. (My prediction: Fenerbahce 1 - 4 Chelsea).

Aggregate: Arsenal 3 - 5 Liverpool

Everyone who follows the beautiful game knew that this matchup would be enthralling, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted the action that took place in the last 20 minutes at Anfield (actually, I take that back; if any team has a flair for the late, dramatic goal, it’s Liverpool). The first leg was a very cagey encounter with both sides attempted to feel the other out. Arsenal enjoyed the lion’s share of chances, but were only able to put away one goal, courtesy of the lanky Emmanuel Adebayor. Liverpool responded almost immediately with the workmanlike Kuyt able to turn the ball into the net after a brilliant run from that scouser Gerrard. Controversy was the name of the game later in the match when Hleb was tugged and brought down by Kuyt, though the referee adjudged that it was not worthy of a penalty. The first leg saw Liverpool leaving the Emirates with a slight advantage given their away goal. Arsenal began the second leg undeterred, and reclaimed the lead early in the match through a rare goal from Abou Diaby which canceled out Liverpool’s away goal. However, Liverpool’s Champions League pedigree became manifestly apparent when longtime defensive stalwart Sami Hyypia scored a brilliant header from 15 metres over an extended Cesc Fabregas on post duty. With the match all square, both sides probed conservatively, hoping to find a winner. Halftime came and went; my friends and I agreed this game reeked of extra time. This is why we are not professional soccer pundits, because in the 70th minute, the brilliant Fernando Torres created a goalscoring opportunity by outmaneuvering multiple Arsenal defenders and beat Arsenal’s keeper with a perfect strike into the top corner of the net. This was by no means the end of the action; Arsenal’s cerebral manager wisely introduced the youthful quickness of Theo Walcott into the match, and his effect on the match was immediate and undeniable. His pace wreaked havoc on the Liverpool defense; his sublime run in the 85th minute spanned half of the field and set up the prolific Adebayor to put away an easy shot, tying the match at 2-2 and putting Arsenal ahead on the away goals rule. Liverpool took advantage of the Arsenal players delirium with a quick restart, and not a minute later, Dutchman Ryan Babel was weaving his way through the box and fell to the ground. Penalty, and a dubious one at that. Normally, I think that comparing one refereeing decision to that of another referee in a different game is an argument without merit, but in this case, I contest it’s different, because Arsenal were NOT awarded a penalty in the previous leg, when the foul on the Arsenal player (Hleb) was far more egregious than the one on Ryan Babel. Since, essentially, it’s the same game, I feel the referee should have taken this into consideration and refrained from whistling Kolo Toure for the foul. As well, one hates to see the referee be the deciding factor in a match of this much importance, when a laissez-faire attitude would have been completely acceptable in this situation. Granted, Steven Gerrard still had to convert his penalty; not surprisingly for a player of his class, he buried it. In the dying minutes, Arsenal pressed their entire squad forward hoping for an unlikely winner, but this left them gravely susceptible to counter-attacks. In the second minute of extra time, the pacey Ryan Babel found himself in a one-on-one with the keeper as a result of the opposition’s requisite all-out offensive strategy; the Dutchman was able to put the ball away, officially ending Arsenal’s Champions League dream. (My prediction: Arsenal 3 - 2 Liverpool).

Look for a preview of next round later this week, ciao!