8 December:
* Juventus Torino – Bayern München 1-4 (1-1).D.Trézéguet ‘19/H.Butt (pen)’30;I.Olic ‘52;M.Gomez ‘83;A.Tymoschuk ‘90. Stadio Olimpico di Torino: 27801 spect.
- Juventus Torino: G.Buffon;F.Cannavaro,F.Grosso,N.Legrottaglie,M.Caceres;M. Camoranesi,
Diego(65.Amauri), Felipe Melo(81.S.Giovinco),C.Marchisio;D.Trézéguet,A.Del Piero(45.C.Poulsen).
- Bayern München: H. Butt;P. Lahm,D. Van Buyten,M. Demichelis,H. Badstuber;B. Schweinsteiger,M. van Bommel,D. Pranjic(72.A. Robben);T. Müller,I. Olic(79.A. Tymoschuk),M. Gomez.

* Maccabi Haifa - Girondinds Bordeaux 0-1 (0-1)./Jussiê ‘13. National Stadium Ramat Gan (Tel Aviv): 25800 spect.
- Maccabi Haifa: N. Davidovitch;T. Masilela(62.T. Tawatha),D. Keinan,E. Mshumar,Jorge Teixeira;L. Rafaelov,J. Culma,E. Golasa(71.A. Harazi),B. Kial;V. Dvalishvili(54.S. Arbeitman),M. Ghadir.
- Girondinds Bordeaux: U. Ramé;F. Jurietti,D. Placente,Jussiê,Fernando;G. Wendel,A. Traoré(78.G. Sertic),L. Sané,D. Bellion;F. Cavenaghi,H. Saivet.

* VfL Wolfsburg - Manchester United 1-3 (0-1).E.Džeko ‘56/M.Owen ‘44,’83,’90. Volkswagen Arena: 26490 spect.
- VfL Wolfsburg: D. Benaglio;A. Barzagli,Ricardo Costa,M. Schäfer,S. Riether;Z. Misimovic,C. Gentner,M. Hasebe(72.A. Dejagah), Josue;Grafite(72.K. Ziani),E. Džeko.
- Manchester United: T. Kuszczak;P. Evra,D. Gibson,P. Scholes;M. Carrick,Ji-Sung Park,D. Fletcher,Nani(74.G. Obertan);Anderson,M. Owen,D. Welbeck(74.L. Valencia).

* Besiktas Istanbul - CSKA Moskva 1-2 (0-1).Bobo ‘86/M.Krasic ‘41;E.Aldonin ‘90. BJK İnönü Stadyumu: 16129 spect.
- Besiktas: R. Recber;M. Ferrari,I. Toraman,I. Üzülmez,T. Sivok;I. Kas,M. Fink(76.U. Inceman),F. Ernst;R. Tello(88.Mert Nobre),E. Dag(68.N. Kahveci),Bobo.
- CSKA Moskva: I. Akinfeev;V. Berezoutski,D. Semberas,C. Odiah,G. Schennikov;E. Rahimic,M. Krasic(82.S. Oliseh),E. Aldonin,P. Mamaev;A. Dzagoev(90.A. Grigoryev),T. Necid.

* FC Zürich - AC Milan 1-1 (1-0).M. Gajic ‘29/Ronaldinho (pen)’65. Stadion Letzigrund: 24100 spect.
- FC Zürich: J. Leoni;A. Rochat ‘63,H. Barmettler,H. Tihinen,P. Koch;D. Djuric(66.V. Lampi),S. Aegerter,M. Gajic(82.X. Margairaz),O. Okonkwo;A. Nikci(74.J. Vonlanthen),A. Alphonse.
- AC Milan: Dida;A. Nesta,L. Antonini,Thiago Silva(20.K. Kaladze),I. Abate;A. Pirlo,Ronaldinho,C. Seedorf,M. Ambrosini(55.M. Flamini);M. Borriello(84.F. Inzaghi),Alexandre Pato.

* Olympique Marseille - Real Madrid 1-3 (1-1).Lucho González ‘11/C. Ronaldo ‘5,’80;Raúl Albiol ‘60.
Stade Vélodrome : 55722 spect.
- Olympique Marseille: S. Mandanda;G. Heinze,L. Bonnart,S. Diawara,T. Taiwo;Lucho González,F. Abriel,B. Cheyrou,E. Cissé(62.B. Kone);M. Niang(70.M. Valbuena),Brandão(78.F. Morientes).
- Real Madrid: Iker Casillas;Sergio Ramos,Raúl Albiol,Pepe,Álvaro Arbeloa;Marcelo,R. Van der Vaart(72.Raúl),Xabi Alonso(78.M. Diarra),L. Diarra;Cristiano Ronaldo,G. Higuaín(63.K. Benzema).

* Chelsea FC - APOEL Nicosia 2-2 (2-1).M. Essien ‘19;D. Drogba ‘26/Marcin Zewlakow ‘6;N. Mirosavljevic ‘87. Stamford Bridge: 40917 spect.
- Chelsea FC: R. Turnbull;J. Terry,Ricardo Carvalho,J. Belletti,J. Cole;F. Malouda,M. Essien(27.F. Lampard),J. Obi Mikel,Y. Zhirkov;G. Kakuta(73.F. Borini),D. Drogba.
- APOEL Nicosia: D. Chiotis;J. Broerse,Paulo Jorge,Nuno Morais,K. Kosowski(71.N. Mirosavljevic);A. Haxhi(34.M. Ilia),K. Charalambidis,S. Poursaitidis,C. Michael;Marcin Zewlakow(82.M. Breska),Helio Pinto.

* Atlético Madrid - FC Porto 0-3 (0-2)./B. Alves ‘2;Radamel Falcao ‘15;Hulk ‘76. Estadio Vicente Calderón: 24603 spect.
- Atlético Madrid: Sergio Asenjo;Juanito,L. Perea,J. Valera(45.A. López),Álvaro Domínguez;Maxi Rodríguez(68.J. Reyes),Simão,P. Assunção,Cléber Santana;S. Agüero(47.J. Jurado),D. Forlán.
- FC Porto: Helton;B. Alves,J. Fucile,Álvaro Pereira,Maicon(59.C. Săpunaru);R. Meireles,Cristian Rodríguez,D. Valeri(62.Fredy Guarin),Fernando;Radamel Falcao(70.Silvestre Varela),Hulk.

9 December:
* Liverpool FC - Fiorentina 1-2 (1-0).Y. Benayoun ‘43/M. Jørgensen ‘63;A. Gilardino ‘90. Anfield Road: 40863 spect.
- Liverpool FC: Diego Cavalieri;D. Agger,A. Dossena,S. Darby,M. Skrtel;E. Insúa,J. Mascherano(86.Fábio Aurélio),S. Gerrard;Y. Benayoun,A. Aquilani(76.D. Pacheco),D. Kuyt(65.F. Torres).
- Fiorentina: S. Frey;P. Krøldrup,M. Pasqual,L. De Silvestri(83.J. Castillo),C. Natali;G. Comotto,M. Jørgensen(72.J. Vargas),R. Montolivo,M. Santana(72.M. Marchionni);M. Donadel;A. Gilardino.

* Olympique Lyon - Debreceni VSC 4-0 (2-0).B. Gomis ‘25;Michel Bastos ‘44;M. Pjanic ‘59;A. Cissokho ‘76. Stade de Gerland: 36884 spect.
- Olympique Lyon: H. Lloris;Cris,J. Boumsong,A. Réveillère,A. Cissokho;Michel Bastos,J. Makoun(73.K. Källström),M. Gonalons;B. Gomis(67.Lisandro López);S. Govou(29.M. Pjanic),C. Delgado.
- Debreceni VSC: D. Pantic;Z. Szélesi,L. Bodnár(52.C. Bernáth),M. Mijadinoski,Z. Laczko;N. Meszaros,P. Czvitkovics, P. Szakály(75.R. Feczesin),J. Varga;L. Ramos(57.Z. Kiss),A. Coulibaly.

* Inter Milano - Rubin Kazan 2-0 (1-0).S. Eto’o ‘31;M. Balotelli ‘64. Stadio Guiseppe Meazza: 49539 spect.
- Inter Milano: Julio Cesar;Lucio,Maicon,W. Samuel(15.I. Córdoba)J. Zanetti;W. Sneijder,D. Stankovic(52.E. Cambiasso),Thiago Motta;. Eto’o,D. Milito,M. Balotelli(77.S. Muntari).
- Rubin Kazan: S. Ryzhikov;César Navas,A. Popov,V. Kaleshin,L. Salukvadze;G. Karadeniz(74.A. Kasaev),S. Semak,A. Ryazantsev(84.E. Balyaikin),C. Noboa(81.P. Bystrov);R. Murawski,A. Domínguez.

* Dynamo Kyiv - FC Barcelona 1-2 (1-1).A. Milevskiy ‘2/Xavi ‘33;L. Messi ‘86. Stadion Dynamo im. Valery Lobanovsky: 16300 spect.
- Dynamo Kyiv: A. Shovkovskiy;A. Yussuf,Leandro Almeida,Betao,T. Mikhalik;R. Eremenko,O. Vukojevic,Gérson Magrão(75.M. Ninkovic);A. Milevskiy,A. Shevchenko,A. Yarmolenko.
- FC Barcelona: Victor Valdés;Carles Puyol,E. Abidal,Dani Alves,Gerard Piqué(88.R. Márquez);Andrés Iniesta(82.Pedro),Xavi,Seydou Keita,Sergio Busquets;L. Messi,Z. Ibrahimovic.

* VfB Stuttgart - Unirea Urziceni 3-1 (3-0).C. Marica ‘5;C. Träsch ‘8;P. Pogrebnyak ‘11/Semedo ‘46. Mercedes-Benz-Arena: 37000 spect.
- VfB Stuttgart: J. Lehmann;M. Delpierre,S. Tasci,A. Boka,C. Träsch;S. Celozzi,A. Hleb(55.S. Rudy),S. Khedira(59.Z. Kuzmanovic),T. Gebhart;C. Marica(82.Cacau),P. Pogrebnyak.
- Unirea Urziceni: G. Arlauskis;E. Mehmedovic,V. Bordeanu,B. Fernandes,R. Pădurețu;I. Apostol(85.D. Todoran),T. Bălan(62.R. Rusescu),P. Brandan;Semedo,M. Onofraș(45.D. Varga);M. Bilașco.

* Sevilla FC - Glasgow Rangers 1-0 (1-0).F. Kanouté (pen)’8. Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán: 31560 spect.
- Sevilla FC: A. Palop;I. Dragutinovic,F. Navarro,A. Konko,Romaric(73.A. Duscher);D. Zokora,Renato,Jesus Navas(81.A. Koné),D. Capel;Cala,F. Kanouté(59.Álvaro Negredo).
- Glasgow Rangers: A. McGregor;S. Smith(83.J. Fleck),S. Whittaker,D. Weir,M. Bougherra;S. Papac,D. Beasley(45.N. Novo),K. Thomson,L. McCulloch;S. Davis,K. Miller(45.K. Lafferty).

* Olympiakos Piraeus - Arsenal FC 1-0 (0-0).Leonardo ‘47. Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki: 30277 spect.
- Olympiakos Piraeus: A. Nikopolidis;O. Mellberg,R. Bravo,A. Papadopoulos,G. Galitsios;Leonardo,L. Galletti,E. Maresca;Dudu Cearense(86.D. Domi),Oscar Gonzalez(90.A. Pantos),K. Mitroglou.
- Arsenal FC: L. Fabianski;M. Silvestre,A. Song,K. Gilbert,K. Bartley;T. Cruise,F. Mérida,J. Wilshere(76.G. Sunu),A. Ramsey;T. Walcott,C. Véla.

* Standard Liège - AZ Alkmaar 1-1 (0-1).S. Bolat ‘90/J. Lens ‘41. Stade Maurice Dufrasne: 24359 spect.
- Standard Liège: S. Bolat;L. Mulemo,Marcos Camozzato,M. Sarr,Felipe(85.G. Cyriac);W. Dalmat(80.M. Traore),B. Nicaise,A. Witsel,D. Mbokani;I. De Camargo,M. Jovanovic.
- AZ Alkmaar: S. Romero;K. Jaliens,S. Pocognoli,H. Moreno,N. Moisander;Mendes da Silva,S. Schaars,B. Holman(45.M. Martens),M. El Hamdaoui(90.G. Pellè);M. Dembélé,J. Lens(72.P. Wernbloom).

Group tables here: http://zalmoxys.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/uefa-champions-league-20092010-group-stage-2/

As the Champions League drama unfolded these past two days, I found myself unable, or perhaps merely unwilling to muster up the energy and write up the results match by match. However, with yesterday’s matches the teams who qualify for the round of 16 have been decided, and there were some quite interesting results, so I suppose I’d better rouse myself. In the group lists, bold teams make it into the next round, italic teams join Roma in Europa:

Group A: Bordeaux (16), Bayern Münich (10), Juventus (8), Maccabi Haifa (0).

Butt scored a crucial PK.

Decisive Match: Bayern Münich 4-1 Juventus – Bordeaux had qualified long before this week’s ties with back-to-back wins over Bayern and a victory over Juventus on French soil. The only real race left in the group was that for second; going into Tuesday’s match Juventus needed only a tie to advance, while Bayern required a win. It was immediately evident which team was playing to win; although Juventus took the lead via David Trezeguet on 19′, Bayern had controlled much of the match up to that point, with 91% of possession in the preceding 5 minutes. The away side were able to equalize on the half-hour mark, when Martín Cácares brought down Ivica Olic in the penalty area. Bayern keeper Hans-Jörg Butt stepped up and buried past Buffon from the spot to restore parity. Juventus would hold onto that scoreline for the remainder of the half, but with Butt’s penalty the floodgates were opened; Juve were crumbling visibly and it was only a matter of time. On 52′, Ivica Olic was on hand to tap in from close range after Daniel van Buyten forced an initial save from Buffon. Forced to chase the game, Juventus began to pour men forward searching for the equalizer that would send them through. However, on 83′ Mario Gomez seemingly put the game out of Juventus’ reach by executing his own close-range tap in. Anatoliy Tymoshchuk would finish Juventus’ hopes once and for all by scoring in added time to complete a rout of La Vecchia Signora and send them to crash humiliatingly into the Europa League.

Group B: Manchester Utd (13), CSKA (10), VfL Wolfsburg (7), Besiktas (4)

Decisive Match: CSKA 2-1 Besiktas – Going into this week’s ties, Russian side CSKA and German champions Wolfsburg were tied for the second qualification spot in Group B. Wolfsburg played their final match against a second-string United, nevertheless falling all too easily as Michael Owen scored a hattrick against them. It was up to CSKA to pick up points in Istanbul and make the most of die Wolfe’s misery. Milos Krasic put the visitors ahead on 41′, netting after switching flanks to facilitate a swift counterattacking move. The Russians held that lead for much of the match, but on 86′ Bobo found the net for the home side, a potentially disastrous event as the Russians would not have known the outcome of the Wolfsburg game yet. The Muscovites sealed their passage into the Round of 16 in the 95th minute of play when Evgeni Aldonin shrugged off his marker in the box and blasted home.

Group C: Read Madrid (13), AC Milan (9), Marseille (7), FC Zurich (4)

CR9²

Decisive Match: Real Madrid 3-1 Marseille – Regardless of what happened in the AC Milan match, if Didier Deschamps men had beaten Real Madrid they would have surely seen themselves through to the Round of 16. However, Cristiano Ronaldo made it quite clear that this would not be so, netting a brace at the Velodrome, with his first goal coming on only 4′. It was a vicious, unstoppable free kick from 30 yards out which must have surely deflated the home crowd’s hopes. However, the home side did their best to bounce back and on 11′ leveled when Lucho González tapped in a rebound from close range. The sides fought back and forth for much of the half, with Real Madrid nearly scoring on the half-hour mark when Cristiano Ronaldo’s header hit the post, only for Higuaín to pick up the rebound and be denied, only for Sergio Ramos to pick up the rebound and have his shot deflected over. The sides would go into the half on level terms, but Los Blancos began to immediately apply pressure after the restart and were rewarded on 59′ when Gabriel Heinze’s botched clearance allowed Raúl Albiol to smash home into the left side of the net. On 66′ the hosts were given a chance to level with Iker Casillas bringing down a Marseille man in the box; Lucho González stepped up to the spot as Marseille’s fans cheered, only for his effort to crash against the woodwork. After that, the persistent hosts seemed to lose some of their edge and Cristiano Ronaldo was able to make it an easy 3-1 in the 80th minute after keeper Steve Mandanda grossly misread a long ball from Lassana Diarra and left his net wide open. With that, Marseille’s Champions League adventure was over; AC Milan drew FC Zurich to progress and leave Dechamps men wondering what could have been.

Group D: Chelsea FC (14), FC Porto (12), APOEL (3), Atlético Madrid (3)

Decisive Match: None. Not this week, at least. This group was decided long ago and most of these teams were simply going through the motions.

Group E: Fiorentina (15), Olympique Lyonnais (13), Liverpool (7), Debrecen (0)

Aquilani finally got to lose the jacket.

Decisive Match: Fiorentina 2-0 Liverpool – When Fiorentina qualified for the Champions League this year, it seemed unlikely that they would progress beyond the group stages, never mind topping a group which also contained perennial giants Lyon and Liverpool. However, by defeating the Scousers at Anfield yesterday, La Viola did just that. It was Alberto Aquilani’s first start since arriving at Anfield from the Eternal City over the summer, but he couldn’t provide the edge needed to defeat the visitors in what was essentially a dead rubber match for the Reds. Yossi Benayoun gave the home side the lead just before halftime, deflecting in Steven Gerrard’s free kick past the dive of Sebastien Frey. However, Alberto Gilardino was pulling the strings for Fiorentina, and on 63′ he set up Martin Jorgensen to equalize. Aquilani put in a lively performance but was unable to lend any bite to a toothless Liverpool attack, and it would eventually be Fiorentina who went ahead. In the second minute of stoppage time, lacklustre defending from debutant Stephen Darby allowed Juan Manuel Vargas to steal possession in the final third and supply Gilardino with the goal needed to seal victory, in game and in group, for i Gigliati.

Group F: Barcelona (11), Inter (9), Rubin Kazan (6), Dynamo Kiev (5)

Decisive Match: Inter 2-0 Rubin Kazan – You really have to hand it to Rubin and Dynamo. Drawn in arguably the hardest Champions League group and with two of the strongest teams in all of Europe, the two Eastern European squads made a real run for the Round of 16 and if results had gone their way on the final match day, both former Soviet sides could have gone through at the expense of the Western European giants. Internazionale Milan needed a home victory against Rubin Kazan to guarantee their spot in the Round of 16, and finally played as if they wanted to progress to the next round. Mario Balotelli was the star man for i Nerazzurri, making his intentions clear from the very beginning as he nutmegged a Tatarstan defender and took Inter’s first shot at the Russian goal. On 31′ it would be the captain Javier Zanetti with all sorts of fancy footwork on the edge of the box, before slotting in to Balotelli, who no-look-passed the ball into the path of Samuel Eto’o, who duly slotted in to give the home side a 1-0 lead. Later, on 64′, it would be Balotelli himself who doubled the scoreline, thumping in an unstoppable free kick from 30 yards out. When he can keep his attitude under control, he really is an incredible player. And with that, Inter’s qualification debacle comes to an end; now they can move on to disappoint in the Round of 16.

Group G: Sevilla FC (13), VfB Stuttgart (9), Unirea Urziceni (8), Rangers (2)

They're good losers, to boot.

Decisive Match: VfB Stuttgart 3-1 Unirea Urziceni – On one hand, I wanted Unirea to get through; they were underdogs, and as it is the Year of the Underdog (as I have proclaimed ceaselessly), it seemed the time was right. On the other hand, after crashing out in a 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart, I no longer have to struggle to spell their team’s crazy name. Really it’s win-win for me. The Romanians never really had a chance at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena, with the German side scoring all three of their goals within the first 11 minutes of play. Ciprian Marica opened the scoring on 4′ with a powerful header; Christian Träsch made it 2-0 on 8′ by beating the offside trap and racing in alone to fire a laserbeam before he could be cut down; and Pavel Pogrebnyak made it 3-0 on 11′ by faking out the Romanian defense and then slotting home low under the keeper. After that early display of firepower, the match was all but over, though the visitors pulled one back just after halftime after a defensive error allowed Antonio Semedo to easily beat Jens Lehmann. So ends the Romanian Champions league adventure.

Group H: Arsenal FC (13), Olympiakos (10), Standard Liege (5), AZ Alkmaar (4)

Decisive Match: None here either. Although Olympiakos did beat an Arsenal kiddie-squad yesterday by a score of 1-0; the goal came from defender Leonardo.

What you missed while Rachel Goodyear was betraying her whole species with her artwork (SFW)…

• Champions League Wrap Up: Liverpool 1-2 Fiorentina, Lyon 4-0 Debrecen, Stuttgart 3-1 Unirea Urziceni, Sevilla 1-0 Rangers, Standard Liege 1-1 AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos 1-0 Arsenal, Inter Milan 2-0 Rubin Kazan, Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Barcelona.
• Lionel Messi will probably miss Barcelona’s derby match against Espanyol on Saturday after picking up an ankle knock in the Ukraine.
• Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he “never in a million years” thought Mark Hughes would be successful as a manager. Seriously, how much does Mark Hughes hate Fergie?
• Between his torn hamstring and the African Cup of Nations, Michael Essien may not play for Chelsea again until February.
• Mexico’s Club America has shot down West Ham’s approach for Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas.
• Alberto Aquilani would like more matches. Duh.
• Colo Colo beat Universidad Catolica 4-2 (6-4 on aggregate) to become Chilean champions for the 29th time.
• Former New England assistant and English international Paul Mariner is the new manager of Plymouth Argyle; if this had happened two weeks ago, there could have been tons of awesome pilgrim jokes. (Fun fact: no mention of his time with the Revolution in the article)
• Suck it, St. Louis: MLS is considering an expansion team in Montreal.
• Auckland City beat hosts Al Ahli 2-0 in the opening match of the Club World Cup yesterday. But you already know that because you were glued to your TV set during the match, right?

Gamberini (left) competes with Liverpool's Fernando Torres in Fiorentina's 2-0 win on Matchday 2

In the second half of our look at the Champions League group stage “Stoppage Time” focuses on groups E-H:

GROUP E (OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS, FIORENTINA, LIVERPOOL FC, DEBRECENI)

The biggest disappointment in this year’s competition, without any doubt, was five-time European champions Liverpool. After the opening group match against Hungarian champions Debreceni the Reds were caught short against group rivals Lyon and Fiorentina. Too many mistakes at crucial times proved Liverpool’s undoing and this was emphasized in the last minute of Matchday 6 where Alberto Gilardino was able to capitalize on a defensive error to give Fiorentina the three points needed to top the group. Lyon were impressive throughout especially in their games against Debreceni, against whom they scored eight goals without reply in two matches. Fiorentina finished top on fifteen points, two more than Lyon, whilst Liverpool have to be content with a Europa League place finishing on a dismal seven points in a group they were widely expected to qualify from. Debreceni’s maiden Champions League finished, as expected, in last place but no doubt their team would’ve enjoyed the experience.

GROUP F (FC BARCELONA, INTERNAZIONALE, RUBIN KAZAN, DYNAMO KYIV)

This was the most open group in the Champions League. All four teams harboured hopes of qualification to the Round of 16 prior to Matchday 6. In the end the big boys, FC Barcelona and Internazionale, managed to qualify but they were made to work hard for their place. Jose Mourinho’s Inter had the upper hand in their final game at home against Russian champions Rubin Kazan thanks to goals from Samuel Eto’o and Mario Balotelli whilst European champions FC Barcelona had to come from behind to beat Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine 2-1. Goals from Xavi and Lionel Messi were sufficient for the Catalans to finish top of the group, two points clear of Inter. Rubin Kazan’s first season in the Champions League provided much drama, the 2-1 win against Barcelona in the Camp Nou was one of the highlights of the tournament so far. However they just didn’t have enough killer instinct to put the group to bed but at least they can be content with a Europa League place. For Andriy Shevchenko and his Dynamo side it’s another disappointing exit from a European campaign but they should be back next year barring a dismal second half to the domestic season in Ukraine.

GROUP G (SEVILLA CF, VfB STUTTGART, UNIREA URZICENI, GLASGOW RANGERS)

Sevilla were the clear winners of the group remaining undefeated through the campaign. Their 4-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox Park on Matchday 2 was their most convincing of the tournament thus far. The chase for second became a Matchday 6 “cup final” between VfB Stuttgart (who fired coach Markus Babbel and replaced him with Christian Gross in the weekend prior to the game) and Unirea Urziceni (coached by Chelsea legend Dan Petrescu). The German side started like a train and were 3-0 up inside eleven minutes. Despite Unirea pulling a goal back early in the second half the Germans managed to preserve their lead and the three points allowed them to overtake the Romanians into second place. Unirea go into the Europa League whilst Glasgow Rangers must swallow their pride and be hopeful that they can be back next season.

GROUP H (ARSENAL, OLYMPIAKOS, STANDARD LIEGE, AZ ALKMAAR)

Arsenal were comfortably the best team in the group and had already qualified for the Round of 16 when they went to Greece to play Olympiakos on Matchday 6. They played a young team with an average age of 21 but Arsene Wenger’s men couldn’t maintain their unbeaten record in Athens going down 1-0. Zico’s Olympiakos finished second thanks to some good results earlier in the tournament against Standard Liege and AZ Alkmaar. The third and fourth placed teams came up with some drama of their own on Matchday 6 in Belgium. Dutch champions AZ took the lead in the first half through Jeremain Lens and they held on to their advantage until five minutes into stoppage time. A free-kick was whipped in at pace and among the crowd of players in the penalty box was Standard’s goalkeeper Sinan Bolat who headed home to gain the ‘Liegeois’ a precious point and a place in the Europa League.

Michael Owen Potted Three As United Downed Wolfsburg 3-1

After an action packed first half of the matchday, I am here once again to put in my two cents for the final group stage matches of the 2009/2010 CL season:

Group E – An already qualified Fiorentina squad will play a dejected Liverpool FC in what still has the potential of being a dazzling match. The Viola will most likely dress the majority of their tried and true starting XI so as to take maximum points from the contest, and thus lock up the top spot in the group. Despite playing for a spot in the Europa league, Liverpool, who is having trouble finding any sort of momentum this year, will in all likelihood succumb to their Italian counterparts. In the group’s other match, Lyon should triumph over a Debrecen side that has failed to secure a single point in the tournament.

Inter Needs Milito To Shine In Order To Progress

Group F – It is all up for grabs in Group F, as all of the teams have a strong chance to dance into the next round of play given their results thus far. Barcelona will travel to the Ukraine to face a Dynamo Kiev team that is in the worst shape of the group, having only 5 points from as many matches. I predict that it will be a close game with Barca edging out a winner in the late going. Inter will face the ever determined, never-say-die Russian squad Rubin Kazan who has been a bit of enigma throughout play thus far. Inter will be looking to bounce back from a lackluster result against Barcelona last matchday and should find the strength to win with the home fans behind them.

Group G – With Sevilla already through, the only game of note in this group is between Stuttgart and Romanian surprise FC Unirea Urziceni. Who thought that these minnows had a shot at moving through to the knockout stages when it was such a struggle for them to make the group stages out of European Qualifying only 4 short months ago? Stuttgart has been less than stunning in this year’s CL… to put it frankly, they have been awful. The German squad will require full points in order to pull through, and I honestly don’t think they have the mustard. Unirea to join Sevilla in February.

Super Nikopolidis? Olympicos Hopes So

Group H -  This one is pretty much all said and done. Arsenal is already through, as tops in group H with 13 points, while Olympiacos is just one point shy of appearing in the round of 16. Unfortunately they will need to claim that point from a seemingly revitalized Arsenal side. Standard Liege is still stoking the flickering flame of hope that lives on inside of their fans’ hearts, though they will need a bit of a mathematical miracle to ensure that that flame is not extinguished. They will need to beat AZ Alkmaar, a team who has had a disappointing Champions League run, by a solid margin and then require Arsenal to thump Olympiacos. While this is possible, it’s most likely that the Greek champions to move on through in the group’s number two slot.

That’s it from us at Cheddarbomb for now. Stay tuned to cheddarbomb.wordpress.com for the predictions results post once the dust has settled on the final day of round robin play.

What you missed while “America’s Next Top Model” winner Adrianne Curry was playing World of Warcraft naked and stoned (with mostly SFW picture)…

• Empirical evidence notwithstanding, Glenn Hoddle would select Wayne Rooney over Lionel Messi if he had the option. Statements like that might be the reason he hasn’t been given the option recently.
• Cesc Fabregas is a little envious of Chelsea’s strikers. I hear Barcelona has really good strikers…
• Rangers manager Walter Smith has agreed to work without a contract until Rangers finds a new owner.
• Jimmy Bullard will be out for six to eight weeks after injuring his left knee; Hull City expected to fire Phil Brown for the inevitable poor run of form in five to seven weeks.
• English newspapers think the U.S. will beat England in the World Cup.
• Speaking of the U.S. men: national team centerback Jay DeMerit has recovered from his eye injury and rejoined Watford.
• The Belgiaan FA haas givenDick Advocaat, the Belgiaan Naational Teaam maanaager, permission to maanaage AZ Alkmaar until the end of the seaason.
• Christian Gross, formerly of Tottenham and FC Basel, has replaced Marcus Babbel as manager of VfB Stuttgart.
• Alberto Aquilani, who’s been fit for a month, should debut for Liverpool against Fiorentina today. Because we really, really need him now.
• Inter have never lost when Wesley Sneijder’s in their side, which means his return from injury against Rubin Kazan couldn’t come at a better time.
• Everton’s Ladies beat Arsenal’s Ladies to reach the Premier League Cup final; Cesc doesn’t like their strikers, either.

24 November:
* Rubin Kazan – Dynamo Kyiv 0-0. Central’nyj stadion Kazan’:23185 spect.
- Rubin Kazan: S. Ryzhikov;César Navas,L. Salukvadze,C. Ansaldi,R. Sharonov(53.V. Kaleshin);G. Karadeniz(75.P. Bystrov),S. Semak,A. Ryazantsev,C. Noboa;A. Bukharov,A. Domínguez.
- Dymano Kyiv: A. Shovkovskiy;A. Yussuf,Betao,T. Mikhalik, R. Eremenko;M. Ninkovic(86.T. Ghioane),O. Vukojevic,Gérson Magrão;A. Milevskiy,A. Shevchenko,A. Yarmolenko.

* Debreceni VSC - Liverpool FC 0-1 (0-1)./D. N’Gog ‘4. Puskás Ferenc Stadion (Budapest): 41500 spect.
- Debreceni VSC: V. Polekszics;Z. Szélesi,L. Bodnár,M. Mijadinoski,M. Fodor(78.T. Dombi);Z. Laczko,N. Meszaros,P. Czvitkovics,Z. Kiss;P. Szakály(62.A. Coulibaly),G. Rudolf.
- Liverpool FC: Pepe Reina;J. Carragher,G. Johnson,D. Agger,Fábio Aurélio(89.A. Dossena);E. Insúa,J. Mascherano,S. Gerrard(90.A. Aquilani);Lucas,D. Kuyt,D. N’Gog(77.Y. Benayoun).

* AC Fiorentina - Olympique Lyon 1-0 (1-0).J. Vargas (pen)’28. Stadio Artemio Franchi: 34301 spect.
- Fiorentina: S. Frey;P. Krøldrup,D. Dainelli,L. De Silvestri(86.G. Comotto),J. Vargas;M. Gobbi,R. Montolivo,M. Santana(71.M. Donadel),C. Zanetti(80.M. Jørgensen);M. Marchionni;A. Gilardino.
- Olympique Lyon: H. Lloris;Cris,J. Boumsong,L. Gassama,A. Cissokho;K. Källström,Michel Bastos(67.Lisandro López),J. Makoun,M. Pjanic;B. Gomis(79.Ederson),S. Govou(74.C. Delgado).

* FC Barcelona - Inter Milano 2-0 (2-0).Gerard Piqué ‘10;Pedro ‘26. Camp Nou: 93524 spect.
- FC Barcelona: Victor Valdés;Carles Puyol,E. Abidal(89.Maxwell),Dani Alves,Gerard Piqué;Andrés Iniesta(90.Jonathan),Xavi,Seydou Keita,Sergio Busquets;T. Henry,Pedro(85.Bojan Krkic).
- Inter Milano: Julio Cesar;Lucio,J. Zanetti,Maicon,W. Samuel;C. Chivu,E. Cambiasso(45.S. Muntari),D. Stankovic(71.M. Balotelli),Thiago Motta;S. Eto’o,D. Milito(82.R. Quaresma).

* Glasgow Rangers - VfB Stuttgart 0-2 (0-1)./S.Rudy ‘16;Z.Kuzmanovic ‘59. Ibrox Stadium: 41468 spect.
- Glasgow Rangers: A. McGregor;S. Whittaker,D. Weir,S. Papac,D. Wilson;K. Thomson(76.J. Fleck),L. McCulloch,S. Davis,K. Miller(68.N. Novo);K. Boyd,K. Lafferty(85.D. Beasley).
- VfB Stuttgart: J. Lehmann;Ricardo Osorio,M. Delpierre,A. Boka,G. Niedermeier;C. Träsch,A. Hleb,Z. Kuzmanovic(75.T. Hitzlsperger),S. Rudy(89.T. Gebhart);Cacau(82.J. Schieber),P. Pogrebnyak.

* Unirea Urziceni - Sevilla FC 1-0 (1-0).I. Dragutinovic (OG)’44. Stadionul Steaua (București): 10007 spect.
- Unirea Urziceni: G. Arlauskis;V. Maftei,E. Mehmedovic,G. Galamaz,V. Bordeanu;Ricardo(90.R. Pădurețu),I. Apostol,S. Frunză(64.T. Bălan),P. Brandan;M. Bilașco,D. Varga(89.Semedo).
- Sevilla FC: Javi Varas;I. Dragutinovic,F. Navarro(70.D. Perotti),A. Konko,S. Sánchez;Lolo(63.Renato),D. Zokora,Jesus Navas,D. Capel(63.Luis Fabiano);F. Kanouté,Álvaro Negredo.

* AZ Alkmaar - Olympiakos Piraeus 0-0. DSB Stadion: 16213 spect.
- AZ Alkmaar: S. Romero;G. Swerts,S. Pocognoli,H. Moreno,N. Moisander;Mendes da Silva,S. Schaars(89.M. Martens),B. Holman(78.Ari),P. Wernbloom;M. Dembélé(68.G. Pellè),J. Lens.
- Olympiakos Piraeus: A. Nikopolidis;O. Mellberg, R. Bravo,G. Galitsios,Leonardo;Michal Zewlakow,E. Maresca,Dudu Cearense,J. Zairi(90.A. Pantos);Oscar Gonzalez,K. Mitroglou.

* Arsenal FC - Standard Liège 2-0 (2-0).S.Nasri ‘35;Denilson ‘44. Emirates Stadium: 59941 spect.
- Arsenal FC: Almunia;W. Gallas(45.M. Silvestre),T. Vermaelen,A. Song,K. Gibbs;E. Eboué,Cesc Fábregas,S. Nasri(60.T. Walcott),Denilson(66.T. Rosicky);A. Arshavin,C. Véla.
- Standard Liège: S. Bolat;L. Mulemo,Marcos,M. Sarr,R. Goreux;Felipe,E. Mangala,W. Dalmat(64.M. Traore),A. Witsel;M. Carcela-Gonzalez ‘86,D. Mbokani(68.G. Cyriac).

25 November:
* CSKA Moskva - VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 (0-1).T.Necid ‘58;M.Krasic ‘66/E.Džeko ‘19. Luzhniki stadium: 13478 spect.
- CSKA Moskva: I. Akinfeev;V. Berezoutski,S. Ignashevich,A. Berezoutski,G. Schennikov;E. Rahimic,M. Krasic,E. Aldonin,P. Mamaev;A. Dzagoev,T. Necid.
- VfL Wolfsburg: D. Benaglio;Ricardo Costa,A. Madlung,M. Schäfer,S. Riether;Z. Misimovic,C. Gentner,M. Hasebe,Josue;O. Martins(68.K. Ziani),E. Džeko.

* Girondins Bordeaux - Juventus Torino 2-0 (0-0).Fernando ‘54;M.Chamakh ‘90. Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas: 32195 spect.
- Girondins Bordeaux: C. Carrasso;M. Ciani,M. Planus,B. Trémoulinas,M. Chalmé;J. Plasil,A. Diarra,Fernando,G. Wendel;M. Chamakh,Y. Gouffran(75.A. Traoré).
- Juventus Torino: G. Buffon;F. Grosso,G. Chiellini,N. Legrottaglie,M. Caceres;M. Camoranesi,Diego,M. Sissoko(88.C. Marchisio),Felipe Melo;Amauri(77.S. Giovinco),A. Del Piero(68.C. Immobile).

* Bayern München - Maccabi Haifa 1-0 (0-0).I.Olic ‘62. Allianz-Arena: 58000 spect.
- Bayern München: H. Butt;P. Lahm,D. Van Buyten,M. Demichelis,H. Badstuber;B. Schweinsteiger,M. van Bommel,D. Pranjic(70.A. Ottl);I. Olic(81.A. Tymoschuk),M. Gomez,T. Müller.
- Maccabi Haifa: N. Davidovitch;T. Masilela,A. Osman(74.E. Golasa),D. Keinan,S. Maimon;E. Mshumar,J. Culma(69.L. Rafaelov),B. Kial,V. Dvalishvili(63.S. Arbeitman);Y. Katan,M. Ghadir.

* Manchester United - Besiktas Istanbul 0-1 (0-1)./R. Tello ‘20. Old Trafford: 74242 spect.
- Manchester United: B. Foster;G. Neville, N. Vidic,W. Brown,Rafael(74.M. Carrick);Ji-Sung Park(68.M. Owen),Anderson,D. Gibson(74.P. Evra),G. Obertan;D. Welbeck,F. Macheda.
- Besiktas Istanbul: R. Recber;M. Ferrari,I. Toraman(67.E. Güven),I. Üzülmez,I. Kas;I. Koybasi,M. Fink,F. Ernst, R. Tello(75.U. Inceman);E. Dag,Bobo(84.B. Karadeniz).

* Real Madrid - FC Zürich 1-0 (1-0).G. Higuaín ‘21. Estadio Santiago Bernabéu: 67867 spect.
- Real Madrid: Iker Casillas;Sergio Ramos,Raúl Albiol,Pepe,Álvaro Arbeloa(58.R. Van der Vaart);
Marcelo,Kaka(90.E. Granero),Xabi Alonso,L. Diarra;Raúl(69.Cristiano Ronaldo),G. Higuaín.
- FC Zürich: J. Leoni;A. Rochat,H. Barmettler,F. Stahel,H. Tihinen;P. Koch,D. Djuric(88.M. Schönbächler),
X. Margairaz,S. Aegerter;M. Gajic(76.J. Vonlanthen),A. Alphonse(85.A. Mehmedi).

* AC Milan - Olympique Marseille 1-1 (1-1).M.Borriello ‘10/Lucho González ‘16.
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza: 49063 spect.
- AC Milan: Dida;A. Nesta,M. Oddo(28.I. Abate),G. Zambrotta,Thiago Silva;A. Pirlo,Ronaldinho,C. Seedorf,
M. Ambrosini;M.Borriello,Alexandre Pato.
- Olympique Marseille: S. Mandanda;G. Heinze,L. Bonnart,S. Diawara,T. Taiwo;Lucho González(66.
B. Kone),F. Abriel,B. Cheyrou(85.F. Morientes),E. Cissé;M. Niang(73.H. Ben Arfa),Brandão.

* FC Porto - Chelsea FC 0-1 (0-0)./N. Anelka ‘69. Estádio Do Dragão: 38410 spect.
- FC Porto: Beto;B. Alves,C. Săpunaru(80.E. Farias),Rolando,Álvaro Pereira;R. Meireles,Cristian Rodríguez,F. Belluschi(71.Fredy Guarin),Fernando;Silvestre Varela(59.Hulk),Radamel Falcao.
- Chelsea FC: P. Cech;J. Terry,Ricardo Carvalho,B. Ivanovic;M. Ballack(67.M. Essien),Deco(76.J. Cole),F. Malouda,J. Obi Mikel,Y. Zhirkov;D. Drogba,N. Anelka.

* APOEL Nicosia - Atlético Madrid 1-1 (1-0).N.Mirosavljevic ‘5/Simão ‘62. Neo GSP (Strovolos): 21178 spect.
- APOEL Nicosia: D. Chiotis;Paulo Jorge,M. Ilia(70.M. Breska),C. Kontis,Nuno Morais;K. Kosowski(76.Marcin Zewlakow),S. Poursaitidis,C. Michael(71.J. Broerse),N. Alexandrou;Helio Pinto,N. Mirosavljevic.
- Atlético Madrid: Sergio Asenjo;T. Ujfalusi,Juanito,L. Perea,Álvaro Domínguez;Simão(90.A. López),
J. Jurado(79.Maxi Rodríguez),Cléber Santana,I. Camacho;S. Aguero,D. Forlán(87.J. Reyes).

Group tables here: http://zalmoxys.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/uefa-champions-league-20092010-group-stage-2/

What you missed while the Boston Aquarium was teaching kids to operate on squid (it’s not quite jellyfish, but we’re gonna use that tag anyways)…

• Your Champions League results: Rubin Kazan 0 – 0 Dynamo Kiev, Debreceni 0 – 1 Liverpool, Fiorentina 1 – 0 Lyon, Barcelona 2 – 0 Inter Milan, Rangers 0 – 2 Stuttgart, AZ Alkmaar 0 – 0 Olympiakos, Arsenal 2 – 0 Standard Liege, Unirea Urziceni 1 – 0 Sevilla
• Paul Hart’s been sacked by Portsmouth for not being able to win very many games after the team sold all of his players to pay the electric bill; early candidates for replacement are Darren Ferguson and Avram Grant. Hart may still accept a job with Portsmouth as technical director.
• Kieran Gibbs suffered a “horror foul” against Standard Liege, fracturing his metatarsal and leaving him sidelined for up to three months.
• Everton manager David Moyes (along with, presumably, ever other Premier League manager) doesn’t think Phil Brown should be sacked.
• Congratulations to Gamba Osaka midfielder Endo on winning the Asian Player of the Year award.
• The Dutch national team would like Edwin van der Sar to consider playing for them in the 2010 World Cup.
• Ajax has signed on to help coach the Chinese Football Association’s youth program.
• After numerous ankle injuries, DC United midfielder Ben Olsen retired yesterday. His kid presumably did not wear a Beckham jersey to the press conference.
• Celtic winger Aiden McGeady says that he wouldn’t pay to watch Celtic play.
• Bayern Munich have suspended Luca Toni after making comments critical of Louis van Gaal. That’ll help ‘em win more games, right?
• The Chicago Fire have sacked manager Denis Hamlett for…getting them to the semifinals?

Inilah hasil LIGA CHAMPIONS/CHAMPIONS LEAGUE yang bertanding pada tanggal 25 november 2009 (rabu dini hari) sesuai dengan Waktu Indonesia barat. Ini dia hasilnya.

25 november

GROUP E

jam 02:45 wib

DEBRECEN vs LIVERPOOL
0-1

FIORENTINA vs LYON
1-0

GROUP F

jam 00:30 wib

RUBIN KAZAN vs DYNAMO KYIV
0-0

jam 02:45 wib

BARCELONA vs INTER MILAN
2-0

GROUP G

jam 02:45 wib

RANGERS vs STUTGART
0-2

UNIREA URZICENI vs SEVILLA
1-0

GROUP H

jam 02:45 wib

ARSENAL vs STANDARD LIEGE
2-0

AZ ALKMAAR vs OLYMPIAKOS PIRAEUS
0-0

This week’s Champions League games will go a long way in deciding the final spots in the knockout stage.  Liverpool need a miracle, namely they need to beat Debrecen and they need some Lyon (who’s already in) to beat Fiorentina.  If Fiorentina wins or draws either of their final two games, Liverpool is out.  The Reds will be without Fernando Torres, who’s still battling a groin injury.  Fellow striker Ryan Babel also picked up an injury in the draw with Manchester City this weekend. Defending champion Barcelona finds themselves in a similar boat.  They need to beat Inter Milan at home to keep their chances at advancing alive.  Barca will likely be without Lionel Messi due to injury.  Several players are also ill with the H1N1 virus.

Tuesday’s games
Rubin vs. Dynamo
Arsenal vs. Standard – 9 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Delayed)
AZ vs. Olympiacos
Barcelona vs. Inter – 7 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Delayed)
Debrecen vs. Liverpool – 2:40 p.m. ET/Setanta (Live); 5 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Delayed)
Fiorentina vs. Lyon – 2:30 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)
Rangers vs. Stuttgart
Unirea Urziceni vs. Sevilla

Lyon 1-1 Liverpool: The Reds felt they saved their season Ryan Babel’s goal gave them a 1-0 lead.  It wasn’t to be.  Lisandro Lopez tied things up in the 90th minute.  Liverpool dropped more points.  Five points behind second-place Fiorentina with two matches remaining, they almost assuredly will not qualify for the knockout round.

FK Rubin Kazan 0-0 Barcelona: After dropping five points in consecutive matches with the Russian club, Barcelona’s qualification is in jeopardy.  Just two points separate the four teams in Group F.  No team has won more than one of the four qualifiers.  Barcelona play Inter Milan on Nov. 24.  Rarely for a mega-matchup, that could determine which team goes through.

Arsenal 4 – AZ Alkmaar: The new formation was meant to revitalize Arsenal’s midfield.  Four goals from Fabregas, Nasri and Diaby are testament to that.  Cesc Fabregas is not becoming a premier central midfielder.  He is becoming “the” premier central midfielder.  The Gunners are essentially qualified, but one point from their last two matches would make it mathematical.

What you missed while the full scale of the giant jellyfish insurgence – like the fact that a school of them can be hundreds of miles long – was coming to light…

• First, the result for the game you probably forgot about: West Ham 2 – 1 Aston Villa. Zavon Hines scored deep in stoppage time to give the Hammers all three points.
• Your Champions League wrap: Rubin Kazan 0 – 0 Barcelona, Arsenal 4 – 1 AZ Alkmaar, Fiorentina 5 – 2 Debrecini, Lyon 1 – 1 Liverpool, Dynamo Kiev 1 – 2 Inter Milan, Unirea Urziceni 1 – 1 Rangers, Sevilla 1 – 1 Stuttgart, Standard Liege 2 – 0 Olympiakos.
• After purchasing 200 more shares yesterday, Stan Kroenke’s only .09% away from having to announce a formal takeover bid. The fact that the new owner’s buying the club on a “Ten Easy Payments!” plan should really unnerve Gunner fans, I think.
• Jack Warner’s whining about a purse (probably because it wasn’t full of money when given to his wife).
• Jose Bosingwa may need an operation to correct damage to his knee; he’s been out since October 17th.
• Now that Spain’s “Beckham Law” – in which footballers from other countries pay half the tax rate that regular citizens pay – is really the “Pennant Law”, they’re looking at repealing it.
• Columbus plays Real Salt Lake tonight in the second leg of the MLS playoffs; // // 0 && typeof(nflDefaultLeague)!= “undefined”) {
  leagueId = nflDefaultLeague;
  //find teamId of default league (if exists)
  for(var i=0; i Guillermo Barros Schelotto is expected to play this time, which could be helpful.
• Check out the alliteration in this ESPN headline: Beckenbauer blasts Bayern after Bordeaux beating
• Rangers are expected to complain to UEFA over crowd trouble in their Champions League match last night. In possibly related news, Rangers fans were sprayed with CS gas after ripping up seats and fighting with police.
• Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy has been recalled by the South African national team for friendlies against Japan and Jamaica.

So, I feel like I’ve finally been inducted into British life. I saw my first football game at the Emirates last night! In a Champions League game, Arsenal played Dutch team AZ Alkmaar (pronounced ah-zed allck-mahr) and won 4-1!

I met up with my friend, Nick, who is an Arsenal fanatic and had saved a ticket to the game for me so I could witness European football first-hand. We met up a bit before the game to explore the Arsenal grounds and hit up a local pub/shrine to Arsenal!

Our first stop was the new stadium (built in 2006, I think):

We also hit up ‘The Armoury’, Arsenal’s gift shoppe of sorts where all things Arsenal exist: normal things like shirts, scarves, boxers, mittens, hats, etc. grace the store, but there are also sections dedicated to dog toys, video game controllers (emblazoned with the Arsenal logo), Christmas ornaments, gift wrap and even a toaster that imprints AFC on your toast!

Needless to say, I learned very quickly that football is definitely not just a sport… it’s more like a religion here! In fact, I dared not say the world ‘Tottenham’ or mention my most favorite team, Manchester United, too loud anywhere in the midst of Arsenal fans.

The pub was covered in pictures of Arsenal players, memorable moments and fans and nearly every single person in the pub was wearing an Arsenal shirt or scarf to show their support. Ridiculousness!

I also made some new Dutch friends who sang ‘I wish they all could be California girls’ to me a number of times throughout the night. To anyone who’s wondering, there’s pretty much nothing funnier or more entertaining than watching a group of drunken grown men singing.

Despite being from Amsterdam, they were supporting Arsensal, too. I’m sure if they had said otherwise, they would have been eaten alive. (Also, please note my sweet Arsenal jersey). Following the pub, we went to the game around 7.30, just in time for kick-off, and our seats were spectacular!

We were nine rows up and had an amazing view of the pitch, the players and the entire, jam-packed stadium! The new stadium is absolutely gorgeous and it was definitely a good induction into British culture. Plus, the fact that they won 4-1 (along with the fact that I’ve just recently discovered that Cesc Fabregas is absolutely gorgeous) adds to my London love. Although I’m still a Man United fan, Arsenal’s definitely my London team to support!

Lots of love from London,

So, I feel like I’ve finally been inducted into British life. I saw my first football game at the Emirates last night! In a Champions League game, Arsenal played Dutch team AZ Alkmaar (pronounced ah-zed allck-mahr) and won 4-1!

I met up with my friend, Nick, who is an Arsenal fanatic and had saved a ticket to the game for me so I could witness European football first-hand. We met up a bit before the game to explore the Arsenal grounds and hit up a local pub/shrine to Arsenal!

Our first stop was the new stadium (built in 2006, I think):

We also hit up ‘The Armoury’, Arsenal’s gift shoppe of sorts where all things Arsenal exist: normal things like shirts, scarves, boxers, mittens, hats, etc. grace the store, but there are also sections dedicated to dog toys, video game controllers (emblazoned with the Arsenal logo), Christmas ornaments, gift wrap and even a toaster that imprints AFC on your toast!

Needless to say, I learned very quickly that football is definitely not just a sport… it’s more like a religion here! In fact, I dared not say the world ‘Tottenham’ or mention my most favorite team, Manchester United, too loud anywhere in the midst of Arsenal fans.

The pub was covered in pictures of Arsenal players, memorable moments and fans and nearly every single person in the pub was wearing an Arsenal shirt or scarf to show their support. Ridiculousness!

I also made some new Dutch friends who sang ‘I wish they all could be California girls’ to me a number of times throughout the night. To anyone who’s wondering, there’s pretty much nothing funnier or more entertaining than watching a group of drunken grown men singing.

Despite being from Amsterdam, they were supporting Arsensal, too. I’m sure if they had said otherwise, they would have been eaten alive. (Also, please note my sweet Arsenal jersey). Following the pub, we went to the game around 7.30, just in time for kick-off, and our seats were spectacular!

We were nine rows up and had an amazing view of the pitch, the players and the entire, jam-packed stadium! The new stadium is absolutely gorgeous and it was definitely a good induction into British culture. Plus, the fact that they won 4-1 (along with the fact that I’ve just recently discovered that Cesc Fabregas is absolutely gorgeous) adds to my London love. Although I’m still a Man United fan, Arsenal’s definitely my London team to support!

Lots of love from London,

Confidence breeds confidence. It’s as simple as that really. Arsenal kicked off their mini revival against Liverpool, continued it by spanking our pathetic neighbours down the road and tonight, we continued our march with a resounding win over a team in shop window mode.

Arsenal Starting 11

Spanish Waiter
Eboue
Gibbs
The Verminator
Big Willy
Song
Diaby
Fab4
AA23
Nasri
RvP

For me, the only surprise was to see Eboue in there. Why I was surprised, I don’t know… he’s like athletes foot, just as you think you’ve rid yourself… there it is, flaking up your sock again.

Many were calling for Diaby to be castigated to a far away Island, indeed, many people I was sharing a viewing spot with. My thoughts were if he were to be dropped, he might not come back from it. I almost feel like Diaby needs to be played until he comes good or is replaced by one of the fit again established players.

Dropping him at this stage would be harsh. Like dumping a girl after she’s dropped 4 dress sizes for you. We’ve come so far… if I’m prepared to do it for Song, I”ll be damned if I’m not prepared to stick to my guns with Diaby.

HE WILL BE GOOD!

So, the game kicked off and within 2minutes, Diaby had fluffed a pass and Eboue had gone on one of his classic runs that end in him falling over.

Give me a red shirt, a £30k a week contract and a ball and I can do that for you all day long Arsene… I can even throw in a dive for good measure, and I promise I’ll keep the same sordid secret Eboue keeps for you.

For Diaby though, things began to look up. His passing was measured, he tracked back to make a few important interceptions and he looked stronger/more balanced than he had in the last few games.

Our first chance came when the ref blew up for a back pass. A bit of a weird decision, but what the heck! Robin blasted it into the legs of the static wall. The way AZ were playing, you felt that wouldn’t be the last chance of the game.

Why I made the last comment is a bit beyond me, we could have been playing Chelsea and it wouldn’t have been the last chance of the game… I digress.

After watching the partnership between Eboue and Songs invisible friend develop with a few excellent balls, the time arrived.

Gallas found himself in nose bleed territory, he played it safe and laid it off to Cesc, who jinked inside his man, held off the challenge then slid the ball tamely but accurately past the keeper at the near post. He walked away and politely said, ‘fuck you’ to the AZ full back.

It didn’t take long for the second one to arrive. Arshavin picked up the ball centrally, laid the ball into Nasri who cleverly wrong footed his man with stylish jink of the shoulder, powered past two defenders and buried his shot low and hard past the Argentinian Mick Hucknell. Nasri ran off towards the crowd, presumably his celebration was him metaphorically dusting off the cobwebs of the last few months. Super goal, artistic celebration.

Half time came and Tony Adams was enlightening us with his wisdom. He said something that upset me though.

‘I applauded Arsene on his new 4-3-3, he corrected me though, he said he was playing a 4-1-4-1.’

For gods sake Arsene, it’s 4-4-2, 3-5-1, 4-5-1 or a 4-3-3… don’t start over complicating things and geeking it up, stick with tradition.

The second half kicked off and the fans were hoping for more goals and the Arsenal didn’t disappoint. Arshavin picked the ball up again, ran with it and perfectly timed his through ball to Cesc. He looked up and instead of bending it into the far corner in a ‘Thierry Pires’ kind of way, he hit it into the top corner near side. A masterful goal from the ridiculously productive Spaniard. No ‘fuck you very much’ this time, just a big thumbs up to the fans.

Gibbs who was playing well went close with a driven shot that just went wide.

Eduardo who had replaced Robin earlier on started the move for the 4th with a delightful back heel to Arshavin. The Russian ran forward, cut back and played Diaby in, the Frenchman took a touch and fired it back past the hairy Argentinian for his first goal of the night.

Superb, now all we needed was a clean sheet.

That would be too easy though.

In the dying minutes, Kieron Gibbs was out muscled on the half way line, Lens was played through, Eboue couldn’t get across quick enough to stop him getting a shot in that went into the bottom corner. Technically, Eboue did everything right… he didn’t dive in and he pushed his player out wide. Gibbs was guilty of naivety and Almunia was guilty of not being on his toes.

A bit of a disappointing end to the night, but who cares… we could be Liverpool or Barcelona!

Qualified and we barely broke sweat.

Player Ratings:

Almunia: Pulled of a particularly spectacular save from a powerful 8 yard half volley in the second half. He did well with some tough crosses, but I felt he let himself down with the goal. 6.5

Eboue: Please don’t tell me he played well tonight because I won’t hear it. He was garbage. I counted at least 7 stray passes and one ‘gallopandcrash’. Average right back, superb dressing room clown. 5

Gibbs: In the main he did pretty well. I thought he was caught out of position a few times and strength is clearly an issue. It’s early doors for him and he must learn quickly. 6

Gallas: Just the one assist and in the main, an impeccable game. It was his header that should have been a penalty, which could have prevented the last goal happening. I’m marking him down half a point for not getting the decision. 8

Vermaelen: Top game from everyone’s favourite Belgian. Hard in the challenge, exciting going forward and strong as an ox. 8

Song: Truly the invisible wall tonight. Did everything that was asked of him. A very professional performance. 7

Arshavin: Superb from our dynamic Russian. There seem to be a lot of fans out there keen to underplay how good he is and that is a shame. Trying to down play his brilliance to justify the poor performances of the weaker players is a very boring argument. You don’t drop Arshavin for the same reason we never dropped Bergkamp of Thierry… genius. 3 assists and very strong performance for my favourite person under 5ft7. 8.5

Cesc: Again, suffers the same fate as Arshavin… the reason people don’t jump on Cesc’s back is because even when he is playing badly, he’ll pop up with an assist or a goal. Tonight he was superb, pulling strings like grade 8 Cello player and scoring goals like he has a reputation for finishing. If Cesc continues this form, it would be hard to argue that he could be classed among the top 3 midfielders in the world. 9

Diaby: I said he should be dropped after the Spurs game, and at the time, I meant it. There was not excuse for that performance, but in the week I softened my view. He is adapting to a new position which I personally believe is affecting his strengths (Not in a kryptonite way…). There are no excuses for some of the idiotic things he does on the pitch, but tonight he looked much better. I’m a big believer in his ability to become a top player for us and tonight he demonstrated glimpses of what he can do for us. He made some key interceptions, held off some strong challenges and came out with the ball and scored a classy goal. I’m giving that half point I took off Gallas, to Diaby… kind of like a gold star for effort. 7.5

RvP: A good game from a player some are calling ‘Henkamp’. He stretched AZ with his clever runs and he went close on a number of occasions. My favourite aspect of Robin Van Persie’s persona is his undoubted passion for the cause… Mr Arsenal through and through. As a fan, I connect with him in the same way I connected with Theirry, Paddy and Freddie. It’s great having players like that on your side and it’s great they are playing well and receiving the deserved credit. Arsene believes he is amongst the top 5 strikers in the world, what do you think? 7.5

Nasri: A very good return to action from a player we’re all expecting big things from this year. His passing was good, his ability to create space for others was still there and his eye for goal was demonstrated to all. This year I will be mostly looking for him to show up in every game, to score more goals and to man up and stop taking time off for girly injuries. 8

Conclusion:

A top performance from a team on fire. We need to learn to maintain a lead till the end. The rate we are going, it is going to start to become a mental block. You could once again see that we started to panic towards the end, that’s no good going into the 90th minute of a semi final 1-0 up.

Attacking wise we’re looking superb and it was great to see Rosicky, Nasri and Eduardo come through the game unscathed.

If I were a Wolves fan, I’d be worried… very worried.

Err, happy Bonfire night?!

See you in the comments!

Better late than never, I suppose. Or at least, Jose Mourinho and Claude Puel will suppose. Hell, even Cesare Prandelli had to wait until the second half before his squad came to life. But I digress. Here’s what happened in CL business today:

"WTF HAXX"

Liverpool 1-1 Olympique Lyonnais – Another disappointing day in the life of a Reds fan. They fought and fought all night against Lyon, with Ryan Babel finally putting them ahead on 84′, only for Lisandro Lopez to rob them of all their hard work with a cheaply-had goal in extra time. Or so the story goes. But didn’t Lyon fight just as hard back to keep Liverpool scoreless for those 84 minutes? Don’t they deserve some credit for never saying die, even when it seemed Liverpool had already won the game at its last breath? I for one am not going to feel sorry for the Scousers – not this time – because this was a game that they knew they had to win, and the fact of the matter is that they didn’t do enough to win it. Sure Dirk Kuyt worked his ass off all game, but what good is hard work if you’re too exhausted to make sure you put in a quality performance in the final third of the pitch? That goes for you too, Javier Mascherano. Editor’s Note: This may not seem to make a whole lot of sense, but believe you me, it’s pure genius. I won’t say it wasn’t a disappointment for the ‘Pool – because it was – but I will say that that doesn’t mean they deserved it anymore than Lyon. The Benitez unemployment countdown continueesss!!

Marchionni is improving in leaps and bounds.

Fiorentina 5-2 Debrecen – I may have more than a healthy amount of bias, but I am becoming a believer in Fiorentina as a legitimate continental side. Sure, their defense leaks like a sieve at times, and the two goals scored against them this evening were borderline humourous (one can partially blame the absence of starting keeper Sébastien Frey for that), but la Viola have showed that they can bury them when it counts, as they did in a second-half goalfest this evening at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. I Gigliati took an early lead in the match when Adrian Mutu executed a diving header off of Marco Marchionni’s cross on 14′, and looked strong coming out of the starting gates, but they lost steam by the end of the first half and Debrecen were keen to take the wind from their sails as Gergely Rudolf equalized on 37′. The teams would go into the half level, but when they reemerged, it was all Fiorentina. Three goals in 10 minutes came from Dario Dainelli (51′), Riccardo Montolivo (58′) and Marco Marchionni (61′) to give la Viola a commanding 4-1 lead. I must give credit to Debrecen though, as they certainly did not say die. Substitute Adamo Coulibaly put his head onto the end of a pinpoint cross to pull one back for his side on 69′ and remind the jubilant Florentine supporters that the match was not over yet. However, Fiorentina were quick to assert their dominance; on 73′ Alberto Gilardino responded with a header of his own to restore his side’s 3-goal lead and the game pretty much ended there. Fiorentina repeated their first-half trick of gradually slowing the pace of the game, content to kick the ball around aimlessly with the comfort of their large lead. A victory in their next match (against Lyon) will see Fiorentina secure their passage to the first knockout round. Who would’ve thunk it?

The Barcelona bus doesn't even have snow tires!

Barcelona 0-0 Rubin Kazan – Picture this: You’re in Siberia, on a frozen tundra of snow and ice – the only way out is to score a goal on the net that is inexplicably situated in front of you. That’s already a pretty tall order, because you’re from Catalonia, and not exactly used to this very Russian weather. Oh, and then someone parks a bus between you and the goal. Ta-da! You’re Barcelona in Tatarstan this evening. Personally, I hate Russian weather. Editor’s Note: The author has never been to Russia. Chelsea lost their Champions League final match 2 years ago because some genius thought an open-air stadium in Moscow was a good idea – I’m sure Barcelona would agree with me tonight that an open-air stadium anywhere in Russia is just bad news. The Blaugrana were held by the Russian champions, unable to crack their 11-man defense or cope with the Russian cold. The best effort of the evening came on 2′, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic beat his markers only to hit the post. Both sides would trade a handful of chances throughout the remaining 88 minutes, but ultimately no one would be able to get ahead, and those sneaky Russians would steal another point from the reigning champions of Europe. Good on ya, Kazan!

Pictured: Enemy #1 of Inter Milan

Inter 2-1 Dynamo Kiev – If Jose Mourinho’s hair isn’t just a little more grey- I’m sorry, silver, after this evenings game, the man might be ageless. It seemed like the same old (hilarious) story – Inter dominate every week domestically, but go on to choke (and choke hard) in European play. The rest of us point and laugh, then realize they’re still 7 points clear of anybody else in the Scudetto race and go home to weep softly to ourselves. Well, I do, anyways. But I digress. It took only 21 minutes for Inter to fall behidn in the Ukrainian capital this evening – that old Nerazzurri nemesis, Andriy Shevchenko was back to haunt them once more and take the lead with a ridiculous left-footed volley from outside the 18-yard box. Inter had their world rocked, for a spell, but they would fight back, and fight back hard. I’m not exactly sure how it’s possible, but La Beneamata spurned a seemingly endless stream of chances throughout the remaining 69 minutes. No one was innocent; Samuel Eto’o, Mario Balotelli, Diego Milito, Lucio, Walter Samuel – each had a golden opportunity served up for them on a silver platter, and each duffed theirs in turn. In the 86th minute, Diego Milito would finally bring Inter level, latching on to the end of a spectacular low cross/throughball (?) from Wesley Sneijder and nudging it past Stanislav Bogush. Inter had been fighting for more than an hour to achieve that equalizer, and when that ball went in, Mourinho’s side roared to life. Just 3 minutes later, Wesley Sneijder would win the game for Inter and break Ukrainian hearts with just seconds to spare – Sulley Muntari launched a low shot at the Kiev net, and Diego Milito prevented the rebound from exiting play in order that Sneijder could run onto the ball and bury it – for once and for all. Inter take the lead in their group with this win, if only by a point, and break their barren winless spell in European play. Jesus guys, it took you long enough!

Arsenal 4-1 AZ Alkmaar – Today’s last relatively important match (which I for some reason feel obligated to mention) consisted of Arsenal handily defeating Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar at the Emirates Stadium. Cesc Fàbregas bagged a brace, Samir Nasri added a third, and Vassiriki Diaby made it 4 to complete a solid (and fairly routine) home rout. Jeremain Lens would pull back a consolation goal for his side with little time left in the match, but ultimately the Dutch simply could not contend with Arsene Wenger’s squad, who have hit their stride with a blistering run of form lately and are a danger to anyone they face.

These are th- Well, you get the point.

Arsenal 4 AZ Akmaar 1

Ronald Koeman’s freaky run against Arsenal and English teams in general was abruptly brought to an end. It could have been a lot worse had Arsene decided to keep a Fabregas keen to get his hatrick as well as the stand in goal creating machine in Arshavin.

Barely three minutes had gone when a few one touch passes led to Van Persie firing just wide across goal. That was the warning sign, our forward man daring to break the deadlock with his weaker right foot. It is a good sign of the Dutchman’s confidence that he now regularly makes it a point to dismiss this notion of a chocolate foot.

With Sergio Romero in goal for AZ, the likelihood of a goal or two for us seemed a lot higher than normal. I thought he was young goalkeeper, he is only 3 days older than me and the inexperience showed in his decision-making.

Take nothing away from Fabregas’ first goal. Yes, the shot was weak but when a certain guy across the Capital scores deflected goals time after time and it is proclaimed as pure artistry, we should give credit to Cesc for his quick thinking to taking a shot towards the near post and fooling Romero who had already gone the other way.

Once Cesc scored it seemed inevitable that more goals would come. It was closer to half time but it was a beauty. First Arshavin turned effortlessly from an AZ player before slipping a pass to Nasri. The Frenchman duly wrong footed the opposition in front of him before curling the ball low to the keeper’s left.

If you thought that was clinical, the next two were just as ruthless if not more. Diaby haters look away now. The third goal came about when firstly, Diaby won the ball in central midfield and he found Arshavin with a straightforward pass. The Russian could have rung rings around the AZ defenders and taken a shot himself. As it turns out, he found Cesc with a pass on the left side and the skipper promptly finished this briefest of moves off with his side foot effort.

As if he didn’t do enough to keep the negative vibes down, Diaby then had the balls to swiftly control an almost perfect pass from Arshavin before calmly sloting it in. This move also came from a swift counter attack that included a backheel from Eduardo that will surely get a million youtube hits. As well as that, I saw Arshavin and crucially Diaby, running three quarters of the pitch to get this 4th goal.

Let me tell you why that is so unique.
1) I never knew Diaby could have such a good acceleration on him.
2) We were winning 3-0, this was our 2nd game in 4 days and yet both showed tremendous commitment to give a more accurate reflection of our dominance in the score count.

AZ had their best spells sandwiched between the third and fourth goal. Almunia who had very little to do was called to act quickly on a snapshot by Pelle and then had to pluck the ball quickly when a cross came in.

Still I don’t think he expected the ball to come to his goal from an Arsenal corner. That is what happened and AZ scored their consolation goal. As counter attack goals go, it was swift but they had their lucky breaks. Gibbs who was rather hesitant at times in his defensive duties (Arshavin, Diaby and Song took turns to cover the left back position) lost his challenge roughly near the half way line.

The ball fell to Lens who ran like Forest Gump, plenty of self belief, aided by Ramsey’s inability to make a more meaningful attempt at a tackle. Eboue, fair play to him, was in the right position to make that challenge but as things go the Dutchman duly fluked his shot and it rolled in.

But it is the same as Fabregas’ goal, no? Wrong. Whilst Cesc always looked like taking a shot, The Dutchman’s goal was more a case of him getting the jitters.

It wasn’t the cleansheet we wanted. But you know when you win 4-1 it can be glossed over for now can’t it? It isn’t as if we got a last minute 3-3 or a 2-2 draw like United or Chelsea. Besides we now have 10 points but as we have the tougher group, we have to win one more game to seal qualification and top spot.

A visszavágók sorát is súlyos vereséggel kezdte a Debrecen: 5–2-re verte agyba-főbe a Lokit a Fiorentina. A hazai 4–3-as meccs szépnek mondható teljesítményét képtelenek voltak megismételni Herczeg András tanítványai, és a második játékrészben „kínhalált haltak”.

A gólok sorát Mutu nyitotta meg: szépen beadott labdát ugyanolyan szépen küldött a hálóba a 14. percben. A félidő közepéig nem alakult ki újabb gólhelyzet, de a játékrész végére kezdett „megszépülni” a játék. A 38. percben jött a Loki legszebb pillanata: Rudolf egy balról beadott labdát kapásból a hálóba küldött, ezzel kiegyenlített a magyar bajnok, és BL-pályafutása során először nem kellett hátrányban bevonulnia az öltözőbe.

A második játékrész kezdetét pocsék debreceni játék jellemezte. Beszorult a csapat a saját kapuja elé, és nemsokára jött is a büntetés az ellenfél részéről: Dainelli szerezte vissza a vezetést a hazaiaknak az 52. percben, majd Montolivo és Marchioni 59. és 61. percben szerzett góljai eldöntötték a mérkőzést. A 70. percben sikerült ugyan szépíteni Coulibaly révén, de Gilardino a 74. percben úgy gondolta, hogy szerez egy újabb gólt a Fiorentinának. És meg is tette.

Négy mérkőzés után nulla ponttal áll a Loki. Hol szerez pontot? Az Budapesten 4–0-ára nyerő Lyon otthonában, vagy itthon a Liverpool ellen? Nem kell továbbjutásról beszélni – holott az Európa Liga-belépőt jelentő harmadik helyre még van matematikai esély –, nem kell dicsőségre gondolni. Szép dolog a részvétel, állítólag az a fontos, nem a győzelem. De aki ezt elhiszi és beletörődik, az nem lehet sportember! Amit a Lokitól láthattunk, a részvételhez is kevés. Meg kell tanulni 90 percet játszani, és akkor talán beleszagolhatunk az európai fociba. Hajrá Loki!

Az E csoport másik mérkőzésén: Lyon–Liverpool 1–1

További szerdai eredmények:

F csoport:
Rubiny Kazan–FC Barcelona 0–0
Dinamo Kijev–Internazionale 1–2

H csoport:
Arsenal–AZ Alkmaar 4–1
Standard de Liége–Olimpiakosz Pireusz 2–0

A G csoport eredményeivel rövidesen külön foglalkozunk.

Kovács Hont-Imre