Final justice

The Champions League final was over before it began. Going into the game Manchester United were, for better or for worse, red-hot favourites, with critics pointing to the semi-final dismantling of an Arsenal team who, like Barce, know only one way to play. To make matters worse for the Catalans, they were missing three out of their four first-choice defenders and as such, were forced into incorporating midfielder Yaya Toure and the aging Carlos Puyol in unfamiliar defensive roles. Targeting this perceived weakness, Ferguson deployed a hardworking and determined midfield four of Giggs, Carrick, Anderson, and Park Ji-Sung to close down the deadly Barce midfield, and then pick a pass to get Rooney and Ronaldo running at the make-shift backline. It was a grave mistake.

The first ten minutes were an unfortunate microcosm of Ronaldo’s out of control ego. Following a confidence-inspiring freekick on target, his quick and predictably direct, runs followed by a fleeting long-range shots, simply frustrated the United players around him. Following this early pressure, United allowed Barce to start playing that dangerous brand of football they’ve showcased all season, exemplified by perhaps the most impressive goal-scoring ratio of the modern era. The creativity that fostered such an unprecedented dominance in the Spanish domestic league slowly started to dominate the English Champions.

Ultimately, the first half was epitomised by a Barcelona side enjoying their predisposition to possession, a characteristic United seemed to indulge by not getting tight to their men or attacking the loose ball with the conviction expected. The Manchester midfield was slow, both mentally and physically, when Barce were in possession or chasing the ball. Ronaldo continued to run head-down and aimlessly for ten minutes before Barce opened the scoring, a mistake from which no lessons were learned. The precise, metronomic passing of the Barce midfield disoriented United, before Eto’o floored Vidic with a simple dummy and toe-poked an early shot past Van der Sar. From then on Barce were quite simply on another plain, strolling every inch of the Stadio Olimpico with the pomp expected from a team of this composite talent. Every Barce pass was quick and sharp, every United pass was under-hit and panicked. In short, Barce were everything United were not: driven, calm, accurate and, more importantly, onside. The first half was played out with increasingly predictable regularity as Barce mesmeric superstars flexed their muscles, buoyed on by the biggest stage imaginable.

While in many ways United limped over the line to a third consecutive Premier League title, Barce romped to La Liga glory with a 6 – 2 demolition of rivals Real Madrid. The second half of the Final simply consolidated and realised this difference in group ability and determination. United continued frustrating each other with misplaced passes and unexpected errors, while Barcelona were relaxed in possession, commanding the respect often forgotten by pampered Premier League footballers, used to an easy win. Tevez was brought on for the ineffective and blundersome Anderson before Berbatov replaced Giggs to give United a 4-2-4 formation. Yet, with Ronaldo neutralised by the excellent Puyol, in new territory at right back, and Rooney increasingly hugging the touchline, United failed to produce any inspiration. By definition inspiration cannot be produced, simply witnessed, and United’s second half was another example of failed attempts, off-side runs and vacant defending. From an innocuous string of passes down the right side Xavi whipped in an inch-perfect cross that Messi was able to meet with what can only be described as grace. It was one of those moments where time seemed to stand still, and from the moment the ball left Xavi’s foot, the die was cast. The remainder of the match was simply a formality.

While the result might not have surprised too many people, the manner of Barce’s victory certainly might have done. Barcelona’s domination of the Spanish League was dismissed by the arrogance of the English, because after all, we’re told week-after-week that La Liga and Serie A are nothing compared to the full-blooded, break-neck Premier League. Pre-match, the Spanish were as self-assured as the English, yet ultimately the truth shone through. Barcelona made Manchester United look like a pub team. Outshone in every position on the park, United deferred to hard tackles and long balls within twenty minutes, and it was this lack of imagination and submission to superior ability that destroyed United in the end.

It seems a little self-defeating to highlight particular players for praise, but even amongst the other stars on display, three men in blue and red stood out. They are Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and of course Lionel Messi. Ferguson spoke before the game of Xavi and Iniesta’s ability to put opponents on a “carousel” with their passing, and if anything, they actually superseded the Scotsman’s hyperbole. The ‘pass, move, offer’ school of football was on display for all to see last night, and any doubts that the two Spaniards are currently the world’s two best midfielders evaporated before half-time. And little Lio Messi? Unplayable from start to finish, bouncing off tackles, running at defenders, and constantly on the lookout for that moment of innovation to unlock the Premier League’s meanest defense.

Put short, the self-congratulatory and onanistic undertones of English football were ultimately undone this year, and every minor or major battle was won by the Spanish champions. The evening was billed as Manchester United vs Barcelona, Ronaldo vs Messi, Ferguson vs Guardiola. The representatives of the English League were undermined in every respect by their own arrogance, laziness and lack of imagination. A club owned by a supporters collective and sponsored by UNICEF destroyed the ultimate symbol of global footballing business. It was the final the world had been waiting for.

Last year, a moment of individual brilliance from Paul Scholes put United above Barca in a second. A year on, 93 minutes of footballing perfection undid everything. The gulf, if you’re a United fan, was terrifying.

Spit. It. Out.

Last week, in the Daily Star the so-called ‘Mr Chelsea,’ John Terry, has furiously denied spitting at Carlos Tevez during Wednesday night’s Champions League final after the Argentine forward accused him the following day. The incident took place during the same scuffle that saw professional waste-of-space Didier Drogba sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidic in the face. Terry said: “There was some pushing and shoving, I admit that. But no spitting, that is not my style. No way would I spit at another player.” So here’s some footage of it all then, kindly provided by The Spoiler, and if about 12 seconds in JT isn’t spitting/blowing his nose on Tevez, then what the hell is he doing?

Chelsea obviously deny everything, and have hired a crack-team of Ambulance-chasers to defend the aspiring England captain. UEFA spokesman William Gaillard told us: “The procedure is that we must wait for the report from the referee and UEFA delegates. If the referee says he saw the incident and that the player did not spit, then that will be the end of the matter. But if he says he did not see the incident, then we will go back to the video images.” If found guilty, Terry could face a three match European ban, with similar behaviour from Fransesco Totti and Sebastien Frey at Euro 2004 the precedents. This whole incident calls to mind a classic slice of 90s comedy which is shown below for your enjoyment. If you’ve never heard of JFK, or have had a sense of humour transplant, please ignore what follows:

Anyway, this controversy tops off what has been a not-exactly-great week for JT then, with a penalty miss plaguing him, and main rival Rio Ferdinand expected to be handed the permanent national captaincy before next week’s clash with the U.S. of A.

UPDATE - John Terry has written an open letter to Chelsea fans following the Champions League Final. The Chelsea captain wrote:

'To all the Chelsea fans, all my team-mates, the manager and staff at the club.
I am so sorry for missing the penalty and denying you the fans, my team-mates, family and friends the chance to become European champions.
Many people have told me I don't need to say that but I feel I need to, that's just me. I have relived that moment every minute since it happened. I have only slept a few hours and wake up every time hoping it's all been a bad dream.
I have had some amazing support from fans, current and ex-players, family and friends and I need to thank everyone for that. But I am a big man and I take responsibility for us not winning.

I am and ALWAYS will be Chelsea through and through. I will give my all on and off the pitch to win this trophy as a player and one day as a manager. And I am sure we will win it.
That night in Moscow will haunt me forever and I feel I have let everybody down and this hurts me more than anything. I am not ashamed about crying. This is a trophy I have tried so hard year after year to win and it was just an uncontrollable reaction, I wear my heart on my sleeve, everybody knows that.
The road to Rome starts here, we have to try and turn this experience to our advantage. I am very proud of how far we have come this season with everything that has gone on.
Thank you for all your support for the team this season.'

Looking Back on the Champions League Final

Congratulations to Manchester United for completing the double then. Surely anyone likely to be reading this site watched the game for themselves, so there seems little point in transcribing the action, but suffice to say, it’s a final we will be talking about for some time now. Perhaps not as dramatic as 2005’s incredible comeback from Liverpool, but in terms of sheer emotional intensity, this year’s all-English final will go down in history for more reasons than one.

There are many reasons that as a neutral I felt United deserved to win, but bizarrely their performance on the actual night is not one of them. For once, it was hard not to feel for Chelsea, with every defender and midfielder on the pitch giving their all for the club. The oft-maligned Ashley Cole was excellent all night, and after some early hiccups, makeshift right-back Michael Essien handled Cristaino Ronaldo with aplomb. Down the middle, JT and Carvalho were excellent as ever, with the former’s goal-line clearance from Ryan Giggs late into extra time keeping the tie alive. Claude Makalele overcame initial scraps to dominate the midfield, giving Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack as much freedom as they needed to pull the strings. In terms of attacking options, they were toothless and uninterested however, with Malouda and Kalou (when he came on) struggling to handle the pace, and Joe Cole anonymously hugging the right-hand touchline. Didier Drogba offered a quite fitting underline to his Chelsea career if he is indeed to leave this summer; pouting, ineffective and ultimately just plain stupid, this was the Drogba everyone but Chelsea fans have seen week after week for three years. Anelka too should be ashamed of himself; if ever there was a mercenary footballer it is him, with nothing even approaching emotion etched on his face after missing the crucial penalty that gave United the cup.

The Champions though, despite taking the lead before the half-hour, seemed to suffer from stage-fright for perhaps not the first time this season. While they were never really subjected to elongated periods of pressure at the back, they just had difficulty maintaining possession and building much going forward. The usual slick passing was absent, with too many players giving and receiving the ball standing still even early in the second-half before fatigue truly kicked in. Carlos Tevez led the line admirably, but Wayne Rooney failed to make any impact at all, and even Ronaldo faded into the background after scoring the opener. In line with previous criticisms on this site of his play in the big games, Ronaldo once again just didn’t gauge his team were having difficulty holding the ball, and continued to attempt backheels and flicks while a simple ball to feet would’ve sufficed. Centrally in midfield, Michael Carrick still seemed a bit out of depth at this level, while Paul Scholes just didn’t really have the legs to keep up with the pace and athleticism of Chelsea.

But, and it’s a big but, over the course of the season United have been by far the most impressive team in Europe, and for the sake of historical romance, many members of the squad are worthy of being called European Champions this year:

Ryan Giggs added to his record-breaking tenth Premier League title a fortnight ago by surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time club record on the night, now with 759 professional appearances going back to the age of 17.

Paul Scholes, who missed United’s last Champions League success through suspension, was the first name on Ferguson’s team-list this year, and did himself proud at the age of 33 after propelling United into the final with that wondrous strike against Barcelona in the semi-finals.

The whole defensive unit for United has been as important as the much-praised attacking prongs, with even Wes Brown playing exceptionally on the night. You’ll struggle to find a better central-defensive partnership than Vidic and Ferdinand anywhere in the world, and behind them, Edwin van der Sar richly deserves his second Champions League medal, 13 years after the first with Ajax.

As undoubtedly the world’s best player this year, Cristiano Ronaldo warrants a Champions League medal like Kaka last year and Ronaldinho before him, to name just two. He finished the competition’s leading goal-scorer, and perhaps missing another penalty is what he needs to keep his feet on the ground.

From a real nostalgic point of view, the fact that this triumph comes fifty years after the Munich air disaster makes the whole unfolding of the season seem destined in many ways. It is also forty years since Charlton’s rebuilt Busby Babes lifted the first European Cup for an English side, so success this year was undoubtedly written in the stars.

And last, but certainly not least, this win surely lifts Sir Alex Ferguson amongst the true greats, with previously just the one European success not really representative of the club’s domestic dominance since the Premier League’s inception. His list of accolades is quite simply breath-taking, with 21 trophies in 21 years at Manchester United now if my maths is right. In 1999, he became the first manager to lead an English team to the treble of league championship, FA Cup and Champions League; he has won the FA Cup five times; he is the only manager ever to win three successive league championships in the top flight in England with the same club (1998-1999, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001); and now, he joins the illustrious company of Brian Clough and Bob Paisley as only the third British manager to win the European Cup on more than one occasion.

With further squad improvement planned for the summer, can anything stop this United team from repeating their domestic and European dominance next season and beyond? The average age of the current team is frightening young, but with a new goalkeeper, right-back and centre forward at least on Fergie’s shopping list, not to mention young talent such as Aaron Ramsey and Victor Moses linked to United, I’d get used seeing this team lift the Premier League and Champions League trophies for some time now.

Champions League Semi-Finals: Second Leg

Having been threatened for the last couple of years, we now have on our hands an all-English final of the Champions League for the first time in history. Manchester United vs Chelsea in Moscow in three weeks time might not be the most enticing prospect for the neutral, but who can really argue that both sides don’t deserve it? Over the two legs, it was strangely Liverpool and Chelsea who provided the most entertainment, with two thrilling encounters that completely banish negative thoughts from years past of clashes between the two. Manchester United though were forced to adapt their naturally attacking instincts, and across the games showed a great maturity to snuff out Barcelona, who seemed bizarrely content to pretty much just play keep-ball for 180 minutes.

It’s at Old Trafford we start, and a deafening atmosphere that proved just how much getting to their first final in nine years meant to the United faithful. Having barely had a kick last week in the Nou Camp, and chasing shadows for much of the defeat to Chelsea at the weekend, the word was that United might be there for the taking should Barce score first. Again the Spanish giants dominated most of the possession, but still they failed to really carve out any clear-cut chances as the English champions mounted an epic 11-man rearguard stand. With Rooney and Vidic missing through injury, the team was not at full strength, but still Ferguson started with plenty of attacking options in Park, Nani, Ronaldo and Tevez, eager to make his intent known to the Catalans. The Reds almost made a nightmare start though when Scholes tripped Lionel Messi just inches outside the area, but thankfully German ref Herbert Fandel got the call right, awarding a free-kick, and resisting the temptation to gift Barce a dream opportunity from the penalty spot. United nerves were settled minutes later however, when Paul Scholes crashed a thunderous long-range strike past Victor Valdes in the 14th minute. Only his second goal of the season, the timing could not have been better for Scholes, who many will remember was robbed of an appearance nine years ago in United’s 1999 winning final due to suspension.

As in the Nou Camp, Messi was the real danger man for Barce throughout, darting around with such pose and intent, but once again, Evra played him with aplomb, and United keeper Edwin van der Sar was on fine form to deny his several pokes at goal. Deco too was excellent for the Spanish side, but twice he dragged decent shooting opportunities just wide as it started to look like another one of those nights for Barce. United created chances of their own though, with Park Ji-Sung sliding a precise effort just wide, and Nani, preferred to Ryan Giggs, wasting a chance to double their lead just three minutes before the interval when he glanced Park's cross. Perhaps the best chance of the game however fell to substitute Thierry Henry just after the hour-mark, who fluffed a point-blank header from Xavi's corner tamely straight at van der Sar. As ironies go, an Henry header at Old Trafford would’ve been almost too much to take for United, but thankfully the ex-Arsenal man failed to get any real power on the ball. Barcelona continued to play around United in the closing stages, showing delightful one-touch passing and movement, but ultimately they just could not break down the stern defence. Ferdinand and Brown were superb at the heart of that defence, but the most kudos have to go to Carlos Tevez who covered so much ground, both going forward and tracking back, that he must still be knackered today. And Ronaldo? Well, he was more of a team-player, but as last week in Spain, was pretty blunt as an attacking option. So, round one to Messi; let’s hope for football’s sake though that this isn’t the last time the two prodigal talents face off in this kind of arena.

We move to Stamford Bridge then, and with Chelsea gifted a 95^th minute equaliser last week at Anfield, the momentum was certainly with the home side. Never write off Liverpool in Europe though; when this competition reaches the business stages of the quarter-finals onwards, experience and history is worth so much. Liverpool undoubtedly played their part in what was an incredibly exciting rollercoaster of a game, with control lurching from one team to the other, but overall Chelsea just had too much for the Scousers, who have now been denied their third final in four years. From the outset, Chelsea were powerful and dangerous going forward, with Ballack dominating the midfield, and Drogba causing problems for the Liverpool back-line once again. The first chance fell to Fernando Torres however, who drove into the box and shot low after ten minutes, only to find Cech quickly out to smother the shot wide. Having been criticised by Rafa Benitez in the build-up to the game for his theatrics, of course the opening goal had to come from Didier Drogba, who finished off a great passage of play for the Blues just after the half-hour-mark. Lampard slid a delightful pass through to Soloman Kalou, and on a night where the young winger actually performed, he drove into the box with confidence and arced a shot towards Pepe Reina’s top left-hand corner. The effort was excellently parried by Reina, but it landed straight at the feet of the Ivory Coast international to hammer home, and the striker predictably celebrated by diving as a middle finger to Benitez and his other critics. Ballack then almost rounded off the half with a superb 25 yard free-kick that flew inches wide, but after the hairdryer treatment from Bentiez, Liverpool re-appeared a different side after the break.

They almost made a perfect start too, with Dirk Kuyt forcing a crucial save from Cech just minutes into the second half. Gerrard finally started to get a foot in the game, having broken the shackles of Claude Makelele somewhat after an anonymous first-half, and his passing opened the game up with Chelsea content to sit back. It’s always a dangerous game to play against a side such as Liverpool, and the Blues paid the price with twenty minutes to go when Yossi Benayoun (sledged throughout the game by a certain member of the STT editorial team) ghosted infield past three players to slide a ball into Torres on the edge of the box for the Spanish striker to fire past Petr Cech. Remarkably it was Liverpool's first goal at Stamford Bridge in nine matches (841 minutes to be precise), and meant that the game was destined for extra-time, with few chances as normal time panned out.

Having been on the rack for almost 45 minutes straight, the full-time whistle was exactly what Chelsea needed, and throughout extra time both sides were crackling at their best. Both periods were bathed in controversy, and after less than five minutes, Chelsea thought they had got a vital goal lead when Essien drilled a shot past Reina, only for it to be ruled out for offside. It was the right call too, with substitute Anelka standing literally right in front of the Liverpool keeper, but any protests were muted a minute later when Sami Hyypia, on for much of the game for the injured Skyrtl, tripped Ballack in the box and a penalty was awarded. On his return to the side just six days after the death of his mother, Frank Lampard put the ball down, and as if there was ever any doubt, he lashed the ball into the back of the net to spark an emotional celebration. Lampard on the whole was more involved than I remember him in the last year or so, buoyed on the desire to dedicate at least one trophy this season to his mother’s memory, and for once he is worthy of the praise heaped on him by today’s press. Minutes later, just before the half-time break, Drogba doubled Chelsea’s lead as well as his own tally for the game, latching onto a pass after some decent work by Anelka down the right. He understandably went spastic as Stamford Bridge finally started to believe, but there was more to come in this game. Just after the break, Hyypia himself was probing in the Chelsea box to make amends for his earlier error, and having been tripped by Drogba after some nice footwork, he rightly appealed for a penalty. Italian ref Roberto Rosetti was having none of it though, despite looking like he initially pointed to the spot, and the game continued at a frantic pace. The decision to turn down Liverpool’s penalty was put into starker light just minutes later though when Ryan Babel unleashed a 35 yard wonder-strike past Cech to put the Scousers within touching distance of a remarkable equaliser, but it wasn’t to be. Over the two games Chelsea showed enough attacking intent to deserve the win, and are now in with a chance of becoming the first London club to lift Europe's most sought-after prize. Maybe then the Blues’ supporters will finally admit that Avram Grant isn’t a complete clown, but don’t bet on it.

We’ll see you in Moscow on May 21^st for the titanic showdown.

Champions League – Semi-Finals 1st Leg

It was expected to be a week of heroes, but bizarrely it will more likely be remembered for two men characterized as villains: John Arne Riise for tragically netting an own goal deep into injury time at Anfield, and Cristiano Ronaldo for missing a penalty after less than three minutes at the Nou Camp.

Starting then at Anfield with what many neutrals were actually dreading a little after a collection of tepid-to-say-the-least encounters between the two sides in recent memory. If anything the game was less cagey than last night’s supposedly free-flowing affair in Spain, and Chelsea genuinely demonstrated some attacking intent throughout the first-half despite struggling to carve out any clear-cut chances. Joe Cole wasted Chelsea's best opportunity of the match when he was found delightfully in the area by Lampard around the half-hour mark, but he failed to realise the amount of time and space he had, and the chance was snuffed out. Steven Gerrard signalled the Reds’ attacking intent after just seven minutes, but his ultimately tame shot was straight at Cech, before Kuyt's control let him down just after, having been put clear by Xabi Alonso. The Spanaird, alongside the fantastic Javier Mascherano dictated the midfield all game, with Lampard doing his usual invisible man impersonation (admittedly though, probably his mind was elsewhere with his sick mother, R.I.P.), and Ballack clearly lacking match-fitness. As the half reached its climax, Torres was put through with a class through-ball from Gerrard, but unusually El Nino failed to find the net, taking perhaps a touch too many to allow Cech to brilliantly smother the danger. The humanoid brick-wall was powerless to stop Liverpool taking the lead three mintues before the interval however, as Chelsea were caught out by Alonso's quick free-kick. Lampard failed spectacularly to clear on the edge of his own box, and Kuyt stole inbetween Makalele and Cole to latch on to Mascherano's sliced pass to coolly steer through Cech’s legs.

The goal understandably gave Liverpool a further injection of confidence, and they dominated most of the second half, with the impressive Ryan Babel fizzing a 25-yard shot just wide just before the hour mark. Chelsea grew into the game again during the second half though, with Malouda and Kalou almost contributing for the first time this year with probing runs at the Liverpool full-backs. Still though they failed to create much, with Drogba more concerned with pouting and shrugging his shoulders rather than making any decent runs. With less than ten minutes left on the clock, Liverpool were resurgent again, and Cech needed to produce two world-class saves, firstly to turn Gerrard's vicious volley over the bar, and then to block an injury-time strike from Torres after the Blues failed to clear a corner. In the 95^th minute, the unthinkable happened though and Chelsea got that vital away-goal. Kalou's whipped cross from the left sparked uncertainty in the Scouse defense and Riise, under pressure with Anelka behind him, sent a spectacular diving header into the top corner in front of the Kop. Critics might suggest that a confident two-footed player might have dealt with it with his weaker right foot, but I guess that’s irrelevant now. Bentiez refused to blame Riise afterwards, only directing this at the match officials: “You can’t blame the referee for the own-goal. But the time? One minute in the first half, four in the second. It’s difficult to explain.”

Across to Spain and one of the world’s greatest stadiums then, itself the stage of Manchester United’s glorious victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions Legaue final. We billed it yesterday as the meeting of the world’s two best players, and in some ways it failed to really excite in any way at all. Before we talk about Messi and Ronaldo though, the story of the game is that Barcelona enjoyed more than 70% possession, yet still struggled to really create many prime chances. Manchester United were gifted the perfect start with Gabriel Melito handled Ronaldo’s goal-bound header, but the Portuguese star proved he is human by slotting the spot-kick high and wide of Victor Valdes’ goal. This spurred Barce on, and as the game progressed they became more and more camped in United’s half, dominating our Champions in a way that they certainly are not used to in the Premier League. Yaya Toure and the excellent Xavi bossed the midfield with ease, leaving the likes of Park Ji-Sung, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes barely even passengers as the match unfolded. The choice openings fell predominantly to Eto’o, and the best chance saw him firing just wide after a stunning interchange between the Cameroon international, Deco and Messi put him through on goal. Kudos must go to the Catalans’ forward for staying on his feet in the second half when Rio Ferdinand recklessly crunched him from behind though, but in keeping his stride and not going for the penalty, the chance was essentially lost. Henry too looked bright when introduced, drifting in from the left to find the target in trademark style, and hitting a free-kick that was ultimately bread and butter to van der Sar.

So to the big face-off, and like we said yesterday, a chance for Ronaldo and Messi to prove if they can really do it on the grandest stage of them all. Big things are rightly expected of big players, and as has often been the criticism in the past, Ronaldo lacked anything approaching the penetration expected of him. He has to learn to do the simple things well, and realise that there is a time for back heels, and a time for straight-forward passes to feet. Looking at the truly great players of the past, Zidane for example never felt the need to do the spectacular in every match, but you could bet your mother’s life on him slotting away from the penalty spot yesterday, rather than trying to find the top corner for the cameras. Messi on the other hand was breath-taking, and despite not playing for several months, was instrumental in every attacking move Barce put together. His movement, footwork and passing were sublime, and it took a top-class performance from Patrice Evra to keep him even remotely shackled. Without Vidic, the United defence looked suspect centrally, and it was this space between midfield and back-four that Messi thrived in, zipping the ball about with so much time and space. Put simply, United must employ Hargreaves in this gap at Old Trafford to snuff out any danger of an away goal, and in Anderson they have a gifted ball carrier who will also provide the necessary steel to upset the Barce play-makers.

Ultimately, it is United and Chelsea who will be happiest going into the return legs next week, with homefield advantage, and without any deficit to surmount. However, Liverpool and Barcelona undoubtedly have the European pedigree, and will not be phased in their playing style of the prospect of an away fixture. It might not have been the most exciting brace of games but everything is very nicely poised for next week’s return deciding legs…

Champions League Round 3 – Second Leg

And then there were four. We knew not all of the British teams could make the cut, but could we manage three semi-finalists for a second consecutive year? The answer for those of you with their heads underground the past couple of days is yes, however some victories were certainly more convincing than others.

As ever we start on Tuesday night then, and at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea had something of a point to prove after the unexpected loss to Fenerbahce away in Turkey last week. Once more the Blues were far from impressive however, making heavy work of what was a somewhat underwhelming Fenerbahce side, even after taking the early lead they needed to make their away goal from last week count for something. The opener itself came from a set-piece, delivered by Frank Lampard after some bustling forward play from Drogba drew the foul. As he has been all year, Michael Ballack was the main threat in the opposition’s penalty area, and the German captain connected beautifully to send the ball in the top corner.

Those expecting Chelsea to push on and finish the game clearly haven’t realized Avram Grant’s promises of free-flowing attacking football were mere lip-service, and as the game went on, and Chelsea missed chances to double their lead, the Turkish champions seemed to notice that if they could pinch a goal, the tie was theirs. Brazilian string-puller and STT favourite Alex started to run the midfield for Fenerbahce, carving open chances for those around him, but twice late on substitute goalkeeper Henrique Hilario (on for Carlo Cudicini for pulled a thigh muscle on a goal-kick) was equal to it. With Gonul’s shot kept out, and Kazim-Richards denied another dramatic goal, Chelsea pretty much went down the other end and scored; Essien found space and played in Lampard for a late tap-in that even he struggled to miss.

Avram Grant has the chance then to do what Jose Mourinho failed to do on two occasions: beat Liverpool in a Champions League semi-final and take his side to the final. If he managed that do you think the dissenting ranks of Chelsea fans will finally get off his back and acknowledge him as a decent coach in his own right? Don’t bet on it.

They face Liverpool in a fortnight’s time after one of the games of the season saw Rafa Benitez’s men triumph 4 – 2 over an Arsenal team that came out of the blocks with frightening intent. Understandably irked after the previous two games this past 7 days, where Arsene Wenger saw two certain penalties denied to his side, Arsenal scored early at Anfield to silence the masses. Abou Diaby hit an absolute stormer of a drive from close range into Pepe Reina’s nearpost as Arsenal dominated the early quarter of the game. As with last week’s first leg at the Emirates, Liverpool didn’t have to wait long for the reply however, and this time it was the towering Fin Sami Hyypia who broke free from Philip Senderos to meet a perfect Gerrard corner to level things out 1 – 1, and for the only time in the game, penalties were on the cards. After Matthieu Flamini was carried off with an ankle injury, Liverpool took their chance to control the midfield, and for the final hour of the game, Alonso and Mascherano ran the show for not their first time in a Liverpool shirt.

Crouch had a early snap-shot saved in the second half and in all honesty Arsenal seemed to be shrinking from the challenge, with Fabregas about as anonymous as you’ll have ever seen him. The first big twist came just after the hour, as (who else) Fernando Torres created something out of nothing. The sublime Spaniard latched onto what was essentially a long ball to spin Senderos and fire home a blistering shot into Almunia’s top corner. Anfield went crazy and saluted its latest hero, with Torres’ beaming grin saying it all. Wenger responded instantly however, introducing an injured Robin van Persie and Theo Woolcott, so important to the victory in Milan in the previous round. Almost straight away Emmanuel Adebayor had a chance to equal the score on the night, but somehow missed what looked like an easy chance from 11 yards out, underlining once again the difference between a world-class striker like Torres and a flash-in-the-pan such as Adebayor. It was the young English prodigy however who provided the impact required for the Gunners, despite not having a kick in his first ten minutes on the field. Recalling the mesmeric run of Michael Owen in the 1998 World Cup against Argentina, Woolcott sprinted literally box to box, somehow riding about five attempts from Liverpool players to scythe him in half, before squaring to Adebayor to silence the Kop and momentarily crush Liverpool dreams of a third semi-final in four years. However before heads could even really drop, substitute Ryan Babel was adjudged to have been fouled by Kolo Toure in the Arsenal penalty area and a spot-kick was awarded. As with those decisions from the previous two encounters between the sides in this last week, this was contentious to say the least. In my eyes, Toure got the wrong side of Babel and did drag the Liverpool man down, but saying that, it was no more of a penalty than those aforementioned not awarded to Alexander Hleb and Cesc Fabregas. If we’re talking about pressure then Steven Gerrard’s middle name must be ‘ice-man’ because the Liverpool captain, despite having what he referred to as his worst ever performance in a Red shirt, stepped up to hammer the ball into the top corner to one again put Liverpool’s name into the last four. Babel added some shine in injury time, breaking free past Fabregas to coolly add a fourth, but Wenger and his team were already inconsolable.

For the third season then (baring a miracle that earns them the Premier League crown) Arsenal are trophy-less, despite some world-class players and an admiral ethos to play beautiful football. Unfortunately for Wenger he must acknowledge in the closed season that in this country, that just isn’t enough to succeed. Nor is it enough to buy unproven young talent to nurture rather than perhaps over-spending on successful big names. Senderos has to go after being at fault for the first two Liverpool goals showed once again he’s out of his depth; a more orthodox wide man is needed after Hleb and Rosicky have failed to fill the gulfs still gaping from Pires and Ljundberg’s transfers; another attacking midfielder has to help out Fabregas; crucially though, a proper striker is urgently required as, without van Persie and Eduardo, Bendtner and Adebayor alone have simply not been good enough.

Before kick-off on Wednesday, Old Trafford was perhaps unreasonably expectant of another romp over Roma to equal their 7 – 1 demolition of the Italian side last season. Ferguson didn’t start with Ronaldo or Rooney, mindful of their clash with Arsenal this coming Sunday, and a defence featuring Mikel Silvestre and Gerald Pique didn’t exactly scream that they were taking Roma’s attacking threat seriously. Despite a marauding opening from United, which saw Owen Hargreaves enjoying all kinds of time and space down the right hand side, they failed to kill the tie of early after Doni between the Roma sticks produced several world-class saves from Giggs, Anderson and Hargreaves himself. Roma should have taken the lead before the half-hour though from the penalty spot, after a tackle from Wes Brown felled Mancini, but Italian World Cup winner Daniele de Rossi smashed the ball well over the crossbar. Mirko Vucinic continued to look threatening, but as a whole Roma still seemed to miss Totti as a real focal point up front to hold the ball for advancing midfielders to link with.

They showed great spirit however, and after missing the penalty seemed to become even more determined to make a game of it. Their dominant possession continued into the second half, with Marco Cassetti just failing to pounce on a rebound, Mikael Silvestre blocking from Rodrigo Taddei, and van der Sar saving a Juan header that the Brazilian defender probably should’ve done better with. The Italians couldn’t keep this pressure sustained however, and after the hour-mark, the game slowed considerably and United were able to feel comfortable again. Tevez’s lovely headed goal with twenty minutes left on the clock sealed it, but in reality this was Manchester United playing well within themselves. An early Roma goal would’ve made things interesting, but as it was, the game was rather flat, despite a brisk end-to-end first-half that should’ve brought goals for both sides. Roma, and de Rossi especially, will be ruing what could’ve been, but over the two legs undoubtedly the best team won.

Standing in between Manchester United and their first Champions league final in almost ten years are 2006 winners Barcelona, who booked their place in the semi-finals after another unconvincing display. They won 1 – 0 once again to take the aggregate score to 2 – 0 over German outfit Schalke, who will generally feel like they missed a trick after dominating both legs against the Catalan giants. Barca withstood huge early pressure at the Nou Camp, with Victor Valdes saving from Halil Altintop, Kevin Kuranyi heading wide and Jermaine Jones firing just off target as Schalke carved out chance after chance. Barce started quite brightly actually, and Eto’o and Xavi forced decent saves from the excellent Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer, but from then on the German side looked the prestigious European heavyweights, not the rank outsiders.

The killer blow came just before half time though as Bojan’s deflected cross fell at Yaya Toure’s feet for the Ivory Coast international to slot home. Young Bojan Krkic’s performance was once again the main highlight for the restless Barcelona faithful, and his substitution was met with a cacophony of boos from the home fans reveling in the pint-sized Spaniard’s talent. Even though in the end Frank Rijkaard's side went through fairly comfortably, the Catalan fans are really looking for much more from their beloved team, as indifferent performances in La Liga have seen them lose touch with main rivals Real Madrid in the title race, while also suffering embarrassing draws and defeats to significantly lesser opposition. The spark is still there on occasion though, as demonstrated in flashes in a second-half where they were given a bit more space to play in. Bojan teed up Thierry Henry to blaze over, Eto’o looked much more like his old self when employed centrally, and finally the excellent Andres Iniesta forced a world-class save from the once-again-impressive Neuer.

With the game all but over three-quarters of the way through, any attacking intent eventually fizzled out, but Barce will need something truly inspirational to even make Manchester United break sweat looking at both teams’ current form. Obviously any team in the world would miss players of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi’s quality, but overall Barcelona should have enough to keep playing the style of football they are accustomed to. Dissention in the dressing room and too many egos to juggle might finally have overcome Rikjaard, but if he wants to avoid a further nail in his coffin, he’s going to have to draw something pretty special out of his side in a fortnight’s time. It looks certain that we’ll be facing an all English final in Moscow come May, but it would be a brave man to write Barce off completely. Let’s just hope for two exciting semi-finals that live up to their potential, sit back, and enjoy it play out.

Current Odds to Win the Tournament:

Manchester United – 7/4

Chelsea – 3/1

Barcelona – 3/1

Liverpool – 10/3

Champions League Round 3 – First Leg

8 teams, 1 cup. 4 English, 1 Spanish, 1 German, 1 Italian, 1 Turkish, and by the end of May the question of European superiority will be settled again for another year. Having reached the quarter-finals, all teams still involved will certainly fancy their chances of winning it, and this is definitely the round to start sending a message to your competition.

And Manchester United did exactly that, romping away 2 – 0 winners away at in-form Roma, who for all their possession, really failed to trouble Edwin van der Sar between the United posts much during the 90 minutes. The Italians started brightly, as you’d expect from a side buoyed by an ongoing rivalry with the Premier League leaders over the last couple of years, but without the talismanic Totti, they seemed to lack that extra bit of invention in the final third necessary to crack United’s miserly defence. Similarly the trio of Mancini, Vucinic and Aquilani, all so impressive in the previous round against Real Madrid, never really got going despite seeing plenty of the ball early on. Ronaldo and Rooney were kept quiet by the Roma defence however, and until Ronaldo broke the deadlock with a towering header shortly before half-time, they didn’t particularly threaten much either.

The second-half however was a classy display by the whole team, with Ferdinand at the back excellent all night, and the midfield bolstered by Hargreaves’ introduction no end. The ball started to stick for United and as they started to control much of the play, it was only Roma keeper Doni who was keeping them in the tie; a sharp save down low to his right from a Ronaldo drive is particularly worthy of mention. Rooney added a somewhat scrappy second after the hour-mark, latching onto a superb header from Park Ji-Sung back into the danger area, but even the Italians cannot argue that it hadn’t been coming. Bagging his 36^th goal in all competitions, it’s hard to deny many people’s claims that Ronaldo is the best player in the world at the moment, with this performance silencing any criticism (from myself included) that he maybe doesn’t always do it in the big European games. Roma are fuming over his perceived disrespect and show-boating, but the reality is that on the night they simply couldn’t compete with his strength and pace. Surely the semi-final place is now booked, with Roma needing a heroic three goals at Old Trafford next week to win out-right, a feat that no team has achieved since a Big Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid in 2003.

Should they finish the job, United will face the winners of Schalke and Barcelona, with the Catalan giants going into next week’s home leg in Spain with a vital away goal in their pocket. Make no mistakes about it though, Barce are not the same team that blew the competition away in 2006, and if anything, were very lucky to not get turned over on Tuesday in Germany. An early goal from teenage prodigy Bojan relaxed the Spanish nerves, but from then on they created very little, and with the likes of Henry and Eto’O unwilling to track back to defend, found themselves up against it for much of the second half especially. Midfielders Pander and Ernst were excellent for the German side, but it was quality in front of goal that cost them this week, with free-headers failing to hit the back of the net from Larson and Bordon. They perhaps should’ve had a penalty when Westerman was dragged back by Abidal, and a lovely little dink from Altintop over Valdes unfortunately landed just the wrong side of the post. Although Schalke played well you can’t but feel that at home in the Nou Camp, Barce will be an altogether more dangerous prospect. As has been the way all season, Iniesta was the star for Barce, his passing and touch superb, but with Messi and Ronaldinho still likely to be missing for a few more weeks, one wonders if they’ll have enough to even make Manchester United break sweat. Assuming they get past Schalke next week that is.

We head first to Turkey then for Wednesday’s games and what many people are describing as an upset with Chelsea going down 2 – 1 away at Fenerbahce thanks to a late wonder-goal from STT favourite Deivid de Souza. Sure Cheslea are still expected to win this tie, but Fenerbahce can actually play so it certainly won’t be as easy as many are making out. With former Brazilian star Zico at the helm they also have the tactical nouse often thought to be lacking at Chelsea under Avram Grant, but sooner or later the buck has to stop with the Blues players and not their patsy of a manager. The power and athleticism that defines Cheslea these days shone through in a first-half they dominated, with their opener coming from an attempted clearance by Deivid that flew into his own net. Essien also hit the bar, but with Drogba lacking anything approaching the sharpness he showed against Arsenal two weeks ago, chances went begging, and half-time came with the margin still just a goal. As the infamous hostility in the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium grew however, so did Fenerbahce, with Alex de Souza and ex-Chelsea man Mateja Kezman coming close early on. The equalizer eventually came just after the hour, from the unlikely source of ex-Bury, Brighton and Sheffield United forward Colin Kazim-Richards, who many might know better as the ‘Coca-Cola Kid’ after his transfer fee to Brighton was won through a competition with the aforementioned soft-drink. Honours seemed destined to be shared as the clock wound down but with less than 10 minutes to go, Deivid was able to atone for his earlier error by scoring down the right end this time. And what a goal to win a match with too; a 30-yard screamer that hit the top corner of Cudicini’s net before the Italian could really get anywhere near it. Simply for the intolerable amount of whinging that took place from clueless Chelsea fans on 606 last night, endlessly just chiming ‘Grant out,’ STT thoroughly hopes that Fenerbahce are able to do hold out next week in London.

And finally to the Emirates then, and the first in a week-long trilogy of games between old rivals Arsenal and Liverpool. For the neutral this was about as engaging as it gets, but looking around at the faces of Gunners and Scousers in the pub, you could tell how tense and almost unenjoyable the whole match was for them. The tie started ferociously, and for much of the first-half it was commendably open, with both sides eager to attack. The early sustained pressure was understandably Arsenal’s though, with van Persie looking bright as he forced a great save from Reina, and fired over from a quite beautiful chipped pass from Flamini. Alongside Fabregas, the Frenchman was again outstanding, but with both players sitting a bit deeper than they would usually do against inferior sides, Arsenal on the whole didn’t actually create as many chances as usual. The breakthrough came around twenty minutes in however, with Adebayor rising unmarked to nod in van Persie’s dangerous cross. From then the Gunners looked certain to press on and win the game, but Liverpool’s equalizer came just four minutes later to silence the jubilant crowd and make things that bit more interesting. Gerrard burst into the Arsenal box with a great turn of pace and crossed expertly for Dirk Kuyt to bundle in for his sixth goal in the competition this year (he’s got only 4 Premier League goals this season bizarrely). Arsenal turned the screw in the second half though and 45 minutes of virtually uninterrupted pressure followed to test Liverpool’s resolve. They stood firm however to frustrate an Arsenal side who, for not the first time this year, simply didn’t hit the target frequently enough despite their passing and possession. Woolcott looked bright after being introduced but was soon moved over to the right to accommodate further substitute Nikolas Bendtner, and proved considerably less effective.

The two major talking points came in quick succession around the hour-mark, with Hleb first being hauled down in the penalty area by Kuyt, in front of the referee, but only a corner was awarded. The Arsenal man perhaps went to ground a touch easily, however Arsene Wenger is rightly fuming that a spot-kick wasn’t awarded. His frustration multiplied several minutes later though when inexplicably a scrambled Fabregas shot was actually blocked on the line by Bendtner, who tried to jump out of the way but got his legs tangled up somehow and ended up diverting the ball wide. On reflection, 1 – 1 was ultimately a fair result, because as hard as Asrsenal pushed forward, Liverpool were resolute, disciplined and incredibly hard-working. Torres up top saw little of the ball but was always a willing runner, Skrytl was sublime in defence, and Kuyt was tireless in his defensive duties, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Javier Mascherano, or ‘Mad Masch’ as he’s affectionately known now around Anfield. The young Argentine responded to plenty of recent criticism with a performance that had everything; at times there even seemed like there were three or four guys with Mascherano on their shirt, such was the ground he covered. We can argue all we want about what could/should have been, but at the end of the day, at Anfield next Wednesday it is game well and truly ON.

Champions League Stage 2 – Second Leg

With most games fairly nicely poised from the first legs a fortnight ago, all remaining 16 teams certainly fancied their chances at advancing into the last 8 of the most prestigious club tournament in the world. With Liverpool’s return match against Inter Milan postponed until next week (to save the pitch in the San Siro hosting two games back to back) four English teams strutted their stuff against the very best Europe has to offer, and despite Celtic losing to 2006 champions Barcelona, all four can be very proud of their week’s work.

Having now said goodbye to defending champions AC Milan, as well as historical powerhouses Real Madrid, the door is wide open for any of the remaining sides to show us just what they’ve got. Let’s try to avoid a repeat of last year’s semi-finals though; watching three English essentially all capitulate against Milan was pretty dull to say the least, but with the likes of Barcelona and Roma looking ominously back to their best, the rest of the competition should be very interesting indeed…

As ever, for goals and extended highlights check out our good friends over at 101 Great Goals.

Tuesday

We start of course in Milan, and a historic win for Arsenal which made them the first English team to ever beat AC in this competition on their own ground. After a tense first game in London that the Gunners will feel they should have won, the stage seemed set for Milan to kill off the under-strength Arsenal side and ease to victory. Cesc Fabregas however had other plans, and through a basically perfect all-round performance, he inspired them from the first whistle, dictating the game under the nose of Pirlo, Ambrosini and Gattuso. Flamini also deserves a mention as his steel behind Fabregas in the midfield was crucial to shutting down Milan’s major offensive threat, a guy named Kaka’ who you might have heard of. In spells the World Player of the Year sparkled, driving into the heart of the Arsenal defence several times, but that final telling pass or inch-perfect shot just alluded him on the night. Elsewhere Milan looked almost too relaxed and self-assure, never really pressing the tempo or offering sustained pressure. Saying Milan are over-the-hill or a shadow of their old selves is not to do Arsenal a disservice however, as very few teams in history have still ever dominated Milan the way they did. The opening goal eventually came just 6 minutes before the final whistle, with Fabregas firing a rocket of a drive past Kalac from 25 yards to essentially seal the tie, but the cherry on top was a last minute tap-in for Adebayor to finally give him his first Champions League goal in 15 attempts.

Buoyed by the last minute equalizer in France two weeks ago, Manchester United had to be feeling pretty confident at kick-off this week, knowing that one goal would more than likely be enough be see off Lyon. And one goal it was, scored by (who else) Cristiano Ronaldo just before half time, capitalizing on some disorganized Lyon defending to fire past Coupet with his left foot from 6 yards. The rest of the game was a tense affair, with few chances falling to either side in all honesty. Rooney found himself in a couple of glorious positions late on in the second half but failed to convert to make a score that would’ve somewhat flattered United on the night. Big prospect Benzema was kept unusually quiet and it was Keita who came closest for the visitors, beating van der Sar around the hour mark only to see the ball crash into the base of the post. Playmaker Juninho was kept under lock and key by the excellent Anderson, and United concentrated their attacks down both flanks through Ronaldo and Nani. The pace and guile of both Portuguese widemen caused constant problems for the Lyon wing-backs, considerably more used to attacking than defending in their national league.

Having lost 3 – 2 at home in the round’s first leg, Celtic were always going to need a miracle to turn over Barcelona in the Nou Camp. To make matters worse, Xavi scored after just 2 minutes for the Spanish side and to be honest everyone knew then that it was game over. Celtic put up a fight as you’d expect, but aside from a speculative Nakamura shot in the second half, never really looked like scoring unfortunately. Barce meanwhile were very much in second gear, happy to conserve energy and let the game play out as long as they still had the aggregate lead. Ronaldinho, Puyol and Deco came close, but solid saves from Boruc kept the scoreline more than respectable. It’s unfortunate for Celtic to once again face such tough opposition straight away after battling through the group stage, but over the season they’ve performed admirably against statistically two of the greatest all-time sides in Europe, Barcelona and AC Milan, so heads should be held high in Glasgow.

In perhaps the surprise Game of the Round, Seville crashed out of the competition to rank outsiders Fenerbahce in what was once again an absolute thriller of a game. Neither side waste any time with that defending rubbish so there were always going to be goals in this return leg, but I don’t think anyone expected the drama that unfolded. With a 3 – 2 deficit to overcome from the first leg, back-to-back UEFA Cup champions Sevilla had some work to do, but got plenty of help early on from some decidedly dodgy goalkeeping as Volkan Demirel let shots from Daniel Alves and Seydou Keita through his hands with less than 10 minutes on the clock. Brazilian star and former Obscure South American Deivid pulled one back for the Turkish champions, before Freddie Kanoute pounced at the other end to restore Sevilla’s two goal cushion. A last gasp Deivid poke leveled the tie 5 – 5 on aggregate, and after a fruitless extra time, it all came down to penalties where Demirel atoned for his earlier errors with three fantastic saves to send Zico’s all-star team through to the last 8.

Wednesday

Chelsea and Olympiakos always looked like a bit of a mismatch on paper, and having ground out a goalless draw a fortnight ago in Greece, a victory for the Blues was never in doubt at Stamford Bridge last night. The gulf in class between the two teams was huge, and unsurprisingly the match was over at 3 – 0 well before the hour mark. Ballack was instrumental in both first half goals, converting a dinked Lampard cross with a powerful header after just 6 minutes, and then smashing a powerful shot on target which was parried to Lampard for a tap-in just before the half hour mark. Kalou added some shine just 3 minutes into the second half, but overall Olympiakos were woefully disappointing, not once calling Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini into serious action.

To the famous Bernabeu then, where nine-time winners Real Madrid faced an impressive Roma side who had come out 2 – 1 winners on their home soil two weeks previously. From kick-off Roma were on top, dominating possession and creating serious problems down both Madrid flanks while the illustrious likes of Raul struggled to get a touch of the ball. Rising star Alberto Aquilani was phenomenal throughout for the Italians, peppering Casillas’ goal with shot after shot as Roma looked to kill the tie off early. Madrid held on, and while Baptista and Robinho looked promising, the absence through injury of both Robben and van Nistelrooy was telling. With twenty minutes to go, Madrid man a sending off. Almost instantly Taddei then scored for the visitors, but rather than accept defeat, Madrid went straight down the other end and equalized through Raul, although on closer look he was lucky to not be given offside. The final fifteen minutes were tense, with Chicano nearly scoring a catastrophic own goal, but the Spanish giants’ fate was sealed in the 92^nd minute when Vucinic rounded off a perfect 25 minute guest appearance by heading home a delightful Mancini cross.

Without doubt the least exciting tie of the round on paper, Porto and Schalke certainly both had a real go in Portugal, with the 2004 Champions needing to score at least one to level the 1 – 0 deficit from the first leg. The Portuguese side attacked with flair and intent, but found in their way a goalkeeper who was on absolutely top form. Manuel Neuer was called on almost every other minute, and produced one of the best saves you will see this year to acrobatically block a point blank Tarik Sektioui header just before the hour mark. As the clock ticked down Schalke had chances too, but seemed content that it was going to end in the stalemate which would be enough to send them through to the unchartered territory of the quarter-finals. Just 7 minutes from the end though, Argentinian star Lisandro Lopes picked up the ball on the edge of the Schalke box, turned sharply, and unleashed a wonder-strike into the far top right corner of Neuer’s net to send the game into extra-time. 10 man Porto (Jorge Fucile was red carded for a groin-high slide tackle in the 80^th minute) looked shattered, but continued to press, with Neuer forced into another fantastic save in the 102^nd minute when Queresma found himself one-on-one with the young German keeper. Asamoah came closest for the visitors when he fired a curling shot just over in the second period of extra-time, but the inevitability of penalties could not be shaken. As a German team, Schalke were obviously successful, with Neuer once again the hero as he defied physics to keep out Lopes’ deciding spotkick.

So who’s your money on to win now then? This is how the experts (and by that I mean Bet365.com) see it:

Manchester United – 10/3

Barcelona – 10/3

Chelsea – 5/1

Arsenal – 5/1

Liverpool – 9/1

Roma – 10/1

Inter Milan – 16/1

Schalke – 25/1

Fenerbahce – 33/1

You can’t help but feel that an English winner is more than likely this year, especially if Liverpool can see off Inter Milan next week. Looking at the remaining sides, the dream final for the neutral has to be a replay of 2006’s epic Barcelona vs Arsenal match, and if that happens it would be a brave man to not bet that a certain Mr. Henry might well have the last laugh against his former employers…