Arsenal’s Podolski and Gervinho Score: Twitter Explodes |
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The Champions League is back and what an opening two days to kick start the campaign. Both Tuesday and Wednesday provided entertainment that will sure to be played back over and over again. Though Real Madrid and Manchester City highlighted Tuesday’s games in terms of sheer star-power, Arsenal’s match against Montepllier in France proved to be an exciting battle as well. Below we document the North London team’s Champions League experience from start to finish: from the time the Gunners boarded their plane in England, to the exhale nearly every Arsenal fan let out when they heard that final whistle.
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Posted: 20 Sep 2012 05:15 AM PDT
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are currently the two best players in the world. Seeing as SWOL has already featured the latter’s incredible Lamborghini, it is only right the Argentine genius makes an appearance with his new ride. Leo isn’t just fast on the pitch. With an affinity towards some of the finest automobiles in the world, Barcelona’s hitman opted to go Italian with his latest purchase – a Maseratti GranTurismo MC Stradale.
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Posted: 20 Sep 2012 03:30 AM PDT
(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
For much of the 90 minutes, Barcelona failed to take advantage of Cristian Tello’s early goal and quickly saw Spartak pull ahead to a 2-1 lead following a great save from Andriy Dykan. The subsequent counter-attack proved too clever for a sluggish Barcelona defense and was finished off with a brilliant low shot past Victor Valdes by Brazilian ace Romulo. Fellow Brazilian international Dani Alves’ poor defending gifted Spartak an own goal in the 29th minute and Barcelona struggled to get back into the game with a makeshift back-line following the loss of Gerard Pique to injury in the 12th minute. It took a brilliant piece of footwork by 21-year-old Tello late in the game to finally breakdown a tough Spartak defense and unleash Messi, who ripped a one time-shot near post to hand the Catalans the momentum again with twenty minutes left in the match. Barcelona’s attack only intensified after that goal and Messi found himself the savior as he smashed home a close-range header ahead of the much larger Spartak centerbacks in the 80th minute. Afterward, Spartak simply did not have enough left in the tank to put up a fight and the Catalans could have added to their lead before finally hearing the whistle blow to give them a 3-2 win. While Barcelona have typically struggled against Russian opposition, losing to Rubin Kazan in this corresponding fixture during their 2009-10 Champions League campaign, the Camp Nou faithful will be disappointed with conceding two preventable goals. Adding to their consistent defensive issues, they now have lost another centerback after club captain Carles Puyol pulled out injured in last weekend’s league win against Getafe. In fact, if it were not for Lionel Messi, who has chalked up 10 goals in all competitions so far this season, Barcelona could be in very big trouble. Spartak, on the other hand, will be disappointed with the loss after leading against arguably the world’s most exciting club, but should be encouraged when they face Celtic and Benfica at home in their next two European fixtures. Barcelona will continue their Champions League journey away to Benfica and will hope to see much improvement in their performance by the October 2nd fixture, as their susceptibility to counterattacks could be exposed dearly against the aggressive Portuguese giants. | ||||||||||
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Posted: 19 Sep 2012 10:00 PM PDT
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Since 2008 when the Football Association launched their Respect campaign, these gestures have been an obligatory act between players before Premier League games. It promotes one of the most vital morals of the sport, and sets a fantastic example for young fans to follow. However, when the procedure starts to generate such controversy, we must question the validity of the initiative. Ferdinand certainly had his reasons for refusing to shake the hand of John Terry, and therefore his decision should not be queried. What should be debated instead is the idea itself of obligatory handshakes. By making the act compulsory, does it not lose much of its sincerity and integrity? Furthermore, by forcing players to engage in such pleasantries, it only draws more unnecessary attention to an issue that otherwise may well go unnoticed. Had the pre-match handshakes not been carried out, there would have be little or no fuss made over Terry and Ferdinand, as the two acted professionally throughout the match and avoided any real confrontation. Thus, did ritual inflame the situation? It would appear so, and unfortunately what was set up as a truly positive scheme has began to operate somewhat counter-productively. Of course, this is not always the case, but the fact that a seemingly productive exercise is producing damaging results, is surely a signal that it is time for change. Besides, respect is something that should be earned. In the days of old, there would be no pre-match exchange. If one's opposite number or the other team's goalkeeper had an impressive game, one would approach them after the game in order to congratulate him as a sign of, you guessed it, respect. It resulted in a much more natural and more genuine form of respect. By forcing such acts upon players, the result is an illusion of moral justness; one that is neither honest nor sincere. Thus, it would seem a different policy should be adopted by the FA. If one respects his or her opponent, by all means such sentiments should be expressed with a willing handshake. But if there is a degree of hostility or tension, then there should be no forced gesture between anyone. Players should earn respect amongst their peers and demonstrate such feelings only if they wish to, hence avoiding confrontation, controversy and conflict. The handshakes themselves are a part of the FA's "Get on with the game" initiative. How ironic. Perhaps players should be encouraged to do as the slogan says, rather than try to demonstrate certain values via forced and disingenuous pretenses. This is a highly-contested subject, so feel free to leave a comment regarding your views on this controversial and intriguing matter. Chelsea News | ||||||||||
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Posted: 19 Sep 2012 06:57 PM PDT
The Champions League is back and with it came one of the most exciting games of the competition to date. Below, a reaction from Madrid as well as some of the best tweets from around the world of football. Enjoy this week’s Twitter Top…
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Posted: 19 Sep 2012 06:36 PM PDT
Gerad Pique and Shakira / Photo via: whyfame
Shakira announced the pregnancy the same way that she publicized her relationship, via her website. While it is still unknown just how long the two have been dating, speculation is that the couple has been together for two years now. After announcing their relationship a year ago, on March 29th, 2011, the news of a baby is exciting. It is also big news as the season has just recently kicked off for Pique and his team. Shakira has also recently received other big news. Tuesday reports stated that she, along with Usher, will be replacing pop star Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green on The Voice. However, for the time being she has postponed events for now, taking in the excitement and concentrating on her family for now. There seems to be a lot on the plates of Shakira and Pique. The added pressure of preparing for a child on top of the stress of the game is a lot to take on for anyone. Let's hope that Pique can keep his head in the game amidst all the excitement. | ||||||||||
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Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:56 PM PDT
(Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
Last season’s La Liga ended with Real Madrid as champions, Barcelona as runners-up and Valencia in third place, all earning an automatic place in the group stages of the competition. Fourth-placed team Malaga had to go via the play-off route, and beat Greek side Panathanaikos 2-0 on aggregate after building up a healthy first leg lead at home. Real Madrid have certainly been handed the toughest group stage draw of the quartet, with the current champions of England, Germany and Holland all drawn against them. Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax should all present formidable opposition in their own right. Jose Mourinho’s men started with a home victory over Man City, but it was a very hard-fought win at the Santiago Bernabeu despite the home side dominating for much of the first hour of the game. City broke the deadlock with a counter-attack goal 20 minutes from the end, Edin Dzeko scoring, and the floodgates were suddenly open. Marcelo curled a deflected effort into the top corner to level matters, before Aleksander Kolarov put City back ahead with just five minutes left. Karim Benzema immediately equalized yet again, before a last-minute winner came courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo; 3-2 to Real Madrid it ended. For Malaga, their first foray into the Champions League ended with a routine and well-deserved win over Zenit St. Petersburg. A full debut for Zenit’s Brazilian forward Hulk was overshadowed by the sensational Isco who scored twice, the second a fierce, fizzing drive from distance which impressively found the top corner. In between his goals, Javier Saviola announced his return to Spain in style with a side-footed effort which went in off the post. Malaga will also face AC Milan and Anderlecht in their group and, though they should take nothing for granted, already look a good choice for qualification with the Italians struggling for form and identity. Wednesday night saw the second two Spanish sides begin their European adventure for the season: Barcelona and Valencia. Valencia will have to be at their very best to make it out of Group F, with a hugely difficult group including Bayern Munich—who they faced first—to navigate. The excellent French side Lille and BATE Borisov of Belarus are the other two teams in the group. Away in Bavaria, Valencia were roundly and deservedly beaten 2-1 by the Germans. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos put Bayern two goals up before Nelson Valdez pulled one back, but a red card for Adil Rami means he will miss the next match for Los Che. BATE beat Lille 3-1 in a surprising result, so Valencia will have their work cut out to make up ground over the next couple of fixtures. For Barcelona in Group G, Spartak Moscow—their first opponents—, Celtic and Benfica should present few difficulties over the six matches but the Catalans will want to get off to a good start, taking advantage of their fine early domestic form. A 3-2 win over Spartak ensured that three of the four Spanish sides started with three points in the bag, but they had to come from behind courtesy of two Leo Messi goals to claim the victory. Cristian Tello also scored for Barcelona, with Romulo and a Dani Alves own goal momentarily turning the tie on its head. Not since 2008-09 have all four qualifying Spanish sides made it through the group stages into the knock-outs in the Champions League, but this year’s particular quartet certainly look well-equipped to do so if form and fitness allow—though Valencia have work to do. Follow @karlmatchett// | ||||||||||
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Posted: 19 Sep 2012 10:33 AM PDT
Robert Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund, Photo via Getty Images
The refusal to deviate showed Dortmund’s inexperience in modern European play. Specifically, BVB failed to recognize the need to make changes when faced with minimal rest between league and European matches. In light of Tuesday’s match (and being placed in the Group of Death with titans Manchester City and Real Madrid), this recomendation was all the rage throughout Germany. Former Bayern Munich midfielder Stefan Effenberg summed up the criticism, “[y]ou cannot hit the gas like [Dortmund] do every three or four days over the course of the season.” So before the match journalists challenged Klopp – would he be changing his side’s style? The former Mainz 05 striker appeared defiant: “We have defined our way of playing successful football and we will not change things too much for the Champions League,” Klopp said. “Our problems [last season] did not have much to do with our playing style but [were rather] a result of lacking experience.” Journalists latched onto this statement with blind vigor, running headlines of Klopp’s unwillingness to change despite last year’s crash out. But amidst the clamor for change, many missed Klopp’s qualifier, “too much.” No overhaul was needed, just a slight tweak in approach. That tweak came in the first half when the yellow and black pulled back the throttle just a bit. Against the total football of Ajax, Dortmund spend the first 45 minutes feeling out their opponent. This resulted in a relatively uneventful half of play but one that nevertheless magnified a second half that was quintessential Dortmund-style attacking football. In the 49th minute Marcel Schmelzer served a low ball in to Marco Reus, who’s outside of the left-foot flick put Robert Lewandowski into the box. With the ball on his left foot the Polish striker cut back to his right, sending two Ajax defenders sprawling to the turf, before uncharacteristically scuffing his right-footed curler high and wide. In the 57th minute it was Mario Gotze weaving by the Ajax defense before drawing a gift of a penalty to BVB. Up stepped Mats Hummels and the big center-back placed a weak shot to Kenneth Vermeer’s left that the Ajax keeper saved with relative ease. With each passing minute the tension inside Westfalenstadion rose, as did the tempo of Dortmund’s play. The match remained scoreless until the 87th minute when Ilkay Gündoğan chipped a cross to Lukasz Piszczek who redirected his header across the box to Lewandowski, who had his man posted up brilliantly. With a deft trap and set-up touch, Lewandowski fired a right-footed shot into the back of the net, setting off celebrations throughout the Yellow Wall. At the end of the day, it was not Dortmund’s sexiest win. But the tweak showed tact, growth and the flexibility needed to achieve the three points required to keep pace in the most difficult chess match in European football. Hopefully there’s more to come on October 3rd when BVB heads to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City. | ||||||||||
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Posted: 19 Sep 2012 10:22 AM PDT
100 wins in the Champions League. Ronaldo’s goal certified the epic comeback against Manchester City in which Real Madrid became the star of a new European record: the first club to be able to reach 100 victories in the Champions League since it uses this name. The team with the highest number of victories in the European Cup and Champions League. Some things never change.
It was a game that changed the white side, because finally Real Madrid actually played as a team. Generous up and down the field, with everyone, from first to last, applied to do their job and not to complicate their partner’s. Finally the fans could watch the Real Madrid that last season won their 32nd League title. Although their players form were lower than expected, they were again a committed team, just what the Portuguese coach asked after the league defeat against Sevilla. The first consequences of the 'white' situation could be felt with the starting line-up determined by Jose Mourinho. The defeat at Sevilla had repercussions. Sergio Ramos and the German Mesut Özil both started on the bench. Mourinho retained the services of Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira as well as Ghanaian Michael Essien.  Muscle and strength in the Spanish team’s midfield against players like Javi Garcia, Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry. City's Italian coach Roberto Mancini, who left his fellow Italian Mario Balotelli as well as Sergio Aguero on the bench, was never characterized by his boldness as a strategist.Ozil, Modric and even Kaka were all left on the bench in what turned out to be a great Champions League night – and the team felt their absences, especially Özil's. Seemingly held at bay at the start, Madrid’s movement of the ball was always slow and their actions predictable. Surprises at Santiago Bernabeu.Real Madrid will play with 2 defensive midfielder (+ Alonso) and Sergio Ramos (and Özil) is on the bench. At the Santiago Bernabeu! And Sergio Ramos on the bench! Blimey! Last night Jose Mourinho left €205 million’s worth on the bench – Sergio Ramos, Kaka, Benzema, Ozil & Coentrao. #Madrid Even with that, Real Madrid were more comfortable without the ball. Patience was key while they waited for a mistake from their rivals to put pace to the game. Organized with their pressure, Real were able to create chances through transition. Two of those opportunities came through Cristiano Ronaldo, and both those opportunities were equaled by Joe Hart, the best player in the first half. Another chance came from Gonzalo Higuain twenty minutes from the start, when he had a one-on-one against Hart that he failed to resolve. Manchester City barely had chances except when Yaya Toure and David Silva, who was subbed on the hour, reached the ball, which happened just a few times before the half. A bit disappointing for a side that boasted a record of eleven wins and two draws since April 8th of this year: 163 days without a loss. Real Madrid increased the pressure after the halftime break. The stadium was encouraged by Di Maria's exceptional runs and Marcelo's long range shots, which nearly broke the deadlock. Despite their positive start, the Spanish team remained unable to achieve that expected goal and soon paid the price. In the 69th minute, Pepe lost the ball, which generated a City counterattack. Yaya Toure surpassed every player that came his way and found Edin Dzeko unmarked to his left. The Bosnian, who had just replaced Silva, made no mistake in front of goal and cooly slotted past a stranded Casillas. Mourinho’s reaction was instant. Suddenly, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema entered the field. It was Marcelo, however, who made the whole Santiago Bernabeu stand up for the first time. The Brazilian, who last night probably shot more times than ever in his whole career, cracked a brilliant right-foot shot from outside the box that brought the home side level. Marcelo deserved to score in this game. Not bad off the right foot. The game went crazy in the final stretch. Manchester City, who saw heaven open because of a bit of confusion from Madrid in the box, were back after they were awarded a set-piece outside of the box. A free-kick by Aleksandar Kolarov evaded everyone and sneaked inside the far post, leaving Real Madrid's legend Iker Casillas completely helpless. Incredibly, though, that wasn't enough. The English side was unable to kill the game off and Mourinho’s team didn't give up. Two minutes were enough to turn the situation in their favour – first with a goal from Benzema and immediately another from Cristiano Ronaldo, who with one shot seemingly ended his own sadness, as well as the sadness of his entire team. La otra versión de la foto de la noche: twitter.com/enfueradejuego…Manchester City News |
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