Friday, 14 May 2010
Hot Pic ! Wags Soccer Team 2010
and also soccer babe in South africa 2010
comment on your top tottie for 2009!
| Who gets your Vote? | |
| Abigal Clancy | |
| Giorgia Palmas | |
| Ilary Blasi | |
| Oksana Andersson | |
| Danelle Lloyd | |
| Sylvie Van ver varrt | |
| Aida Yespica | |
| Alen Seredova | |
| Cheryl Cole | |
Incredibly Sexy Former Liverpool WAG Naked (Pics and Video)
Liverpool’s summer signing Alberto Aquilani may well have found breaking into the first team something of a challenge after a long spell out injured but he doesn’t appear to have any problem bringing the female of the species to his attention. This is Pamela Camassa, a former conquest of Aquilani’s, and she appears to like being photographed wearing as little as possible, here are some examples.
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Hot Naked Tottenham WAG Pole Hot Hot Hot Dancing (Pics and Video)!
This is Sarah Giggle (what a name, like some sort of Carry On tribute) she has dallied with Jermain Defoe, like so many others. Among her hobbies she lists discussing quantum theory, reading the works of Moliere and, luckily for you, pole dancing!
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Danielle Lloyd new loaded semi naked video
competitions in and around Liverpool so upon finishing her academic studies, she decided to pursue a career in modelling and also train as a beautician.
However just as things were hotting up in her career, prior to the Miss Merseyside contest, Danielle was brutally attacked by her boyfriend at the time.She was dragged from her car after an argument with him whilst it was still moving, suffering terrible grazes and severe bruising to her body and losing most of her hair.Danielle almost gave up on modelling altogether after that but with the firm encouragement of her family, friends and Women’s Aid, as well as many months of counselling to try and deal with what happened, she felt strong enough to continue in her dream career.
For more on this and see all the new pictures and sexy video semi naked well worth it vist here
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Football WAGs Oooppsss...Nicole Merry (Ex Thierry Henry wife)
Nicole has been too excited to talk to someone..?and forgeting her husband ( ignored, thiery look upset in her side) and her pants too...
Football WAGs Oooppsss...Alex Currant...( Steven Gerrard Wife )
bright dress .....black underwear....is not matching.....
bad taste of mode...by alex currant....
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Real Madrid vs Zenit 3-0 Players Rating
REAL
Dudek – 6: Had an amazingly solid defence infront of him. They were exposed twice when Zenit hit the woodwork on two occasions but Dudek only had a few routine saves to make.
Salgado – 7: A gutsy display. Was outpaced by the likes of Denisov, Zyryanov and Dominguez but he stuck to his guns and kept on fighting. Played as a leftback in the second half when Metzelder came in and adapted to his new role without too much trouble.
Sergio Ramos – 7: Barely left his own half. The instructions from Juande are clear: he is to remain at the back as much as possible. And didn’t he do a sterling job. Did not put a foot wrong.
Cannavaro – 7.5: One of his better performances of the season. Barely let anyone past him and he looked like the rock-solid centreback who always turns up for
Marcelo – 6: Was caught hideously out of position early in the game but then wisely restricted his movements upfront. Played as an attacking left winger in the second half but didn’t have too much of an impact.
Guti – 7.5: Pulled the strings from midfield with a faultless display. Like many of his teammates, he did not put a foot wrong with his passing. Even seen back-tracking a few times to help out defensively.
Gago – 8: Constantly dropped back deep into his own penalty area to help out the rearguard. Was often seen all across the backline covering for his leftback, rightback and centrebacks. Also brought he ball forward astutely to link up the defence and the midfield.
Van der Vaart – 6: Another decent but low-key performance. Combined well with his midfielders and always present to receive the ball. Set-up the opening goal but nothing spectacular from him. Taken off at half-time.
Raúl – 9: Two goals and one assist. His first strike may not be his prettiest but his second was vintage Raul: lifting the ball over the goalkeeper with audacity and the deftest of touches. Left the game midway through the second half to a rousing standing ovation.
Higuain – 7: Could have had a couple of goals himself but poor finishing let him down… for once. A strangely subdued performance but he was always there in the attacking half to draw out defenders and exchange one-touch passes with his teammates.
Robben – 9: Absolutely unplayable. Formed the perfect attacking partnership with Raul and provided an assist for his captain and scored one for himself with an equally sublime, audacious chip. Had countless shots on target and denied only by a few sharp saves from Malafeev. A shame he will miss El Clasico.
Substitutes:
Metzelder – 6: Deployed as a rightback as Juande attempted to experiment ahead of El Clasico. Joined the attack a few times Sergio Ramos-style but didn’t quite pull it off. No shame in trying, though.
Javi Garcia – 6: Brought on to strengthen the midfield line and he did just that without much fuss.
Saviola – 6: His shortage in match fitness and sharpness was evident as his lack of pace let him down a few times when he was put through on goal.
Malafeev – 7: Made a number of excellent saves and single-handedly denied Robben at least a hat-trick. But his error gave away the opening goal and the final .
Anyukov – 5: Despite defending
Krizanak – 5: Didn’t see too much of him. Played his part to pack his own penalty box early in the game to stifle
Lombaerts – 6: Made a few number of critical interceptions, especially in the early parts of the match. Like Krizanak, he did well initially but left twisted inside out especially by Robben as the game wore on.
Sirl – 5.5: Simply had a torrid time trying to keep a leash on Robben. But credit to him, he kept on battling away and did not look dejected. Would have been extremely relieved to hear the final whistle, though.
Denisov – 6.5: Very difficult to control in the opening stages of the game. Continued to look lively in patches and provided the biggest attacking threat for Zenit.
Tymoschuk – 5.5: Did his best to wrestle with Guti and Gago for midfield domination but without extra support from his teammates, he came off second best almost every time.
Zyryanov – 5: Had to drop back and help out Sirl to defend against the rampant Robben. Did surge forward a few times but never really caused too much damage.
Danny – 6: Absolutely anonymous in the first half. Had maybe only one decent touch of the ball and hardly threatened. Came alive towards the game and came close to scoring a consolation goal when his header came back off the crossbar.
Arshavin – 6.5: Saw plenty of the ball and showed some good touches but he did not have any support from his teammates. Surprisingly taken off at half time.
Pogrebnyak – 4: Very isolated upfront. Hardly had a touch of the ball, barely had an attempt at goal.
Substitutes:
Fayzulin – 6.5: Had a few decent look-ins at goal and saw one of his efforts cannon back off the bar.
Tekke – 6: Didn’t have a clear scoring chance but his movement off the ball inside the
Juventus vs BATE 0-0 Players Rating
JUVENTUS
Manninger - 6.0: Did not have a single save of note to make all game. Cigar and slippers evening for the Austrian.
Grygera - 6.0: Not troubled at all defensively, and a few nice moves coming forward in the first half.
Legrottaglie - 6.5: Breezed through the evening due to the impotence of the BATE attack, but made on excellent tackle in the first half.
Mellberg - 6.5: Like Legrottaglie, had very little real defending to do tonight. A nuisance down the other end on set pieces.
Molinaro - 6.5: Did very well as an attacking force in the first half, using his pace to good effect, but was less prominent after the break.
Marchionni - 7.0: Was involved in a number of Juve's best moments, heading against the post, and creating an excellent chance for Del Piero.
Nedved - 6.0: Not for the first time this season, Nedved looked to be lacking the energy, and it was a touch surprising he lasted 91 minutes.
Zanetti - 6.0: Returned after his long injury layoff, and largely did okay. Kept the ball, and won a number of tackles.
De Ceglie - 6.0: Showed some battling qualities down the left hand side, but not too much danger came through De Ceglie.
Giovinco - 6.5: Had some excellent moments, and flashes of brilliance, but will regret his penalty miss early in the second half when he skied over the bar.
Amauri - 7.0: The best player on the pitch for 56 minutes before he was rested ahead of the Milan game. Showed some silky skills for such a big man, and created the chance for Marchionni.
Subs: Del Piero 6.5, Esposito N/A, Castiglia N/A
BATE
Veremko- 7.5: Was the reason why Juventus didn't win the game, with some smart stops, including one exceptional save from Del Piero late on.
Khagush - 6.0: Solid for most of the game, even if he occasionally found himself out of position.
Sosnovsky - 6.5: Was taken on by Amauri at times, but also made a host of key last gasp tackles inside the area.
Kazantev - 6.5: Like Sosnovsky, did well at the back, and limited Juve to not as many chances as they would have expected.
Yurevic - 5.5: The weak link of the BATE backline. Allowed Marchionni to get in behind a few too many times.
Likhtarovic- 6.0: Quietly went about his job in the middle-of-the-park, but never really stamped his authority on the game.
Sivakov - 5.5: Not a game Sivakov will look back to fondly on, and he was fortunate not to be punished after conceding a foolish penalty for handball.
Stasevich- 5.5: A passenger for almost all the time he was on the pitch, which led to his premature substitution.
Kryvets- 6.0: Did not have the same impact as he did in the reverse match in Minsk, but some neat touches.
Bliznyuk - 7.0: BATE's best player tonight. Dangerous on the ball, but he was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance 12 minutes from time.
Rodionov - 4.0 Was completely invisible tonight. Indeed you could count on one hand the number of times his name was mentioned.
Pirlo, Ambrosini, Emerson Is Ready To Comeback
Milan may have been dealt a massive blow by Gennaro Gattuso's severe injury that could keep him out for the season, but can take some consolation in that Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini, and Emerson all seem to be back in action and injury free.
The Rossoneri held a double training session on Wednesday in preparation for their crunch match against Juventus on Sunday evening and Pirlo, Ambrosini, and Emerson were all able to take part without any problems.
Ambrosini had been out of action for several weeks, but he has returned just in time as Milan will need his services in the absence of Gattuso. Meanwhile, Emerson injured his back in the recent 1-0 win over Catania, but has recovered.
Andrea Pirlo was out for two months and returned only to suffer another injury setback, but the deep-lying playmaker is now set to take part against the Bianconeri on Sunday.
Milan fans will be happy to regain their injured stars as Carlo Ancelotti's side is trying to keep up with Serie A leaders Inter, who are currently six points ahead of them.
Materazzi Successfull Cheekbone Operation
The Italian international defender underwent an operation to reconstruct a fractured cheekbone sustained during Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League defeat at Werder Bremen.
The operation at the San Matteo hospital in Pavia was successfully performed by ENT specialist Marco Benazzo and maxillofacial surgeon Silvestre Galioto under the supervision of Inter team doctor Franco Combi.
According to the club's official website the player's recovery time is unknown at the moment and will be assessed in the coming days.
Inter Milan will be without Materazzi for Sunday's game against Chievo, and he is also doubtful for Inter's last league game of the year at Siena on December 20.
Gilardino Bring Viola To Uefa Cup !
Steaua Bucharest vs Fiorentina 0-1
La Viola traveled to Romania earlier tonight to face Steaua Bucharest, in a match that they had to attain a result from, to ensure that their adventure in Europe continued.
Both sides had already been eliminated from the Champions League, however a spot in the Uefa cup was up for grabs, something that the Viola were desperate to make the most of.
Alberto Gilardino grabbed his fifth goal of the campaign and the only goal of the match after 66 minutes, when he scored with a header following a brilliant cross in from Juan Manuel Vargas.
At the completion of the contest, he spoke about his performance tonight and his current feelings in regards to playing with Fiorentina.
“I feel great lately, and I am in great form,” Gilardino said in an interview with Sky.
“I stand by my decision to leave Milan, and I have no regrets with making it.
“I am so enthusiastic at Fiorentina, and we are doing extremely well, as was the case again tonight, as we recorded an important victory and can hold our heads high as a result,” he added.
“It is a great satisfaction to qualify for the Uefa cup, as it is something we desperately wanted to achieve tonight,” he concluded.
Gila had one final comment regarding his strike partner Adrian Mutu, and his passion for playing alongside him.
“I’m fine with Adrian, and I really enjoy playing with him, as we form a good attacking combination.
“But I am fine with everyone at Fiorentina, and that is why I love playing here so much,” he continued.
Gilardino will be hoping to carry on his good form again this weekend in the Serie A, when his side hosts Catania on Sunday.
Celtic Pride Beat Villareal
Celtic vs Villareal 2-0
Villareal visited Glasgow tonight to face Celtic in their home stadium of parkhead. A match that should have meant nothing quickly evolved into a night to remember.
The men in green fronted a strong side tonight, perhaps to save face at the bitter end of their European campaign, while Villareal made seven changes to the side that faced Machester United as they fielded what was quite clearly a second string.
First Half
Villareal seemed the more dangerous side from the start with some tidy link-up play from the forwards, however,both teams seemed to be doing nothing more than going through the motions in this seemingly meaningless match.
The pace of the game would soon change, though, after a lively Mark Wilson sent in the ball from a wide position to an arguably offside Scott Brown inside the box. Brown's touch would go on to find a lurking Shaun Maloney who steered the ball home with a tap-in header. Thirteen minutes in, Celtic go 1-0 up.
The small band of visiting fans had reason to leap out of their seats not long after this diappointment. Half an hour into the game, Villareal's most effective player so far - Guille Franco - was ordered to leave the pitch after the referee's assistant spotted foul play off the ball.
Replays showed minimal contact, the incident looking like nothing more than the Argentine striker shrugging off Gary Caldwell, the officials however, did not see it this way and the men in yellow went down to 10 men courtesy of a red.
In the wake of the earlier decision on Franco, it seemed the whole Villareal team were also seeing red, figuratively speaking. A barrage of fouls leading towards the break would only be punctuated by an injury-time goal by Aiden McGeady. The pacy winger was allowed too much space as he swanned forward to drill home number two for the home side. 2-0 Celtic.
Second Half
As expected, Villareal shuffled their system at half time, adding Turkish international striker Nihat Kahveci to the mix. The change saw Marcos Senna warm the bench, a precautionary move by the manager to ensure he did not follow in the footsteps of his teammate Franco.
Soon after play resumed, Nihat tested Artur Boruc with a shot on the edge of the box. The Turk continued to be a nuisance as the game progressed, at one point finding himself in a 1-on-1 with the Celtic 'keeper thanks to a Mati Fernandez pass, but his attempt was thwarted by a great save by the Polish goalie.
Overall, though, the second half saw more of the same great build up play from Celtic but without any end product. It seemed like every shot the home side took would end up going wide; even two great chances from Celtic subs Paul McGowan and Scott McDonald could only be directed by the posts.
Taking everything into consideration, it was a deserved win for the Scots. After the terrible streak of luck the Glasgow side have endured in European competitions, it seems only fair that they should end their campaign on a high note. Villareal, however, may not feel the same way as they take four yellow cards and one red into the next stages of the competition.
Questionable Young Arsenal Crushed By Porto
Porto vs Arsenal 2-0
Arsenal lacked poise, power and pentration and were distinctly second-best against Porto. They had looked reasonably comfortable for much of the first half, but a familiar flaw - lack of concentration leading to lax marking at a corner - saw Bruno Alves head the hosts in front on 39 minutes. And early in the second half more poor defending saw Lisandro double the hosts' advantage.
Arsenal travelled to Portugal needing a draw against Porto to finish top of Group G, and manager Arsene Wenger made seven changes from the side that beat Wigan last Saturday, with Emmanuel Eboue, William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre, Aaron Ramsey, Abou Diaby, Carlos Vela and Nicklas Bendtner all brought into the starting XI. For Porto, playmaker Lucho Gonzalez was back, with Lisandro Lopez and Hulk forming the strike partnership.
Eboue was looking to exorcise the misery of his barracking at the weekend, which led to his being substituted after he himself had come on as a sub. Being away from home, and restored to his favoured right-back position should have made him feel better, though he is clearly a man under pressure and looked understandably edgy, despite being given a decent reception by the travelling fans.
The Gunners adopted a 4-5-1 formation, Bendtner playing as a lone striker with Vela on the left wing and Ramsey on the right, and Silvestre deployed at left-back.
Eboue fouled the wonderfully-nicknamed Porto striker Hulk early on, prompting the incredible one to wave an imaginary yellow card at the Ivorian, though the referee took no action.
Undeterred, Hulk then set off on a powerful run and Eboue checked him again. Alves took the free-kick and bent it in teasingly but Manuel Almunia dealt with it comfortably.
It was a fairly even, half-paced opening, Arsenal's passing looking neat and tidy but not causing Porto any problems, with Bendtner looking isolated up front. Porto though were pressing Arsenal well when not in possession, denying the Gunners time and space.
After they won a midfield scrap for the ball, Hulk was sent sprinting on to an astute defence-splitting pass, and it needed an outstanding last-ditch interception from Johan Djourou to snuff out the danger.
The Gunners followed that by mounting their best attack so far, Alex Song turning smartly but Bendtner overhitting a lay-off to Eboue. Then a slick through-ball from Denilson for Bendtner saw Brazilian goalkeeper Helton dash quickly off his line to gather.
Arsenal's first real shot at goal arrived on 26 minutes when teenager Aaron Ramsey ended a determined run with a powerful left-foot drive that was parried away by Helton.
Bendtner had to receive treatment after Alves' arm accidently caught him in the face, and a minute later Porto carved out an excellent chance as Gallas was robbed near his own goal and Almunia was forced into a smart save. The Portuguese side followed that with a rampaging run by Meireles who undid his good work with a long-range strike that flew well wide.
Then Porto earned a free-kick in a dangerous position after a Denilson foul, but Alves hit it straight into the wall and away to safety, though the hosts were beginning to dictate by this stage. And on 39 minutes they duly took the lead from a corner. Diaby was guilty of allowing Alves to power into the area and head home Meireles' flag-kick unhindered. It was too easy for defender Alves, and a poor goal to concede.
Although the Gunners picked up the game for the remainder of the half, they lacked any punch or real conviction and Porto went in deservedly ahead.
The second half got underway with the London side continuing to misplace their passes in the final third. Within the space of two minutes, Lucho was yellow-carded by the fussy Greek referee for a lunge on Eboue, and the Arsenal player was then booked for fouling Lucho.
After Ramsey tried an ambitious overhead kick that went wide, Porto struck again with a finely taken goal on 54 minutes that again exposed inept Arsenal defending. Silvestre allowed Lisandro to get goal-side of him and the rest of a flimsy back-four, and he strode on before firing the ball emphatically into the roof of the onrushing Almunia's net.
Vela was hacked down but the ref waved play on to the annoyance of Wenger on the touchline, and the manager responded by taking off the enterprising Ramsey and out-of-touch Diaby and sending on teenagers Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs.
Just after the hour, with Porto looking comfortable and Arsenal short on confidence and ideas, Rodriguez burst down the left leaving defenders trailing, then cut in and tried to find the bottom far corner with a shot but dragged it wide.
Arsenal switched to 4-4-2 but Bendtner in particular kept giving the ball away when the Gunners looked to get the ball forward. It was giving Porto opportunities on the counter-attack, and on one such break, Rodriguez sprinted through but Eboue managed to keep up with him and do enough to put him off, the Porto player firing wide.
Arsenal mounted a promising attack through Vela's run, but the Mexican was brought down to end the threat, though it was not a foul, said the referee.
Argentine Lucho got a lucky deflection off Gallas but his first-time shot went the wrong side of the post. Lucho was promptly replaced by Costa, and Rodriguez by Mariano as Arsenal sent on Randall for Song.
Apart from an impressive cameo role from Wilshere, and an earlier decent shift by the man he replaced, Ramsey, Arsenal were poor, lacking cohesion in a disjointed display in which their defending was at times shambolic and their passing off-target.
On 83 minutes, the Gunners earned a free-kick in a dangerous position, but Bendtner's low kick went through the wall but straight at Helton.
After a mazy Wilshire run came to nothing, incredibly Hulk was taken off for Guarin. But Porto, with a little more care, might easily have won by four or five.
The final whistle sounded on a game the Gunners will quickly want to forget. And by finishing second in their group behind Porto, they could face Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Juventus in the next round.
Porto: Helton, Fucile, Rolando, Alves, Emanuel, Gonzalez, Fernando, Meireles, Lopez, Hulk, Rodriguez.
Subs: Nuno, Stepanov, Guarin, Mariano Gonzalez, Lino, Sektioui, Costa.
Arsenal: Almunia, Eboue, Gallas, Silvestre, Djourou, Ramsey, Diaby, Song, Denilson; Vela, Bendtner.
Subs: Fabianski, Wilshere, Gibbs, Hoyte, Merida, Randall, Simpson.
Pepe : Schuster Is Only Try To Helping Us (On "We Cannot Win Againts Barca" Statement Scandals)
Bernd Schuster might have left Real Madrid but there is still plenty of talk about the German in the Spanish capital today, with different parties taking different sides on the decision to sack him.
"People are asking a lot about the statements saying that we cannot win in the Camp Nou, but the ones in the team know what he [Schuster] really wanted to express," he told Antena 1.
"That is not what he told us in training and in the dressing room, he only wanted to remove the pressure that was on us. I do not think it was a good idea to tell that to the press, but he did not think that."
Real Madrid currently sit fifth in the table following defeat to Sevilla last weekend and a loss to arch-rivals Barça this Saturday could see them slip down to seventh. However, Portugal international Pepe does not believe that winning at the Camp Nou is impossible.
"Real Madrid have the capacity to win anywhere that we play, I expect that we will get a good result like last season," he declared.
Advocaat - Arshavin May Leave...
Dick Advocaat spoke with grim resignation to reporters after his side fell to a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
Without some of their most recognisable stars he was left explaining why the lineup had an oddly youthful look to it - particularly without star forward Andrei Arshavin.
He told UEFA.com, "We need to think about who will be in the new team, in the future.
"We wanted to free those who want to leave, and work with those who want to be here."
Clearly he was hinting at Andrei Arshavin, who is said to be desperate to leave St. Petersburg to try his luck further west.
"As for Andrei Arshavin, he wasn't ready for this match. He had a fever. But I did want him to play.
"For him to play here would be a chance for him to demonstrate his talents," said the coach.
"That's the price we pay for having good players. It's normal that if we progress and move forward and play in Europe they want to improve.
"Having won the Super Cup against Manchester (United) has raised hopes in this team, yet we haven't managed to beat Real Madrid."
Giovinco Feel Sorry For Miss Pinalty...
Juventus came into to their final match with BATE knowing that they had already qualified for the next phase of the competition. Having said this though, anything but a defeat would ensure them of top spot in the group, ahead of the Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Their clash with BATE was at home, and so the Bianconeri were more than confident of achieving this. It ended 0-0 however, as neither side managed to break the other down.
The home side certainly had the better of the chances throughout the contest, most notably a penalty that they were awarded early in the second half.
With Alessandro Del Piero on the bench, the club’s young starlet Sebastian Giovinco stepped up to take the kick, only to see it fly over the bar, and deny his side a victory in the process.
Following the match, Giovinco apologized for his penalty miss, and made some comments on the performance of his side tonight.
“I really do apologize to my team mates and to the fans, but I promise I will try again,” declared a smiling Giovinco in an interview with Sky.
“Thankfully the miss didn’t cost us top spot in the group, and so we are still happy with our performance despite the draw.
“We were not at our best tonight, however that’s because BATE did not allow us to do so,” he added.
“Now we turn our attention to Milan, and hopefully we can bounce back and win that match this weekend,” he concluded.
Juventus and Milan to battle at the Olimpico in Turin this Sunday, with play getting underway at 20:30 CET.
Five Goals Thriller Lyon vs Bayern
Lyon vs Bayern Munich 2-3
Heading into this contest, both sides had already secured their passage to the next stage of the competition; however both undoubtedly were desperate for victory in this match, as the winner would finish atop of the group.
Lyon may be top of Ligue 1 and into the knock out stage of the Champions League but there is a sense that the perennial French champions are not firing on all cylinders at present, despite the fact that they have won three successive matches in this competition. For this contest, the home side was without Cris and Juninho through suspension, along with Frédéric Piquionne, Mathieu Bodmer, Francois Clerc and Anthony Reveillere who were unavailable through injury.
The situation was different for the visitors however, as they knew that victory or a scoring draw would be enough to finish on top. They had to go about their business without two key players in Lucio and Zé Roberto, who were late withdrawals because of illness and injury respectively. Martin Demichelis partnered Daniel van Buyten in defence, whilst Tim Borowski was given a rare start in the midfield.
First Half
The home side got the crucial Group F clash underway at the Stade de Gerland, and despite losing possession almost immediately, it was they that started the brighter in the opening minutes, as after just two minutes of play, Michael Rensing was forced into making a wonderful save to deny an Ederson header, following a glorious chip into the area by Karim Benzema.
Lyon continued their early dominance with another glorious opportunity, just moment later, when Ederson’s powerful drive was trickled just wide of the post, as the home crowd began to lift in voice.
Despite not having much of the play in the opening ten minutes, it was Bayern that broke the deadlock on 11 minutes, as Miroslav Klose capitalized on some poor defending by Lyon. A wonderful ball into the area by Phillipp Lahm caused some confusion amongst the French defenders, as Tim Borowski and Franck Ribery did well to put pressure on those in possession. Eventually Jeremy Toulalan’s weak clearance fell into the path of Klose, who made no mistake from inside the area.
Immediately following the goal, Mounier went on a surging run down the left for the French club, and his glorious ball into the area was met by the lively Benzema, although once again the ball was narrowly off target.
Moments later, Tim Borowoski managed to get on the end of some great work by the Bavarians in their attacking third, as the German club looked to double their advantage. The midfielder failed to finish off Ribery’s delicate cut back into the area however, as his unbalanced effort narrowly sailed over the bar.
The intensity dropped a little over the next ten minutes, as the visitors began to take control of proceedings. Despite this however, Claude Puel’s men continued to do all they could to get forward in numbers, as their highlight in this period came on 23 minutes, when a poor challenge from Borowski on Ederson gave them a free kick in an extremely dangerous shooting position. Karim Benzema took the resulting kick, but his effort failed to beat the wall, and the score remained 1-0.
On 34 minutes, Ribery made it 2-0 with a clinical strike that gave Hugo Lloris no chance in goals. Luca Toni’s wonderful turn and through ball was met by Ribery, who easily made his way past Lamine Gassama, and then coolly finished from inside the area. 2-0 to Bayern at this stage, and the Stade de Gerland was stunned.
As was the case after the first goal, the home side almost immediately responded with a goal of their own, and it was through Ederson again who saw his powerful drive from 25 yards rebound off the post, and unfortunately for their sake, lady lucked seemed not to be on their side tonight.
Astonishingly, just three minutes later, the Bavarians made it 3-0, as Klose grabbed his second off the match. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ribery, once again, combined brilliantly on the left, after some impressive passing that came to an end when Ribery spotted an unmarked Klose at the back post. With the goal at his mercy, the German international made no mistake, as his miss-hit shot into the ground, was too good for Lloris in goal. 3-0 at this stage, and Bayern had all but wrapped up top spot in Group F.
Benzema tried to restore some pride for the French club, as they looked to end the half on a high; however his powerful effort just prior to the interval, was off target again, and that’s how it ended, with Lyon trailing by three goals to nil at the break.
Second Half
Surprisingly there were no changes made by either coach at the break, as the visitors got the play underway in the second half. It didn’t take long for them to pick up from where they left off however, as they managed to win two corners within the first two minutes of play.
On 50 minutes Ribery should have made it four, following some great work by Schweinsteiger in the area, however it was Lyon who struck first in the second half, as Sidney Govou managed to get one back for the home side. Ederson’s right-footed drive from just inside the area was well dealt with by Rensing; however the stand-in captain was there to coolly tap the keeper’s save back past him and into the back of the net.
The French side certainly lifted in confidence following their goal, as they continuously moved forward with real purpose over the course of the next ten minutes. Their best opportunity came from an Ederson corner, just prior to the hour mark, when Govou’s header came back off the post, only for the defender Mensah to fail to score from all of two yards out, thanks to a courageous effort by Rensing in goal.
Claude Puel made a double switch on 63 minutes, with Kim Källström coming on for Gassama, and Fred coming on for Mounier, as the coach looked to change the structure of his line-up, with the Brazilian striker partnering Benzema up front. The change almost had an immediate impact too, as both players were involved in a fantastic team play by Lyon, as they continued to press for their second goal.
On 68 minutes, Lyon’s star man Benzema incredibly made it 3-2 as he managed to get on the end of a deflected pass forward. With Rensing and the goals ahead, Benzema strolled around the visiting keeper, and made no mistake by smashing it into an unguarded net. It was the 20-year-old’s 12th goal in 17 Champions League appearances, and incredibly the home side trailed by just one goal with over 20 minutes remaining.
Immediately after the goal, Bayern made a substitution, as Andreas Ottl came on for Klose, meaning that Luca Toni was to play as the lone striker for the final 20 minutes of the match. Ottl had a wonderful opportunity to grab his side’s fourth just moment after coming on too, as his effort from outside the area narrowly missed the target.
The next ten minutes were a lot quieter, as the five man Bayern midfield began to slow down Lyon’s run of play. Over this period, Govou went extremely close to scoring an own goal as his attempted clearance struck Boumsong; however Lloris was able to clear the ball, despite some heavy pressure from Van Buyten. And on 80 minutes, Lloris’ counterpart Rensing was forced into making a world-class save, to deny a Fred header that could have so easily leveled the score line.
Lyon gave everything in the closing stages, but the Bavarians held firm, and were determined not to concede yet another. It was extremely tough for both sides to find a way through in the last ten minutes, however when the three minutes of stoppage time was indicated by the fourth official, the home side lifted, and almost scored through Benzema and Fred. Rensing did really well to deny Benzema, whilst Fred’s header was denied by a tremendous interception by Demichelis.
Full time was blown by the referee, and this thrilling contest ended 3-2 to Bayern Munich, meaning that they will qualify as winners of Group F, with Lyon finishing in second. It was the French side’s first defeat of the campaign; however it means little, as both side’s move on to the next phase of the competition.
TEAMS
Lyon (4-5-1): Lloris; Gassama, Mensah, Boumsong, Grosso; Makoun, Toulalan, Govou, Mounier, Ederson; Benzema
Bayern Munich (4-4-2): Rensing; Oddo, Demichelis, Van Buyten, Lahm; Schweinsteiger, Van Bommel, Borowski, Ribéry; Klose, Toni
GOALS
11’ Klose (Bayern Munich)
34’ Ribery (Bayern Munich)
37’ Klose (Bayern Munich)
53’ Govou (Lyon)
68’ Benzema (Lyon)
Without Ronaldo, Red Devils Held At Home
With qualification already guaranteed Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson made nine changes to the team that sneaked past Sunderland last weekend, with only Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney retaining their places.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a spectator due to injury, still managed to hog the spotlight, being presented with his Ballon d’Or ahead of kick off alongside United legends Denis Law and Bobby Charlton.
Thus with Old Trafford in celebratory mood the holders began the game brightly and opened the scoring as early as the third minute.
Rooney dropped deep to head a ball down to Ryan Giggs and the Welshman’s first touch put Carlos Tevez through on goal. With only the goalkeeper to beat the Argentinean found the bottom corner with a fine strike.
Minutes later and Tevez should have had his second of the evening. Anderson found Rooney who squared the ball to his strike partner, but Tevez on his left foot shot wide.
The chances continued to come for a home side enjoying their football with Evans, Tevez and Nani all going close but unable to beat Bogelund in the visitors’ goal.
Yet just after the half hour mark the English champions were made to pay for such profligacy.
A superb free kick into the box found an unmarked Jakobsen running to the near post to flick home a fine header to level the scores.
The goal obviously buoyed the visitors and there was more to come as on the stroke of half-time they took a shock lead.
United gave away possession and allowed Due to run down the left flank and deliver a deep cross to the far post which Curth did well to calmly head back across goal and into the far corner.
An obviously unimpressed Ferguson opted to change things at the interval sending on Paul Scholes and Ji Sung Park as he sought to overturn the half time deficit.
It took the home side just over five minutes to get back on level terms. After Tevez had missed an early opportunity, Rooney made no mistake, racing onto the end of an Anderson through ball before thumping home an excellent finish.
The home side continued to dominate with the returning Gary Neville almost putting them ahead.
A cross-field ball from Rooney saw the full back control the ball inside the area first time with a superb touch before his shot from a tight angle was parried wide by goalkeeper Bogelund.
Minutes later and Rooney almost provided the breakthrough again, his ball into the box flying off the head of Olfers and onto the bar.
However, with five minutes to go Tevez wasted the best chance of all.
Yet again it was Rooney the supplier, his ball finding the Argentinean on the edge of the box, he controlled the ball expertly but took it too wide of the goalkeeper and his shot, when it finally came, flew the wrong side of the post.
Unlike at the weekend, a late winner was not forthcoming for United who had to settle for a draw against a delighted Aalborg.
Yet the result will not disappoint Ferguson too much as, with Celtic defeating Villarreal elsewhere in the group, the point sees the holders finish in top spot, ahead of their Spanish rivals, whilst the Danes head in to the Uefa Cup.
Manchester Utd: Kuszczak, Neville (Rafael, 77), Ferdinand, Evans, O'Shea, Nani, Gibson (Park, 46), Anderson, Giggs (Scholes, 46), Rooney, Tevez.
AaB Aalborg: Zaza, Bogelund, Olfers, Jakobsen, Pedersen (Sorensen, 76), Curth (Caca, 75), Enevoldsen, Augustinussen, Risgaard, Due (Kristensen, 66), Saganowski.
GOALS
2-2 Manchester United (Rooney, 52)
1-2 Aalborg (Curth, 45)
1-1 Aalborg (Jakobsen 32)
1-0 Manchester United (Tevez, 3)
La Vecchia Signora On Top Group H, Altough Get Draw
Juventus had long since qualified for the last 16, but they still required a point in order to finish above Real Madrid at the top of Group H. The Bianconeri still had a crippling injury list, with Andrade, Zebina, Trezeguet, Buffon, Salihamidzic, Knezevic, Poulsen, and Tiago all sidelined. However, Cristiano Zanetti finally returned to the team after a long layoff, while Sebastian Giovinco continued up-front alongside Amauri, following his super display at the weekend.
Rock-bottom BATE had absolutely nothing to play for, but pride, as they could neither qualify for the next round, nor the UEFA Cup. Coach Viktor Goncharenko was hoping for a similar performance to the one his troops offered in the reverse fixture in Minsk, when BATE held Juve to a 2-2 draw, having been two-up at one stage.
First Half
Juventus attacked right from the start, and within the opening couple of minutes Amauri headed wide from Giovinco's right wing corner. Giovinco then raced away from two men, and went down under pressure inside the area, but the referee waved away the ambitious penalty appeals.
BATE had their first attempt of the game on 16 minutes, as Igor Stasevich headed harmlessly wide from a left-field cross.
Amauri appeared to have the beating of his marker in the air, and he rose highest at another Giovinco corner, but couldn't direct his header.
Juventus threatened for the first time midway through the half, as Giovinco almost caught goalkeeper Sergey Veremko by surprise with a beautiful free kick, which finished just inches past the far post. Down the other end, Mikhail Sivakov tested Alex Manninger with another set-piece.
Amauri did brilliantly down the left, and cut back for Giovinco, whose shot was blocked by a defender. The Brazilian was then denied himself by a Belarussian as he attempted to turn home Pavel Nedved's cross.
The ball would just not fall for Amauri, and it was a similar story just past the half hour mark following a brilliant rampage down the left by Cristian Molinaro. Meanwhile, Giovinco lashed a long range free kick over the bar.
The 21-year-old did excellently just before the break, as he left his man for dead, before lashing the ball just wide.
Second Half
Juventus came racing out of the traps in the second half, and were centimetres away from taking the lead on 51 minutes as Amauri crossed for Marchionni, whose header crashed off the inside of the post and into the arms of the grateful Veremko.
Minutes later Juve squandered an even better chance to take the lead, as they were awarded a penalty for a handball by Sivakov. However, Giovinco skied the penalty over the bar.
The youngster tried to make up for his error by embarking on a wonderful solo run, before teeing up Nedved, who shot straight at Veremko. Soon after Alessandro Del Piero was introduced for Amauri.
Juventus continued to come forward looking for the opener, and Nedved tested Veremko again on 69 minutes with a powerful volley from 20 yards.
Zanetti was the next Bianconero to try his luck, with a dangerous swerving effort from outside the area, but again Veremko was equal.
BATE had barely had a shot all night, but with just 12 minutes remaining they missed a glorious chance to take a shock lead, as Bliznyuk twisted past his man, but with just Manninger to beat, he sidefooted the ball wide.
This stirred Juve back into life, and they missed an excellent chance of their own a few minutes later, as Marchionni crossed for Del Piero, but his header from close range was brilliantly saved by Veremko. The two players combined again soon after, but this time Del Piero headed off target.
There was a special moment on 87 minutes as youngster Simone Esposito was introduced for his Juventus debut, in place of Giovinco.
The rest of the match played out without much incident. Juventus failed to get the win, but they still finished top of Group H with 12 points, above Real Madrid on head-to-head. BATE exit Europe all together, despite holding Juve home-and-away.
Teams
Juventus: Manninger, Grygera, Legrottaglie, Mellberg, Molinaro, Marchionni, Nedved (Castiglia 91), Zanetti, De Ceglie, Giovinco (Esposito 87), Amauri (Del Piero 56)
BATE: Veremko, Khagush, Sosnovsky, Kazantev, Yurevic, Likhtarovic (Volodko 56), Sivakov, Stasevich (Nekhaychik 60), Bliznyuk, Kryvets (Ermakovich 89), Rodionov
Anthony Sormani
