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Champions League Roundup, Nov. 5
Associated Press
Champions League
| Final, Rome | |
| Wed., May 27, 2009 | |
| Matchday Photos | |
| Man United 0-2 Barcelona | |
Defending champion Manchester United is almost through following Ryan Giggs' 84th-minute header in a 1-1 draw at Celtic. But two more group leaders, Bayern Munich and Arsenal, were also held to draws and still have work to do from their final two matches.
With new Argentina coach Diego Maradona watching to see some of his countrymen in action, Italian veteran Del Piero, who first played in a Champions League final 12 years ago, scored in the 17th and 67th minutes at Bernabeu Stadium to give Juventus 10 points from four games.
"I'm pleased to have scored in front of Maradona. I hope Diego comes to watch us play more often," said Del Piero, who received a standing ovation from the Madrid fans in the 80,000 crowd.
"I live off these types of emotions. I'm pleased the fans gave me that applause when I came off. This is a crazy stadium and it was a very important game for us. It's a good moment for me."
Claudio Ranieri's team is four ahead of Madrid and six ahead of Zenit St. Petersburg, which won 2-0 at BATE Borisov.
"Fortune wasn't on our side on several occasions, but this is a Champions League game so you have to move on," Madrid coach Bernd Schuster said. "There are still more games to play."
Although Zenit, last season's UEFA Cup winner, can reach 10 points by winning its last two games, that would mean Madrid could only finish with a maximum of nine, ensuring Juventus is guaranteed of finishing in the top two spots in Group H.
Celtic stunned Man United before the Scottish club's intimidating 60,000-strong fans in Glasgow when Australia striker Scott McDonald lobbed goalkeeper Ben Foster in the 13th minute. It was the first goal Celtic had scored and the first United had conceded in Group E.
United dominated possession and finally broke through with six minutes to go when goalkeeper Artur Boruc failed to hold a wickedly swerving shot from Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs headed home the rebound.
"It's always worth following up a shot like that with the ball moving all over the place," Giggs said. "I just gambled and it fell right onto my head."
The draw means that United has eight points from four games, the same as Villarreal, which drew 2-2 at Aalborg. But Alex Ferguson's team still has a six-point lead over Celtic and Aalborg, has a better head-to-head record over the Scottish champion and could only be edged by the Danish team if it loses its final two games heavily and Aalborg wins twice by big margins.
Villarreal is almost there too, but could miss out if it loses its last two games to Celtic and Man United.
Champions League
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Bayern Munich was held 1-1 at Fiorentina after Adrian Mutu gave the Italian side a 10th-minute lead. Tim Borowski replied in the 78th minute for Bayern. The result means the Bundesliga champions have eight points, the same as Lyon, which beat Steaua Bucharest 2-0 after goals by Juninho - a trademark free kick - and Anthony Reveillere.
"It was a very important point, because we kept Fiorentina at bay," Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann. "We've got a very good chance of advancing.
"We knew it was going to be a difficult game. In the second half, we were able to increase the pace and we could have even won, but I think a draw was a fair result."
Fiorentina has three points and can still advance to the next round, but Steaua cannot qualify.
"We have two games to play and the math doesn't leave us much wiggling room," Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli said. "We're going to have to give our all."
Arsenal was held 0-0 at home by Fenerbahce just two weeks after winning 5-2 in Istanbul against the same opponents.
Arsene Wenger's team has eight points, two ahead of FC Porto, which won 2-1 at Dinamo Kiev. Kiev has five and still in contention.
Chelsea lost 3-1 at AS Roma and Liverpool needed an injury-time penalty for a 1-1 home draw with Atletico de Madrid on Tuesday, meaning that the Premier League clubs' sprint to the last 16 has slowed to a crawl.
Last season, Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool all made it to the semifinals. United won the title by edging Chelsea in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in the final in Moscow.
Member Comments
LOL HAV U GUYS NOTICED THAT WHEN A SERIE A TEAM LOSES TO AN EPL OR SPANISH PRIMERA TEAM, IT IS ALL OVER THIS SITE, BUT THEN WHEN WE BEAT AN EPL OR PRIMERA TEAM, IT IS ON THE SIDE OF THE PAGE WHERE U WUDNT LOOK......I TELL U GUYS SOMETHING, PEOPLE HAV SOME SERIOUS HATE FOR ITALIAN TEAMS, I MEAN LOOK, ROMA BEAT ****ING CHELSEA 3-1 AND JUVE 2-0 OVER REAL, AND I HAD TO SEARCH REALLY HARD TO GET TO THIS ARTICLE WHEN IT SHUD BE THE MAIN ARTICLE FOR THE DAY, IF UNITED BEAT A TEAM LIKE JUVE, MILAN, INTER ROMA, ETC. (GOOD/DESCENT ITALIAN TEAM) IT WUD BE EVERYWHERE! AND U GUYS KNOW WHAT I MEAN, I MEAN LOOK, THE ONLY PATS F THIS ARTICLE THAT HAVE ANY SORT OF ITALIAN TEAMS ARE "Juventus joined Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon in the knockout round of the Champions League on Wednesday after two goals by Alessandro Del Piero gave the Italian team a 2-0 victory at Real Madrid." AND "Chelsea lost 3-1 at AS Roma and Liverpool needed an injury-time penalty for a 1-1 home draw with Atletico de Madrid on Tuesday, meaning that the Premier League clubs' sprint to the last 16 has slowed to a crawl.".. THEY SPENT THE WHOLE ARTICLE TALKING ABOUT MANCHESTER U ****ING NITED DRAWING AGAINST CELTIC WHEN THEY SHUD BE TALKING ABOUT JUVE AND ROMA KICKING THE **** OUT OF 2 OF THE BEST TEAMS IN THE "BEST LEAGUES IN THE WORLD", **** FSC MAN!
spikedude20911/6/2008 13:51:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
there is no chance, real lost to roma both times last year in the group stages, real isnt up to serie a lvl, punto e basta
spikedude20911/6/2008 13:26:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
dvdltly buffon is the best anyone after that doesnt matter forza the king buffon
dondominic11/6/2008 12:00:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Marc,<br /><br />I think he's one of the best Goal Keepers in the world. I wouldn't say he is THE best though. There are 3-4 who have a claim to the crown.
DvdItly11/6/2008 11:02:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Calcio fans: www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/n...
McTalian11/6/2008 9:19:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Del Piero really played well ands showed he's still one the best, but what really set Juve apart last night was their defending. That was a clinic on organized and smart defending. Chelini and Lagrotalia (sp?) were outstanding. Props to Real fans for recognizing.<br /><br />Also, anyone claiming Casillas isn't in top GK's in the World needs an exam (preferably a rectal exam since that's where your brain is). His form isn't what it was last season just yet, but he had a long summer. I knew some of the stars from the Spain squad would be hurting. I hope Guardiola keeps it in mind for the Barca players. Look at Sergio Ramos. Last season, Paolo Maldini called him the best defender in the World. Right now, he's playing poorly and it's affecting him mentally too.
marcbarca11/6/2008 9:07:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Redevil83: You got it. Channel4 is one of the best for English language news on Italian football IMO. It's Brit-based, but it doesn't have a lot of the typical Brit bias to Italian football which is really refreshing. <br />To my Brit friends: No offense meant boys, but you the media on the isle loves them a good bit of condescension (spelling?) on the "eye-tie" game ha-ha...
McTalian11/6/2008 7:41:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Good game by Alex showing even grey in the mane he still has the heart of a champion.<br /><br />The crowd in Madrid was fantastic and props to them for showing how classy they are.<br /><br />ManU for all my dislike of them play like champions always.
DvdItly11/6/2008 7:32:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
'mctal' u get that off channel4 serie a? love that source. haven't check but media in both spain and italy are showing glory on alex del piero and rightly so<br /><br />'nerd' i hear ya mate...the old trafford crowd is pretty uncompromising as well but el fenomeno ronaldo and del piero two performaces that deserved to be applauded specially ronaldo's hattrick at OT in the european cup that yr just astounding
redevil_8311/6/2008 7:18:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I hesitate a little to make this analogy, but in Madrid, the Las Ventas bullring is a couple of miles away to the southeast. There, the populace of Madrid is afforded with the finest practitioners of a spectacle that is only tolerable when it is done perfectly, and is bloody butchery when it is not.<br /><br />Having to watch second rate matadors makes one really appreciate first class matadors. Having to watch the current state of Madrid's football team makes us appreciate the spectacle of Del Piero, and the fine defensive display that Juve put on.<br /><br />The Bernabeu is a place where excellence is expected, and appreciated, no matter which team provides it.
Real_Mad11/6/2008 7:01:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
That's cool NE. <br /><br />Hey, here's an excerpt from a column about Juve. I'm no fan of the club, but ya know, got to give them their props. This does IMO:<br /><br />"Three wins on the trot, including a derby victory over Torino and the conquering of Roma, have left their doubters baffled and highlighted the one important fact that everyone seems to have forgotten since Calciopoli. When push comes to shove and the chips are down, Juventus are still Juventus and probably always will be."
McTalian11/6/2008 6:54:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
McTal. I was at the Juve-United friendly this summer and we also applauded him off the pitch. It was ana amazing experience for me, as he is one fo my favorite players. Del Piero is one of the msot deserving of the respect he has been shown by Madrid and other clubs.
NE_RedDevil11/6/2008 6:23:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
That was classly them applauding Del Piero. I wish all fans could be like that. It's how it should be.
McTalian11/6/2008 6:18:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
RealMad, your stadium is NOT the only one that applauds a great player in defeat. I remember Ronaldo(R9) speaking about how he was touched when applauded off the pitch at Old Trafford.
NE_RedDevil11/6/2008 5:29:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
great game for del piero he shows his skills and lets everyone know that he is still a force to reckin with and so is juve all you mutha fers that say juve is done or have issues you know nothing about the game of futbol we kicked a s s forza del piero and the rest of the best team in the world and mr buffon its still not the same without you on the pitch blood you are the king forza buffon and its gonna be payback time soon inter fans
dondominic11/6/2008 5:15:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
youassume<br />Fox make you change name again? Beeeehayyyve...How goes it buddio?
amerileiro11/6/2008 4:40:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Congratulations Juve. Great game by Del Piero.<br /><br />Casillas has looked a litle flat footed this year, and the second goal was his responsibility.<br /><br />I would like to point out to all the small people who criticize Madrid endlessly on this forum that the fans of Real Madrid have true class. The Bernabeu is the only stadium in the world where the opposing hero gets recognized and applauded for beating our team.<br /><br />And you wonder why players want to come here.
Real_Mad11/6/2008 4:14:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Del Piero back to his best after being plagued by so much injury... 3 magnificent goals in 2 legs.
Hempster11/5/2008 22:29:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Totti you can suck Del Piero's ****!!!
BirthFutballDeath11/5/2008 21:08:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
On a side note, why doesnt amauri get the call up for the brazilian national side? Hes a great forward! Powerful, technical and a great finisher.<br />PS i hate it when peiro sticks out his tongue. Not too classy from a very classy guy.
fr1311/5/2008 20:12:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
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