This morning at 11 o'clock this year's UEFA Cup groups were drawn with some interesting placings for the British clubs involved. No doubt the most exciting match up for an English team will be Bolton having drawn the same group as German giants Bayern Munich. They may stuggle to qualify as will Aberdeen. Tottenham and Everton will expect to qualify from average groups, although Alkmaar may pose a few probelms to the Toffees.
UEFA Cup Groups 2007/08
Group A
AZ Alkmaar
Zenit St. Petersburg
Everton
Nuremburg
Larissa
Group B
Panathinaikos
Atletico Madrid
Copenhagen
Aberdeen
Lokomotiv Moscow
Group C
Villareal
AEK Athens
Fiorentina
Mlada Boleslav
Elfsborg
Group D
Basle
Hamburg
Sade Rennais
Dinamo Zagreb
Brann
Group E
Byer Leverkusen
Sparta Prague
Spartak Moscow
Toulouse
FC Zurich
Group F
Bayern Munich
Bolton
Braga
Red Star Belgrade
Ars Thessaloniki
Group G
Anderlecht
Tottenham
Getafe
Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Aalborg
Group H
Bordeaux
Autria Vienna
Galatasaray
Panionios
Helsingborgs
Tuesday 9 October 2007
Monday 8 October 2007
The Week's Other Stories
Other news that got my attention in a busy week of football were...
Chelsea striving for stability, Joey Barton playing the hero, Ronaldo gets in the wars, Owen can't say no and Dida disgraces himself
Two valuable wins for Chelsea this week loosened the noose around Avram Grant’s neck, although the player’s and fans are yet to convince of their support for their new manager. The ever-smiling Israeli has promised to bring an added flair to Chelsea’s play under his stewardship (or should that be Mr Abramovich’s) and Ajax boss Henk ten Cate may soon join him at Stamford Bridge to work alongside as assistant. ‘We want to finish one way and want to play a new way of football that will be very good for the club.’ said Grant, in a clear statement that a new era was about to begin at Chelsea. Didier Drogba, who reportedly broke down in tears upon the news of Mourinho’s departure has committed himself until at least the end of the season, but at present key members of the team remain unhappy, notably the aforementioned Drogba, Lampard, and Shevchenko still. You’d have thought Andriy Shevchenko would be a man reborn, after almost single-handedly being the catalyst for the change of managers. However, he may have already caused irreparable friction with Grant. After reacting angrily to being an unused sub against Valencia, Grant responded by again leaving him out against Bolton at the weekend even though Drogba was suspended - when he did come on he played the last 15 minutes at left wing. There are whispers though that this may have been a public ploy by Grant to prove to Chelsea fans he is more than just a ‘yes’ man but Sheva should still be worried, as his reputation will not last forever.
Joey Barton, the swaggering cigar-clad thug who left Man City at exactly the wrong time has had the temerity to attempt to claim the credit for the club’s recent revival. Barton joined Newcastle Utd in the summer after helping City escape a relegation battle last season. He is yet to feature this season after breaking a metatarsal bone in pre-season although is now nearing match fitness. Never one to shy away from controversy or say exactly what he’s thinking, Barton blurted out, ‘Were it not for myself, Micah Richards and Richard Dunne the club wouldn’t have had Shiniwatra, the Premier League and Sven.’ It is unlikely Barton left many friends at the City of Manchester stadium, or if he did, he lost them with his follow-up remark, ‘I think Newcastle can be as big as they want to be. No disrespect to City but in Manchester, United will always be top dog.’ He can be rest-assured that he won’t be getting any appreciative applause for his relegation-saving efforts after comments like this, although he might bump into old foes Richards and Dunne in the future, bump quite hard in fact.
Poor Cristiano Ronaldo bumped his head this week while playing against Roma, causing a small bump on his eye. Aah. He says not to worry to his fans though, ‘It’s not a problem. In four or five days I will be beautiful once again.’ Well done Cristiano for being a brave little soldier, as he admitted, ‘I don’t like to look like this but his kind of thing can happen in football.’ On a serious note, Ronaldo was talking at the launch of his first autobiography, entitled Moments and he paid tribute to Alex Ferguson for his attempts to protect the tricksy winger from the types of tackle his skill entices. Ferguson called for referees to take note of persistent fouls after Ronaldo retaliated against Portsmouth and was sent-off at the start of the season, enduring a 3 match ban, an experience which made him, ‘suffer more than at any time in the last 3 years’. He didn’t enjoy his sex romp with 3 prostitutes and team mates Nani and Anderson then?
Michael Owen looks likely to play for England against Estonia and Russia even though he has just had hernia operations. The injury plagued forward is England’s only recognised source of goals and it is vital that he is able to play in the crucial qualifiers. Owen came off the bench at the weekend to score what proved to be the winner against Everton in a 3-2 win, only 8 days after a double hernia operation. The player himself wants to play as much as possible but there are risks of further complications and long term damage if he plays too much, too soon after injury, ‘In my opinion Michael wasn’t fit to start, but in his opinion he was’, said Sam Allardyce. The Newcastle boss does not want Owen to return injured but must reluctantly release him for international duty, while Steve McClaren is reliant on Owen as a proven goal scorer upfront for England. Owen’s determination to play is understandable as his career has been stop-start with injuries for the past 18 months, however there is a sense that he is being slightly naive, letting his heart rule his head, when he’d be better off protecting his long-term future, ‘No doubt the manager from here will say that and maybe the fans will say that but if I had to look after myself I wouldn’t have made myself available for today. The surgeon’s advice is what I’ll look at more than anything else and she said that I can push it as hard as I want.’ said Owen.
Following the tragi-comedy farce involving a Celtic hooligan and AC Milan goalkeeper Dida, UEFA have launched an official investigation. Immediately following the incident there were fears at Celtic that the club may be forced to forfeit their victory as the invasion was their responsibility, however sense prevailed and to their credit AC Milan upheld their, if not Dida’s, credibility, ‘It had nothing to do with the final result anyway.’, said Carlo Ancelotti. The club will have to be careful as any future discrepancy will result in them playing European fixtures behind closed doors. The problems started when a 27 year old fan appeared to tap the keeper on the face and then run off after he broke onto the pitch amidst the celebrations of Celtic’s last gasp winner. His actions were a total disgrace, unacceptable and he was rightly arrested and subsequently banned from Parkhead for life. However the incident gained much more notoriety for the way in which Dida responded to the situation. The Brazilian was obviously furious, having also just conceded a soft goal to seal his side’s defeat and chased several steps after the fan to get revenge. However, he then thought up a better way to get back, or even, with the fan – Eureka! He’d feign injury! And so he went down clutching his face and lying lifeless on the floor. It was a totally shameless display of play acting, reminiscent of his compatriot Rivaldo, who infamously writhed around as though he had been shot in the face when a player kicked the ball at his shins during the 2002 World Cup. Dida embarrassed himself, his team mates and his club, and was also the laughing stock of the 50,000 strong supporters. He surely deserves to be punished himself for his part in the pathetic affair, just what did he expect would happen if his injury were to be believed? That the referee might book the hooligan?
Chelsea striving for stability, Joey Barton playing the hero, Ronaldo gets in the wars, Owen can't say no and Dida disgraces himself
Two valuable wins for Chelsea this week loosened the noose around Avram Grant’s neck, although the player’s and fans are yet to convince of their support for their new manager. The ever-smiling Israeli has promised to bring an added flair to Chelsea’s play under his stewardship (or should that be Mr Abramovich’s) and Ajax boss Henk ten Cate may soon join him at Stamford Bridge to work alongside as assistant. ‘We want to finish one way and want to play a new way of football that will be very good for the club.’ said Grant, in a clear statement that a new era was about to begin at Chelsea. Didier Drogba, who reportedly broke down in tears upon the news of Mourinho’s departure has committed himself until at least the end of the season, but at present key members of the team remain unhappy, notably the aforementioned Drogba, Lampard, and Shevchenko still. You’d have thought Andriy Shevchenko would be a man reborn, after almost single-handedly being the catalyst for the change of managers. However, he may have already caused irreparable friction with Grant. After reacting angrily to being an unused sub against Valencia, Grant responded by again leaving him out against Bolton at the weekend even though Drogba was suspended - when he did come on he played the last 15 minutes at left wing. There are whispers though that this may have been a public ploy by Grant to prove to Chelsea fans he is more than just a ‘yes’ man but Sheva should still be worried, as his reputation will not last forever.
Joey Barton, the swaggering cigar-clad thug who left Man City at exactly the wrong time has had the temerity to attempt to claim the credit for the club’s recent revival. Barton joined Newcastle Utd in the summer after helping City escape a relegation battle last season. He is yet to feature this season after breaking a metatarsal bone in pre-season although is now nearing match fitness. Never one to shy away from controversy or say exactly what he’s thinking, Barton blurted out, ‘Were it not for myself, Micah Richards and Richard Dunne the club wouldn’t have had Shiniwatra, the Premier League and Sven.’ It is unlikely Barton left many friends at the City of Manchester stadium, or if he did, he lost them with his follow-up remark, ‘I think Newcastle can be as big as they want to be. No disrespect to City but in Manchester, United will always be top dog.’ He can be rest-assured that he won’t be getting any appreciative applause for his relegation-saving efforts after comments like this, although he might bump into old foes Richards and Dunne in the future, bump quite hard in fact.
Poor Cristiano Ronaldo bumped his head this week while playing against Roma, causing a small bump on his eye. Aah. He says not to worry to his fans though, ‘It’s not a problem. In four or five days I will be beautiful once again.’ Well done Cristiano for being a brave little soldier, as he admitted, ‘I don’t like to look like this but his kind of thing can happen in football.’ On a serious note, Ronaldo was talking at the launch of his first autobiography, entitled Moments and he paid tribute to Alex Ferguson for his attempts to protect the tricksy winger from the types of tackle his skill entices. Ferguson called for referees to take note of persistent fouls after Ronaldo retaliated against Portsmouth and was sent-off at the start of the season, enduring a 3 match ban, an experience which made him, ‘suffer more than at any time in the last 3 years’. He didn’t enjoy his sex romp with 3 prostitutes and team mates Nani and Anderson then?
Michael Owen looks likely to play for England against Estonia and Russia even though he has just had hernia operations. The injury plagued forward is England’s only recognised source of goals and it is vital that he is able to play in the crucial qualifiers. Owen came off the bench at the weekend to score what proved to be the winner against Everton in a 3-2 win, only 8 days after a double hernia operation. The player himself wants to play as much as possible but there are risks of further complications and long term damage if he plays too much, too soon after injury, ‘In my opinion Michael wasn’t fit to start, but in his opinion he was’, said Sam Allardyce. The Newcastle boss does not want Owen to return injured but must reluctantly release him for international duty, while Steve McClaren is reliant on Owen as a proven goal scorer upfront for England. Owen’s determination to play is understandable as his career has been stop-start with injuries for the past 18 months, however there is a sense that he is being slightly naive, letting his heart rule his head, when he’d be better off protecting his long-term future, ‘No doubt the manager from here will say that and maybe the fans will say that but if I had to look after myself I wouldn’t have made myself available for today. The surgeon’s advice is what I’ll look at more than anything else and she said that I can push it as hard as I want.’ said Owen.
Following the tragi-comedy farce involving a Celtic hooligan and AC Milan goalkeeper Dida, UEFA have launched an official investigation. Immediately following the incident there were fears at Celtic that the club may be forced to forfeit their victory as the invasion was their responsibility, however sense prevailed and to their credit AC Milan upheld their, if not Dida’s, credibility, ‘It had nothing to do with the final result anyway.’, said Carlo Ancelotti. The club will have to be careful as any future discrepancy will result in them playing European fixtures behind closed doors. The problems started when a 27 year old fan appeared to tap the keeper on the face and then run off after he broke onto the pitch amidst the celebrations of Celtic’s last gasp winner. His actions were a total disgrace, unacceptable and he was rightly arrested and subsequently banned from Parkhead for life. However the incident gained much more notoriety for the way in which Dida responded to the situation. The Brazilian was obviously furious, having also just conceded a soft goal to seal his side’s defeat and chased several steps after the fan to get revenge. However, he then thought up a better way to get back, or even, with the fan – Eureka! He’d feign injury! And so he went down clutching his face and lying lifeless on the floor. It was a totally shameless display of play acting, reminiscent of his compatriot Rivaldo, who infamously writhed around as though he had been shot in the face when a player kicked the ball at his shins during the 2002 World Cup. Dida embarrassed himself, his team mates and his club, and was also the laughing stock of the 50,000 strong supporters. He surely deserves to be punished himself for his part in the pathetic affair, just what did he expect would happen if his injury were to be believed? That the referee might book the hooligan?
Eriksson’s Electrifying Elano
Man City fans are on cloud 9 right now as the Citizens lie 3rd in the league after nine games, a feat which owes much to the renewed defensive strength and solidarity installed by Sven Goran Eriksson, supplemented in no small way by the exquisite creativity and sharp shooting of the Brazilian Elano, who is already proving one of the buys of the season. There is now genuine feeling from not just within the club that City are capable of finishing in the top five this season.
Eriksson has done a fine job in turning Man City around, albeit with the aid of several million from the Thai benefactor Thaksin Shiniwatra. The Swede’s time as England boss has clearly helped him understand the Premier League, its tempo and tactical emphasis and the qualities required from a player to be successful in it. Whereas many a manager would have been obliged to spend ‘willy-nilly’ when presented with a such a substantial transfer budget and a demanding chairman, Sven bought sensibly and moulded a balanced team where pace, strength and passing ability are the core of everything. He could have easily rushed out and signed players with big reputations to temporarily satisfy supporters and board alike but Eriksson has plans for the long term. Eriksson benefits from the experience of having managed at the top level for 25 years, a younger manager may have succumbed to such pressure as seems to be the case at West Ham. Alan Curbishley, under pressure from the ambitious Eggert Magnusson signed many players with big reputations (and even bigger salaries) but who have so far failed to gel as a team. Think Luis Boa Morte, Lucas Neill and Kieron Dyer to name but a few.
A case for the defence
The foundations of any good team are built in defence and City in Micah Richards, Richard Dunne, Vedran Corluka and Javier Garrido, have a back line to rival any in the division. There is immense height and strength throughout, with all four over six feet, meaning aerial challenges are rarely lost and always fiercely contested. Over the past 12 months Micah Richards has emerged from relative obscurity to become one of the brightest England prospects for some time and is already establishing hero status among the Citizens faithful for consistent domineering displays. He is comfortable playing at the heart of the defence or at right back, as he has done for England and enjoys surging forward to aid the odd counterattack. As a schoolboy Richards was a sprinter and he uses this blistering pace to both cover and counter. Last week against Newcastle was a fine example of this natural stamina and enthusiasm, as first he broke up play before bursting down the length of the pitch to get a shot in at the other end. Richard Dunne is Richards’ defensive partner and after putting behind him the troublesome off-the-pitch problems (drink related) that blighted his early years as a professional, the big Irishman has emerged a fiercely determined professional. Rarely do you see Dunne lose a header, he leads and organises well from the back and his fellow defenders regularly look to him for direction and inspiration. The two centre backs pictured side by side are an intimidating presence. Powerful and muscularly built, they often leave opposition strikers cowering away from further contact after a few early robust challenges. Richards and Dunne are flanked by Corluka and Garrido who could quite easily play as centre halves too such is their height and strength. Eriksson obviously recognises that these skills are vital in the Premiership as they are evident throughout the whole team. There is pace in Garrido and a decent cross too, although from what I have seen, Corluka seems to have a more languid style. While he is good in the air and clever with the ball at his feet, he lacks acceleration despite an acceptable top speed.
Ace in the hole
The ace in Eriksson’s pack is undoubtedly Elano, who stitches the team together with his one and two touch passing, killer through balls and appreciation of space. Eriksson allows Elano to play in his favourite position in the hole behind the strikers, where he links play from midfield to attack with the energetic Michael Johnson and the tidy Dietmar Hamann. In particular the Brazilian has quickly struck up a rapport with Johnson, both enthusiasts of the short one touch game and Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov. Whenever Elano receives the ball he looks up to see where the pacey Petrov is and invariably releases him behind the opposition defence. The Brazilian showed glimpses of his talent several weeks ago with some slick passing and clever assists – a perfectly weighted and timed one-two with Michael Johnson against Aston Villa sticks in the memory. However, he has suddenly hit top form, earning national recognition with 3 goals in two games against Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Against Newcastle Elano demonstrated his dribbling ability and passing prowess as Nicky Butt and Alan Smith simply failed to cope with his speed of thought and vision. The first time stabbed pass with the outside of his boot to put Stephen Ireland thorough had Peter Beardsley drooling, ‘for me that’s the pass of the season.’ He deservedly got on the score sheet late on, showcasing his typically Brazilian-made striking technique with a free kick blasted into the upper-most top corner of Shay Given’s net. A shot no keeper could save. This man of the match performance was followed up by another at Boro, this time scoring twice. The first a clever shot from 25 yards whistled in to the bottom corner, as Elano used the defenders in front of him to blind the keeper’s view from the ball’s route to goal. The second half provided the opportunity for a second goal for the boy from Brazil as Boro gave away a free-kick in perfect position. Elano decided to show his guile and craft on this one, after powering in against Newcastle, this time he showed his subtlety, gently curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner.
Man City have a new idol in the making with Elano and will be gutted they have to endure the international break before seeing his mercurial talent once again. It seems a crime, knowing now how good Elano is, that it took so long for him to be discovered and thrust into Europe’s elite leagues – he is now 26. He had been at Shaktar Donetsk for 3 seasons and it was while he was in the Ukraine he broke into the national team under Dunga (he now has 9 caps and 3 goals). For a player from the Ukraine to be in the Brazil side surely pointed to serious quality, although Elano seemed to slip through the net of the European clubs. Eriksson though had no reservations about that playmaker’s ability, ‘I’ve had Baggio, Mancini, Gullit; you say ok, give them the ball and something will happen. And now we say, give the ball to Elano. Your life is much easier if you have these players because they do things you cannot coach. It’s in their DNA.’ eulogised the Swede. The Brazilian has helped his team mates benefit from his creativity and even makes Emile Mpenza look a decent player. If, as predicted City invests in an out-and-out goal scorer in the January transfer window they should do very well this season. And with Elano providing the assists City are unlikely to be short of suitors for the role either.
Eriksson has done a fine job in turning Man City around, albeit with the aid of several million from the Thai benefactor Thaksin Shiniwatra. The Swede’s time as England boss has clearly helped him understand the Premier League, its tempo and tactical emphasis and the qualities required from a player to be successful in it. Whereas many a manager would have been obliged to spend ‘willy-nilly’ when presented with a such a substantial transfer budget and a demanding chairman, Sven bought sensibly and moulded a balanced team where pace, strength and passing ability are the core of everything. He could have easily rushed out and signed players with big reputations to temporarily satisfy supporters and board alike but Eriksson has plans for the long term. Eriksson benefits from the experience of having managed at the top level for 25 years, a younger manager may have succumbed to such pressure as seems to be the case at West Ham. Alan Curbishley, under pressure from the ambitious Eggert Magnusson signed many players with big reputations (and even bigger salaries) but who have so far failed to gel as a team. Think Luis Boa Morte, Lucas Neill and Kieron Dyer to name but a few.
A case for the defence
The foundations of any good team are built in defence and City in Micah Richards, Richard Dunne, Vedran Corluka and Javier Garrido, have a back line to rival any in the division. There is immense height and strength throughout, with all four over six feet, meaning aerial challenges are rarely lost and always fiercely contested. Over the past 12 months Micah Richards has emerged from relative obscurity to become one of the brightest England prospects for some time and is already establishing hero status among the Citizens faithful for consistent domineering displays. He is comfortable playing at the heart of the defence or at right back, as he has done for England and enjoys surging forward to aid the odd counterattack. As a schoolboy Richards was a sprinter and he uses this blistering pace to both cover and counter. Last week against Newcastle was a fine example of this natural stamina and enthusiasm, as first he broke up play before bursting down the length of the pitch to get a shot in at the other end. Richard Dunne is Richards’ defensive partner and after putting behind him the troublesome off-the-pitch problems (drink related) that blighted his early years as a professional, the big Irishman has emerged a fiercely determined professional. Rarely do you see Dunne lose a header, he leads and organises well from the back and his fellow defenders regularly look to him for direction and inspiration. The two centre backs pictured side by side are an intimidating presence. Powerful and muscularly built, they often leave opposition strikers cowering away from further contact after a few early robust challenges. Richards and Dunne are flanked by Corluka and Garrido who could quite easily play as centre halves too such is their height and strength. Eriksson obviously recognises that these skills are vital in the Premiership as they are evident throughout the whole team. There is pace in Garrido and a decent cross too, although from what I have seen, Corluka seems to have a more languid style. While he is good in the air and clever with the ball at his feet, he lacks acceleration despite an acceptable top speed.
Ace in the hole
The ace in Eriksson’s pack is undoubtedly Elano, who stitches the team together with his one and two touch passing, killer through balls and appreciation of space. Eriksson allows Elano to play in his favourite position in the hole behind the strikers, where he links play from midfield to attack with the energetic Michael Johnson and the tidy Dietmar Hamann. In particular the Brazilian has quickly struck up a rapport with Johnson, both enthusiasts of the short one touch game and Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov. Whenever Elano receives the ball he looks up to see where the pacey Petrov is and invariably releases him behind the opposition defence. The Brazilian showed glimpses of his talent several weeks ago with some slick passing and clever assists – a perfectly weighted and timed one-two with Michael Johnson against Aston Villa sticks in the memory. However, he has suddenly hit top form, earning national recognition with 3 goals in two games against Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Against Newcastle Elano demonstrated his dribbling ability and passing prowess as Nicky Butt and Alan Smith simply failed to cope with his speed of thought and vision. The first time stabbed pass with the outside of his boot to put Stephen Ireland thorough had Peter Beardsley drooling, ‘for me that’s the pass of the season.’ He deservedly got on the score sheet late on, showcasing his typically Brazilian-made striking technique with a free kick blasted into the upper-most top corner of Shay Given’s net. A shot no keeper could save. This man of the match performance was followed up by another at Boro, this time scoring twice. The first a clever shot from 25 yards whistled in to the bottom corner, as Elano used the defenders in front of him to blind the keeper’s view from the ball’s route to goal. The second half provided the opportunity for a second goal for the boy from Brazil as Boro gave away a free-kick in perfect position. Elano decided to show his guile and craft on this one, after powering in against Newcastle, this time he showed his subtlety, gently curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner.
Man City have a new idol in the making with Elano and will be gutted they have to endure the international break before seeing his mercurial talent once again. It seems a crime, knowing now how good Elano is, that it took so long for him to be discovered and thrust into Europe’s elite leagues – he is now 26. He had been at Shaktar Donetsk for 3 seasons and it was while he was in the Ukraine he broke into the national team under Dunga (he now has 9 caps and 3 goals). For a player from the Ukraine to be in the Brazil side surely pointed to serious quality, although Elano seemed to slip through the net of the European clubs. Eriksson though had no reservations about that playmaker’s ability, ‘I’ve had Baggio, Mancini, Gullit; you say ok, give them the ball and something will happen. And now we say, give the ball to Elano. Your life is much easier if you have these players because they do things you cannot coach. It’s in their DNA.’ eulogised the Swede. The Brazilian has helped his team mates benefit from his creativity and even makes Emile Mpenza look a decent player. If, as predicted City invests in an out-and-out goal scorer in the January transfer window they should do very well this season. And with Elano providing the assists City are unlikely to be short of suitors for the role either.
Midweek Euro Round-Up
It was a highly exciting and ultimately a mixed bag of emotions for the British clubs involved in European action this week. Blackburn, who have looked so solid recently were inexplicably felled by minnows Larissa, of Greece. Chelsea finally returned to winning, and scoring, ways with a hugely impressive away win (2-1) at Valencia, while it was business as usual for Arsenal and Man Utd against Steaua and Roma, both recording 1-0 wins. Things didn’t go so well for Liverpool and their exasperated manager, as they were beaten at Anfield 1-0 by Marseille and a stunning effort by youngster Mathieu Valbuena. Neighbours Everton saved their own potential embarrassment when they recovered from a 1-1 draw in their home leg (Andrew Johnson missed 2 penalties) to beat Metalist Kharkiv 3-2 away in typically determined style. Tottenham stuttered to a 1-1 draw with Famagusta, although the damage had already been done in the first leg’s 6-1 victory. It had meant a chance for Bent and Defoe to prove a point but they failed to make any real impression. Sammy Lee may have saved himself from being the first managerial casualty of the season when he decided to bring from the bench the clinical Nicolas Anelka who steered Bolton past Rabotnicki.
The most incredible news came from north of the border where Rangers beat mighty Lyon 3-0 away and Celtic beat the cup holders Milan 2-1 at Hampden Park, with a last minute goal from Scott McDonald. Unfortunately the Celtic game will probably be best remembered for the incident involving a Scottish fan, Dida the AC Milan keeper and the worst acting performance since Escape to Victory. Following a playful tap by a fan that had broken onto the pitch, Dida chased the hooligan to get his revenge, before having a change of heart, and deciding to go down feigning a serious head injury. He was eventually stretchered off, clutching an ice pack to his face, accompanied by a chorus of boos and jeers from the crowd and the awkward embarrassment of even his own team mates, ‘He made his choice and we will support him even though what he did was wrong. It was a difficult moment for him.’ conceded Kaka.
Here are the results of the games involving the British clubs in European competition last week…
Uefa Champions League Uefa Cup
Celtic 2-1 AC Milan Anorthosis Famagusta 1-1 Tottenham (agg. 2-7)
Liverpool 0-1 Marseille Blackburn 2-1 Larissa (agg. 2-3)
Lyon 0-3 Rangers Bolton 1-0 Rabotnicki Kometal (agg. 2-1)
Man Utd 1-0 Roma Dnipro 1-1 Aberdeen (agg 1-1)
Steaua Bucharest 0-1 Arsenal Metalist Kharkiv 2-3 Everton (agg. 3-4)
Valencia 1-2 Chelsea
The most incredible news came from north of the border where Rangers beat mighty Lyon 3-0 away and Celtic beat the cup holders Milan 2-1 at Hampden Park, with a last minute goal from Scott McDonald. Unfortunately the Celtic game will probably be best remembered for the incident involving a Scottish fan, Dida the AC Milan keeper and the worst acting performance since Escape to Victory. Following a playful tap by a fan that had broken onto the pitch, Dida chased the hooligan to get his revenge, before having a change of heart, and deciding to go down feigning a serious head injury. He was eventually stretchered off, clutching an ice pack to his face, accompanied by a chorus of boos and jeers from the crowd and the awkward embarrassment of even his own team mates, ‘He made his choice and we will support him even though what he did was wrong. It was a difficult moment for him.’ conceded Kaka.
Here are the results of the games involving the British clubs in European competition last week…
Uefa Champions League Uefa Cup
Celtic 2-1 AC Milan Anorthosis Famagusta 1-1 Tottenham (agg. 2-7)
Liverpool 0-1 Marseille Blackburn 2-1 Larissa (agg. 2-3)
Lyon 0-3 Rangers Bolton 1-0 Rabotnicki Kometal (agg. 2-1)
Man Utd 1-0 Roma Dnipro 1-1 Aberdeen (agg 1-1)
Steaua Bucharest 0-1 Arsenal Metalist Kharkiv 2-3 Everton (agg. 3-4)
Valencia 1-2 Chelsea
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