UEFA Champions League 2010/11

[jw5]

If Barca & Inter win their respective qtf, they will meet in the semis. If you're saying there will be El Classico IV at Wembley, then I have to agree with you. It will be a mouth watering finale.

No, Barca, Shaktar, Real and Spurs are in the same side of the draw.
Chelsea, Man Utd, Inter and Schalke are in the other side.
It has already been pre-determined.
Hence a Real v Barca final is impossible. One of them will be eliminated in the SF if they make it through the QF.

 

[Groove Armada]

Spurs receive Bale boost

5 April 2011

Tottenham winger Gareth Bale is likely to start for his side against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

Bale's presence was confirmed by his manager, Harry Redknapp, at a press conference on Monday, as Spurs prepare to visit the Santiago Bernabeu.

There are question marks over the fitness of defender William Gallas, but Redknapp is hoping a training session will prove that he too is ready to play in Madrid.

"Yeah (Bale) is fine," Redknapp said. "He's going to train tonight and if he has no problems he'll play."

"Gareth Bale gives us everything. He gives us goals and he gives us a fantastic pace and the ability to turn defence into attack very quickly."

"Gallas will train. We're hoping he'll be fit."

Redknapp is hoping Real's surprising 1-0 home defeat to Sporting Gijon on Saturday will trigger a bad week for the club.

Amazingly, the loss was the first defeat suffered at home by Jose Mourinho in nine years, stretching back all the way to his time at Porto.

"We often go home on a Saturday after losing at home and he hasn't done it for nine years," Redknapp said.

"So now he knows how the rest of us feel. Hopefully, it will be a bad week."

The Spurs boss admitted that no one expected his side to make the last eight, but is confident his side can challenge the La Liga giants.

"I don't feel any pressure tomorrow. The only pressure is that we play well. Nobody expected us to be here, let's be honest. We have to play well tomorrow. We're not just coming here to turn up," Redknapp said.

"The dream is still there for us and we want to make that dream come true and go all the way. We feel we can give anyone a game. Maybe Real Madrid are favourites but we come here very confident and very optimistic we can do the job."

The winner of the quarter-final will face either Barcelona or Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi-finals.

 

[Groove Armada]

Re: Ajax win at Milan to seal Europa League berth


Draw would suit Mourinho

5 April 2011

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho admits he would settle for a draw in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final at home to Tottenham.

Karim Benzema will definitely be missing from the team that welcomes Spurs to the Bernabeu on Tuesday, while Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo and Angel di Maria are all under injury clouds despite being named in Real's 19-man squad.

The Spanish giants suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to Sporting Gijon in the La Liga on the weekend, Mourinho's first loss as home manager in nine years.

And Mourinho said a draw would not necessarily be a bad result for his team against Tottenham.

"It has nothing to do with the absences. It (0-0) is never a bad result, especially if you don't suffer a goal," he said.

"But even 1-1, that is not a bad result. A draw at home is never a bad result in the Champions League."

Mourinho said he wanted his team to maintain focus on the task and not begin thinking about how to claw back the eight-point deficit to Barcelona in the league.

"It's a game many want to play in and not everyone can. It's been several years since Real Madrid have played in the quarter-finals of the Champions League," he said.

"It's a game in the most important club competition in the world and there's no lack of motivation."

"It's a match that is too nice and too important to think about other things. I give the match a 10 (out of 10) for importance."

Mourinho also took the chance to cool speculation he was looking to purchase star Tottenham's winger Gareth Bale.

"I was one of the first to say he will be an amazing player. I was saying that when he was not known in European football, just in England, so I know the great player he is," Mourinho said.

"He is still young and there is a big space for him to improve so he will be a really top, top, top player. I have no doubt about that."

"I think for the amount of money involved, it is not easy to buy and we have players for that position."

Mourinho also paid tribute to his opposite number Harry Redknapp, who he described as his "friend".

"When I was in England he was not managing teams with a possibility of reaching these kind of ambitions," Mourinho said.

"Finally, after the good work he was doing, he went to Tottenham, who had the resources to build a good team. I'm very, very happy (for him)."

 

[Groove Armada]

Champions League preview: Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk

5 April 2011

Shakhtar Donetsk face the toughest challenge of their season in a Champions League quarter-final away to Spanish giants Barcelona.

Shakhtar topped Group H with 15 points ahead of Braga and Arsenal and are a commanding 12 points clear in the Ukrainian Premier League.

They have only lost two domestic matches this season, but did come spectacularly unstuck in a 5-1 defeat away to Arsenal in October.

Reportedly overawed by their surroundings then, they cannot afford a repeat of that performance if they are to have any hope of overturning heavy favourites Barca.

To their credit, Shakhtar showed few nerves in the round of 16, beating Italian club Roma 3-2 away from home and 3-0 in the return leg to go through 6-2 on aggregate.

Perhaps crucially, the Ukrainian champions are yet to lose in Europe at the Donbass Arena since the stadium opened in 2009.

Based on that formidable record, Shakhtar's best hope of making the semi-finals is to escape the Camp Nou with minimal damage, before their impressive home run is put to the ultimate test in the return fixture on April 12.

Well aware of their opponents' capacity to spring a surprise at home, Barca will have no intention of leaving the tie in the balance after the first leg.

Boasting a host of Spanish World Cup winners - including Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and David Villa - as well as Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, Barca have only been beaten once at home this season.

But they are set to be without both Eric Abidal and club captain Carles Puyol - key defensive absentees that may count in Shakhtar's favour.

Dangerman Messi was only fit to play the final 38 minutes at El Madrigal on Saturday and did not train with the first team on Monday.

Shakhtar centre-back Dmytro Chygrynskiy, who had an unsuccessful season with Barca last year before returning to Donetsk, is battling to be fit for a chance to prove his critics wrong.

Chygrynskiy and his teammates are among a handful of players that know how it feels to win at the Camp Nou - they recorded a 3-2 group stage victory away to Barca in December 2008.

Pep Guardiola's side had their revenge eight months later, winning the European Super Cup against Shakhtar 1-0 in Monaco, in the last meeting between the two teams.

 

[Groove Armada]

Champions League preview: Chelsea v Manchester United

5 April 2011

Chelsea will be seeking revenge for their defeat in the 2008 final when they meet Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday.

United claimed their third European crown by defeating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

It was the first and only final appearance to date for Chelsea, with Roman Abramovich's quest to capture one of the biggest prizes in club football now stretching into a seventh year.

French striker Nicolas Anelka and Chelsea captain John Terry missed critical penalties in the shootout defeat.

They remain first-team regulars for the west London club and will be prominent among those seeking redemption over the two legs of the all-English quarter-final.

Chelsea are 11 points off the pace on the English Premier League table and look set to surrender their domestic crown.

They have already conceded the FA Cup after exiting the competition in the fourth round, leaving the Champions League as their last realistic chance of silverware.

United, by contrast, are still competing on three fronts, with the European showdown against Chelsea the next step to emulating their own treble-winning feats of 1999.

In what could prove a major advantage for the home side, Chelsea have a relatively clean bill of health coming into the match - only Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun and Brazilian centreback Alex are in doubt with fitness concerns.

There is no such good fortune for United.

Key man Rio Ferdinand is unlikely to feature, while fellow defenders Rafael, John O'Shea and Wes Brown are also out.

Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher is doubtful with a virus.

Goals from David Luiz and Frank Lampard helped Chelsea come from behind to win 2-1 in the previous meeting - in the Premier League - between the teams on March 1.

In their respective league fixtures on Saturday, United mounted a comeback from 2-0 with 30 minutes left to beat West Ham 4-2 away from home, while Chelsea could only draw 1-1 at Stoke.

 

[Gallego99]

No, Barca, Shaktar, Real and Spurs are in the same side of the draw.
Chelsea, Man Utd, Inter and Schalke are in the other side.
It has already been pre-determined.
Hence a Real v Barca final is impossible. One of them will be eliminated in the SF if they make it through the QF.

I thot Barca was grouped with Inter,Shalke. In that case Chelsea has a really good chance of winning CL. I think United will be clobbered @Stamford Bridge tmr. I hope to be wrong but given that the CL trophy is the only silverware left for the Blues to play for, Ancellotti will slap Ferguson silly for sure.

 

[Groove Armada]

Re: Praise for hat-trick hero Benzema

 

[Groove Armada]

Re: Holders Inter draw Bayern in Champions League rematch

Champions League: Real Madrid 4 Tottenham 0

6 April 2011

Real Madrid all but guaranteed their progress to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals with a 4-0 thrashing of Tottenham at the Bernabeu.

A brace from Emmanuel Adebayor and second half goals from Angel di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo punished an outclassed Spurs side, who played most of Tuesday's match with 10 men.

Spurs' striker Peter Crouch was sent off after a quarter of an hour, immediately putting his side on the back foot.

Tottenham pair Gareth Bale and William Gallas were fit to start after being under injury clouds during the week, but the loss of winger Aaron Lennon due to illness in the warm-up also did not help the visitors.

Real Madrid trio Ronaldo, Marcelo and di Maria, who were all in doubt for the game, started for the hosts.

And they opened the scoring inside five minutes as Adebayor scored his first European goal for the club.

He was given too much space to squeeze his header past the man on the post from a Ronaldo corner.

It went from bad to worse for the visitors in the 15th minute when Crouch saw red for a second rash challenge in the space of seven minutes.

Bale provided Spurs with some life down the left hand side and on the half hour mark he rifled a shot into the side netting.

But 12 minutes into the second half Adebayor completed his brace when he was again given too much space inside the area.

Ronaldo played his corner short into the feet of Marcelo and the Brazilian left-back crossed for Adebayor to brilliantly head home.

The dangerous striker was denied his hat-trick soon after when Gomes tipped another one of his headers over the bar.

Madrid's dominance deserved a third goal and they got one through di Maria in the 72nd minute.

The Argentine midfielder was given too much space and time on the edge of the area and he delivered the knockout blow with a rocket into the top corner.

If Spurs had any hope of getting back into the tie it disappeared minutes before the end when Gomes failed to keep out a Ronaldo volley.

 

[Groove Armada]

Re: Arsenal, Spurs face tough tests

Champions League: Inter Milan 2 Schalke 5

6 April 2011

Bundesliga outfit Schalke hammered Inter Milan 5-2 at the San Siro in the first-leg of their UEFA Champions League tie.

The Serie A giants twice took first-half leads but were outclassed by a rampant Schalke side in the second period.

Brazilian striker Edu scored a brace for the visitors while Inter played out the last half an hour with 10 men after Cristian Chivu was sent off.

It was the first time any defending European champion had conceded five goals either home or away.

Inter made a dream start when Dejan Stankovic struck in stunning fashion inside the first minute.

A long ball from Esteban Cambiasso dragged Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer off his line and the shot-stopper momentarily cleared the danger with a diving header.

But Stankovic, with the speed of thought and remarkable execution, volleyed into the empty net from just inside his own attacking half.

Wesley Sneijder had a half chance to double the lead in the eighth minute but he could only head over after Milito used some fancy footwork to free himself down the left.

And the Bundesliga outfit was on level terms after a quarter of an hour thanks to Joel Matip.

Inter failed to clear their lines from a corner and Matip scrambled home the equaliser after Kyriakos Papadopoulos had his header blocked.

Milito then had a penalty shout turned down and Samuel Eto'o had a goal correctly disallowed for offside in quick succession.

But Milito would get the goal to put the Italian giants back in front in the 34th minute.

Sneijder chipped a pass into Cambiasso, who headed back across goal for the unmarked Milito to easily tap in.

Their lead lasted only six minutes however as Schalke opened up the Inter defence to restore parity before the interval.

Edu was played behind but his initial shot was blocked by Andrea Ranocchia and then palmed away by Julio Cesar, but the Brazilian striker followed up to squeeze home at the second attempt.

Inter should have been ahead a minute into the second half when Cambiasso played another pinpoint pass through to Milito.

But despite taking an excellent first touch, the striker put his shot wide in a one-on-one with Neuer.

Instead, it was the visitors who went ahead courtesy of a goal from Raul.

Jefferson Farfan, who will miss the second-leg through suspension, fed the Spaniard through and he made no mistake in beating Cesar.

It was all the visitors from that point on as another swift move led to Jurado cutting a ball across the area, only for Ranocchia to turn the ball into his own net.

Cristian Chivu was given his marching orders in the 62nd minute before Edu completed his brace and the rout with a cracking left-foot strike from outside the area 15 minutes before the end.

 

[Gallego99]

Re: Arsenal, Spurs face tough tests

There is a contest for the dumbest footballer in EPL. I think Crouch will give Rooney a run for the money.

 

[Groove Armada]

 

[Groove Armada]

Champions League: Chelsea 0 Manchester United 1

7 April 2011

Wayne Rooney gave Manchester United a crucial 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Stamford Bridge.

Rooney scored in the 24th minute in West London in a fiery and entertaining encounter on Wednesday in which six players were booked.

The match ended in controversy when Ramires was brought down in the area by Patrice Evra in the last minute, but referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco waved away Chelsea's penalty claims.

Chelsea were furious about that decision but United will feel they were worthy of victory following a textbook performance against the old rivals.

United's stalwarts were the key to the victory, with Edwin van der Sar producing several fine saves, Ryan Giggs outstanding in midfield and Rio Ferdinand superb on his return from injury.

But it was Rooney who won the headlines with an all-action display, especially in the first half when he was almost unplayable.

He won the match with a slide-rule side-footed finish from an excellent Giggs cut-back and Chelsea - despite felling him with several thunderous tackles - couldn't handle the United number 10.

The home side did their best to get in the match, with Didier Drogba forcing van der Sar into an excellent save early on.

And they almost equalised on the stroke of half-time when Drogba set up Fernando Torres for a shot that hit the post before Frank Lampard's follow-up was cleared off the line by Patrice Evra.

After the break United defended superbly to keep out Carlo Ancelotti's men, van der Sar saving twice from Lampard and once from Ivanovic and Ramires.

But it was a stroke of luck that clinched a crucial advantage for the visitors going into the second leg at Old Trafford on April 12.

With 90 minutes on the clock Evra clearly brought down Ramires with a late high challenge, but got away with it.

Then all hell broke loose as Torres was booked for diving under challenge from Valencia, adding to Chelsea’s feeling of injustice.

But the Blues know they will have to do better at Old Trafford to avoid crashing out of the Champions League this season.

 

[Groove Armada]

Champions League: Barcelona 5 Shakhtar Donetsk 1

7 April 2011

Barcelona have one foot in UEFA Champions League semi-finals after a convincing 5-1 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

In front of a packed Nou Camp crowd, first-half strikes to Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves had the Catalan giants 2-0 up at half-time in the first leg of their quarter-final.

Gerard Pique added a third after the break and despite a response from Yaroslav Rakitskiy, late goals from Seydou Keita and Xavi ensured Barca would head to Ukraine with a huge buffer.

The Ukrainian side made a bright start to the match, with a neat move involving Jadson and Douglas Costa only breaking down when Luiz Adriano slipped at the pivotal moment.

But it did not take long for Pep Guaridola's side to respond to the early threat from the opposition, with Andres Iniesta opening the scoring inside the second minute.

Lionel Messi kick-started the move, his pass finding Iniesta, who made the most of a deflection before coolly slotting the ball past Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov with his right foot.

Shakhtar nearly hit straight back when Henrikh Mkhytarian found Luiz Adriano with a sublime ball, but the opportunity was wasted as the Brazilian could only poke the ball wide of the left hand post when presented with a one-on-one opportunity with Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Iniesta turned from scorer to provider on the half-hour mark after his ball over the top found Dani Alves, who had got past Razvan Rat and produced a clever first touch to take the ball wide of Pyatov before he prodded the ball into the unguarded net.

The result was put beyond doubt when Pique scored his side's third after 50 minutes, when a corner was cut back to the edge of the box and the defender produced a stylish finish, although he did have to thank Rakitskiy for a deflection.

Despite falling three goals behind, the visitors continued to press forward and grabbed a goal back when Rakitskiy beat Busquets to the ball and turned in a cross, but the goal was cancelled out just seconds later when Keita struck a 20-yard thunder-bolt after terrific build-up work from Messi.

The match petered out in the final 20 minutes, but there was still time for Barca to add another goal, with Alves producing two stepovers before centring for Xavi, who passed the ball into the back of the net for his side's fifth goal.

It was a convincing victory and highlighted Barcelona's brilliance, with Shakhtar facing a massive task to even make a game of the second leg, which will be played at the Donbass Arena on April 12.

 

[Dodomeki]

 

[Groove Armada]

Champions League preview: Shakhtar Donetsk v Barcelona

11 April 2011

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has promised not to take Tuesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg lightly.

Despite winning the first leg 5-1 against Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk, Guardiola is determined to prevent any surprise result with a double-header against Real Madrid on the horizon.

It's a sentiment echoed by Barcelona striker Pedro.

"Although we are defending a good result it will be tremendously difficult," Pedro said.

"There are 90 minutes and anything can happen. They have a great team. In the King's Cup we saw what happened against Real Betis (Barca won 5-0 at home and then lost 3-1 away)."

"We won't change our style. We'll go there to attack and to score goals."

The Ukrainians caused Barca problems in the opening minutes at the Nou Camp in the first leg when their speedy strikers unsettled the defence.

Maintaining their winning momentum will be important because on their return they face a potential La Liga title decider away to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

Four days after the 'clasico', they face Real Madrid again in the King's Cup final, and assuming Jose Mourinho's men suffer no slip ups away to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, the Spanish giants are likely to meet again in the Champions League semis.

Barca travel without the injured Carles Puyol, Eric Abidal and Bojan Krkic while Andres Iniesta is suspended.

Shakhtar suffered their first defeat at the new Dondass Arena on Saturday, losing 1-0 to FC Obolon.

Matters were made worse by a thigh injury to Croatian defender and team captain Dario Srna, who has been ruled out for two weeks, which leaves coach Mircea Lucescu with problems at the back.

Srna joins Olexandr Kucher and former Barca defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy on the injury list while Razvan Rat is suspended.

Lucescu may have to turn to the inexperienced Serhiy Kryvtsov to play in the centre of defence with Mykola Ishchenko, Vyacheslav Shevchuk or Vasyl Kobin, who are all short of match fitness.

 

[Groove Armada]

Champions League preview: Manchester United v Chelsea

11 April 2011

Chelsea face Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League quarter-final second leg, looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

The first leg saw Chelsea denied a clear-cut penalty that angered Blues supporters and players alike but they could hardly complain with the result given their players' performances.

Manchester United took a deserved aggregate lead through Wayne Rooney's first-half golf.

And given the circumstances that Chelsea are in, the game will serve as a 'final', according to summer signing Yossi Benayoun.

"Everyone knows - the manager, the players - that we are playing to save our season,'' the Israeli said.

Carlo Ancelotti believes an Old Trafford victory is not beyond the realms of possibility.

"We know it will be difficult to win there, but we have the confidence to do it. Last year we won at Old Trafford," the Chelsea boss said.

On Saturday, Chelsea were bailed out by Florent Malouda, who has endured a tough season, against Wigan, who they thrashed 6-0 earlier in the season.

But, in their favour, the Blues welcome back Alex and Benayoun from injury for the quarter-final clash.

The Red Devils, who enjoyed an easy win against 11th-placed Fulham on Saturday, have not lost a home tie in Europe in six years and have conceded only two goals in the competition this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has emphasised the importance of the fans' support to welcome the reigning English Premier League champions.

"Our biggest advantage is Old Trafford. The fans will be fantastic and there will be an electric atmosphere."

But with Chelsea likely to attack as it chases the tie, United will have to defend stoutly.

And Ferguson is confident his side has that area on the park figured out, especially with the return of injury-plagued Rio Ferdinand.

"The defence has done very well although that might have a lot to do with the way we have operated our midfield in Europe this season."

"We have a lot of experience of playing in Europe now, and knowing how to keep possession of the ball has helped. We've found a way of playing in Europe, and I think we have the right players for the job on Tuesday."

The winner of the all-English affair is likely to face Schalke, who hold a 5-2 advantage heading into the return leg against reigning champions Inter Milan, in the semi-finals.

 

[Groove Armada]

 

[Groove Armada]

Champions League: Manchester United 2 Chelsea 1

13 April 2011

Manchester United reached the Champions League semi-finals and kept their treble dream alive as they beat 10-man Chelsea 2-1 on Tuesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men progressed 3-1 on aggregate thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez and Ji-Sung Park in an irrepressible display at Old Trafford.

It was a terrible night for Chelsea, who scored through substitute Didier Drogba, but had Ramires sent off and saw their Champions league dream ended yet again.

United beat Chelsea in the final in Moscow in 2008 and this result was another famous victory for Ferguson?s side who are also top of the English Premier League and through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

In this tie they should have gone ahead after 26 minutes when Rooney?s excellent cross was turned home by Hernandez, only for the goal to be harshly ruled offside.

But they grabbed the all-important goal two minutes before half-time to take a 2-0 advantage in the tie.

It was a clever touch from Irishman John O?Shea that set Ryan Giggs free on the right side, and the veteran midfielder danced into the area before crossing low for the predatory Hernandez to stretch and slide home at the far post.

It was just desserts for United, who showed real energy and desire to get at the Chelsea defence with Rooney, Hernandez, Park and Nani all showing pace, energy and zip.

Chelsea, though, had started the stronger, surprising their hosts with a new ?christmas tree? formation that featured Fernando Torres up front on his own and Nicolas Anelka in a deep-lying creative role.

Anelka had the first real chance of the game, curling an effort just wide, and also went close with another shot from 20 yards. But the best opportunity fell to Frank Lampard early on when he side footed straight to van der Sar when well placed.

Chelsea lived to rue that miss as United took the advantage and by half-time Ancelotti had seen enough ? ruthlessly substituting Torres for Drogba at half-time.

The Ivorian quickly made a difference, seeing one shot fly narrowly wide and a free-kick saved by van der Sar. But Chelsea?s night was effectively over when Ramires, already booked in the first half, lost balance as he clattered into Nani and was sent off.

The decision was perhaps harsh but in many ways it had been coming - Chelsea thundering into a series of tough challenges that left the Old Trafford crowd irate. They simply couldn?t cope with the pace and trickery of Nani, Rooney and Hernandez.

Drogba did equalise after 76 minutes, turning superbly on a long pass from Michael Essien. But United replied within 60 seconds when Park drilled home a left-foot strike to clinch United a place in the last four and leave Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti under intense pressure.

 

[Groove Armada]

Champions League: Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Barcelona 1

13 April 2011

Barcelona booked their spot in the last four of the Champions League with a 1-0 quarter-final second-leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

A goal from Argentine superstar Lionel Messi two minutes from half-time was enough to hand Barca a win at Donbass Arena on Tuesday, lifting them to a 6-1 aggregate triumph over the Ukrainian champions after their 5-1 destruction at the Nou Camp last Wednesday.

The hosts started brightly and dominated the opening quarter of an hour as Barcelona missed the influence of the suspended Andres Iniesta in the middle of the park.

Dominance of possession should have led to the opener for the Ukrainian outfit in the eighth minute when Brazilian attacker Douglas Costa was played in behind the defence forcing Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes to produce a superb save in the one-on-one.

Valdes was called upon again six minutes later when Costa's countryman Jadson blasted a shot straight at the Spaniard, and the Brazilian had another fantastic chance in the 24th minute when a cross from Vasili Kobin came in from the right, but his shot was again straight at the goalkeeper

The visitors began to settle into the contest and Messi unleashed a fierce drive straight at Andriy Pyatov in the Shakhtar goal.

On the half-hour mark, Barcelona should have gone ahead with two glorious chances in as many minutes.

First, Adriano had his angled shot cleared off the line before Messi dribbled his way through the Shakhtar defence, striking a shot with the outside of his boot straight to Pyatov.

Iniesta's replacement Ibrahim Afellay struck a venomous shot at the Ukrainian shot-stopper before Messi finally broke the deadlock a minute later.

Dani Alves strode forward in characteristic fashion down the right before cutting back for Messi, who took two neat touches and placed smartly into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 on the night after 43 minutes.

The home side kept pushing before the break and Jadson forced Valdes to tip his goal-bound free-kick over the bar.

In the second-half, a dazzling run from Messi almost set up another for Barcelona just before the hour mark.

The Argentine wizard drew a player before offloading a neat pass to Afellay on the left hand side of the box, but Pyatov palmed his well-placed shot away.

Valdes produced a superb reflex save after 73 minutes to deny Henrik Mkhitaryan after a flowing move from Shakhtar, and with five minutes to play Mkhitaryan picked out substitute Marcelo Moreno with a great cross, but the striker's shot was just wide.

The win moves the 2009 European champions to the semi-final stage for the fourth successive season, where they will likely meet their fierce rivals Real Madrid, who lead Tottenham 4-0 heading into their second leg in London on Wednesday.

 

[Groove Armada]

Mourinho wants goals in London

13 April 2011

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho wants his team to attack in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg at Tottenham.

Despite entering Wednesday's clash at White Hart Lane with a four-goal lead, the Spaniards will not break from their naturally attacking game.

Even with a huge La Liga clash against Barcelona to come on the weekend, Mourinho said he would field his best team against Tottenham at their White Hart Lane home.

"I do not think five goals is enough for Tottenham to beat us because I think we are coming here to score goals," Mourinho said.

"We have got to look at this game and treat it with respect."

"The players need to be bright, they need to be intelligent (and) they need to be aware. They know what their own situation is."

"We have to respect the opponent. We know that there is quite a difference and score line but we still have a job to finish. We have to respect football as well and I'm going to pick the team which I think is the best team to get a result for Real Madrid ."

Opposing manager Harry Redknapp has admitted Tottenham will need a miracle to advance.

The Spurs boss stressed it was important for his team to remain steady at the back early on, and Mourinho said he understood the never-say-die attitude of English teams.

"They will try everything. If I put myself in Harry's position and imagine we lost 4-0 here and we go to Madrid for the second leg, I would not throw in the towel," Mourinho said.

"I would try everything with my players to try and start the miracle, but at the same time I do not think five goals is enough for Tottenham to beat us because I think we are coming here to score goals."