After 45 years, and with a brilliant performance of Diego Milito, Inter Milan won the UEFA Champions League for the third time.

The teacher faced the student; earlier this week Louis Van Gaal said “I aim to play well and win. Mourinho aims just to win”.

Bayern Munich played an overall better match, but that was not enough to overcome an organized Internazionale. The side coached by Jose Mourinho was solid on defense and effective in offense, they took advantage of the few chances they generated.
The real hero this season was Diego Milito, who could be headed for Real Madrid if Jose Mourinho is confirmed as the new coach. Milito scored the decisive goals to give his team the Copa Italia against Siena and the fifth Escudetto against Roma respectively.

This team once again displayed solidness in defense, it seems like Samuel and Lucio were born to play together. Maicon once again showed why he is one of the best wide backs in the world, if not the best. And after this match some are still questioning why Diego Maradona left Zanetti and Cambiasso out of the world cup squad.

Will Moratti be able to retain Mourinho? It seems like the size of the Santiago Bernabeu was not intimidating for the Portuguese who is to succeed Pellegrini. Along with his arrival it is expected he will take Milito and Maicon.
Congratulations to Inter !!!

Inter led by Diego Milito wins the UEFA Champions League

F.C. Barcelona has reached an agreement with Valencia on the transfer of the Spanish International David Villa. The 28 year old had been tempted by Real Madrid this past summer but no agreement was reached. The announcement will be made after the completion of La Liga and it will be the last signing of Joan Laporta as president of the Institution.

It was mentioned that the operation was sealed for 40 Million Euros, however, rumors state that Barcelona paid 30 Million Euros, plus Bojan Kric and Alexander Hleb.
The main reason behind this signing is that Ibrahimovic has not yet displayed the desired level, and Barca have not ruled out the opportunity of selling him (Manchester City made an inquire).

Barcelona opens the transfer market

Jose Mourinho seems to have the formula to win the UEFA Champions League, or at least make it to the finals. In 2004 he won the UCL with F.C. Porto, in 2003 he also won the UEFA cup (Europa League).

This year he will be part of another final, this time with Inter Milan facing Bayern Munich in the Santiago Bernabeu.

After the 3-1 defeat at San Siro (The Stadio Guiseppe Meazza), Barcelona needed a 2-0 victory at home to make it to the finals. Barca Tv aired a commercial in which players like Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Victor Valdes and Lionel Messi used the slogan “We will leave our skin behind in the field to reach the finals” to pump the crowd.

98,000 Blaugranas we present at the Nou Camp in what I called an anticipated final.
Lineups:

F.C. Barcelona: 1. Valdes; 2. Alves, 3. Pique, 18. Milito; 6. Xavi, 15. Keita, 16. Busquets, 24. Yaya Toure; 09. Ibrahimovic, 10. Messi, 17. Pedro.

Inter Milan: 12. Julio Cesar; 4. Zannetti, 6. Lucio, 25. Samuel, 13. Maicon; 26. Chivu, 8. Motta, 10. Sneijder, 19. Cambiasso; 9. Eto’o, 22. Milito

The most notable absents from this match are Carles Puyol, Pandev and Iniesta. The first one suspended, and the last two out with respective injuries.

Inter played a man short for nearly 60 minutes when midfielder Thiago Motta was red carded for an aggression against midfielder Sergio Busquets.

The side coached by Jose Mourinho sat deep and flooded the last line, a good tactical approach considering the 3-1 aggregate score. In the first half Barca did not trouble Inter; the clearest chance was a shot by Lionel Messi that Julio Cesar deflected.
Things changed in the second half; most of it was played on Inter’s defensive side. However players like Xavi, Messi and Pedro didn’t really challenge the goal defended by Julio Cesar, part of this goes to Walter Samuel, the Argentine International played a good match and showed stability in the back.

Barca missed a very clear chance when Bojan headed the ball wide uncontested. If the young forward had headed the ball straight instead of turning his head, the outcome would have been different.

When everyone’s hopes were almost vanished, Gerard Pique broke the deadlock and put Guardiola’s side 1 goal away from the finals; the goal was a true work of art. Pique received a clinical pass from Xavi, the Spain international trapped the ball and turned inside as he was being confronted by Ivan Cordoba and slipped the ball into the far post.

The 98,000 local crowd ratified their presence as the 12th man and pushed the team forward for the last 10 minutes in the match.

In the last minutes of the match Barcelona could have left with a victory. Yaya Toure trapped the ball and found Bojan on a scoring position; the canterano took this chance and put the ball in the back of the net. However, the referee denied the goal for an alleged handball, a clear mistake by the Belgian referee Frank de Bleeckere. The ball struck Toure on the belly, and even thou his hand was near there was no contact with it.

Inter reached a European final for the first time since 1972; Mourinho has a chance to win his second UCL and it could be a special final against one of his great tutors, Louis Van Gaal. Inter reached a dream final. And according to a previous statement by Jose, Barcelona’s hopes for a Bernabeu final was not a dream but an obsession.

Jose Mourinho ends Barcelona's Bernabeu's Final obsession

Champions League is the greatest club tournament in the world, but this semifinal matchup has more flavor than just these two sides.

This tie is a matchup between two teams from leagues that really want to send out the message that they, too, deserve the spotlight of the big boys.

Bayern and Lyon want to make the statement that the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 are the two most exciting leagues in the world right now. Forget the Premiership. Forget La Liga. Forget Serie A.  The Bundesliga and Ligue 1 have produced some incredible talent and have also found themselves in some intriguing race at both ends of the table.  Although Marseille have truly cleaned up that mess, that was far from that case about a month ago when Montpellier was in the thick of it.  From top to bottom these leagues have been competitive in both Champions League as well as Europa League; especially the Germans.

These are two of the more dangerous teams in Europe and no one is giving them credit for it. Or at least this is the way they are portraying Tuesday's match to be. For many, this tie is the undercard to the main event. To be honest, they are doing themselves a great injustice.

Bayern Munich, based on their form right now could beat Barcelona and Inter. Lyon, although the argument would be tougher to make, we could say that they would give either team a run for their money in a 90-minute encounter.  Scary would be putting lightly the form that Bayern have right now in Europe.  Arjen Robben is a player that should be considered for FIFA World Player of the Year.  He has finally shown the world what he can do when his temper is in check and when he can play within a team.

I think Florentino Pérez' decision to ditch him had something to do with this.  

Lyon will have to play better than they did against Real Madrid when they step onto the pitch at Stade Gerland. Claude Puel himself said that the team need to be "enterprising" if they plan to see themselves with a shot at heading back to the Santiago Bernabéu in a few weeks.

Lyon will be missing Jeremy Toulalan and that will be a mighty big blow if they expect to keep Arjen Robben and the boys off the scoreboard.   Franck Ribéry will be missed by the Bavarians, but there are other players offensively who have taken the baton from him throughout the season.

Lyon and Bayern is more than two teams facing off

It was Clubber Lang pounding on Rocky Balboa.  One of those nights when Barcelona fans and haters were waiting for the team to emerge and at least draw at the Giuseppe Meazza.  In the end it did not happen.   They were left black and blue- or should I say neroazzurri- after being beaten in all aspects of the game.  It was a beating that made Barca look human. It was one of those performances that people saw with awe as no one thought that Josep Guardiola's team could be dismantled the way they were.

Heads were being scratched and uncertainty reigned, but the wounds are licked and Barca are poised for their greatest challenge ever.

Sometimes defeats are what teach a person how to win. In Barca's case, they should have learned that those swoons that they usually have gone into the past few months will make them pay dearly against a team the caliber of Inter.  They also know that they will also have to outwork Inter in order to have a shot.

With all the talk going on in Catalunya regarding Wednesday night's clash against Inter, one arrives to the conclusion that this could be the moment that defines the Guardiola era at Barcelona.  There are no motivational clips or newspaper headlines that can prepare Barcelona for the most grueling 90 minutes they have ever faced.  This match against Inter will make last year's Stamford Bridge epic seem like a formality.

Just in plain numbers, this is the most daunting task that this team has had to face since its inception 20 months ago. Never had they seen themselves behind two goals in any situation. As mind boggling as it seems, Barcelona will have to learn probably their greatest lesson in their friendly confines at the Camp Nou.

Individually, Barcelona will have challenges.  Lionel Messi will again have to step up to the forefront, but the biggest challenge will be for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.  The big Swede will have to perform as this situation was the one that made Barca splash all that cash for him.  He will also be able to exorcise the ghost that is Samuel Eto'o once and for all with a great performance.   But God help him if  The Big Game Hunter upstages Zlatan on the stage that made him one of the best strikers in the world.

Inter are just as hungry for European success as they, too, are looking to do what no other Italian team has done- win the treble.   Inter comes in with one of the most solid defenses around.  With three of the most feared defenders in Lucio and Maicon and the best goalkeeper in the world right now in Julio Cesar, this team is a formidable wall.  It also makes it sick to realize that on the pitch we will have two-thirds of Brazil's defense if you include Dani Alves and possibly Maxwell.  But that is another topic we can delve during the next 44 days.

Inter was successful where Chelsea and Estudiantes failed. They were able to neutralize the vaunted Blaugrana attack, but at the same time pose a threat to Victor Valdés as well.  When I mean threaten, I am talking about come close to scoring as well as putting the ball in the net on multiple occasions.

Part of the Barcelona faith have a blind confidence towards this team. This is something that has never been a part of the culé culture. For decades, they were always pessimistic at what the future had in store. Pessimism was always part of Barcelona lore, but it seems like that is in the past.

If Barcelona do pull this comeback off, they will once again head to the finals shorthanded.  Do not expect players like Gerard Piqué, Seydou Keita, and Sergio Busquets to not get booked.  At least one of these players might not be available for the final at the Santiago Bernabéu.

One thing is for sure, this Barca team is not the same as last year's, but they are not a team that should have noses thumbed at.  There are certain intangibles that this team does not have.  At the same time, this team does have that tremendous bull's eye on their back week in and week out.  Personally, I always tend to count them out. Yet time after time they come back and prove me wrong. They don't prove me wrong with just a win- but an epic win. Every time I have counted them out, they always add a chapter to their lore. Why can't it happen? Why won't it happen?

For Mourinho they want Barca to continue to be the team that dictates which teams go to the final.  Since 1992, Barcelona have faced a finalist in the Champions League a grand total     This is why he will try to shut the Barca supporters up quickly by going on the attack in the beginning of the match.  If they get the goal, great.  If not, his team has all the tools to resist a complete Barcelona onslaught.  Inter are ahead 3-1, but "all" Barca need is to win once again 2-0.  Easier said than done.  Because there is nothing motivates Jose Mourinho more than 100,000 Catalans referring to him as a "translator".  That is when he is at his best.


Teams to face Barcelona en route to finals
1991-92 Sampdoria-x
1993-94  AC Milan-x
1998-99 Manchester United/Bayern Munich
2001-02 Real Madrid
2002-03 Juventus
2004-05 AC Milan
2005-06 Arsenal-x
2006-07 Liverpool
2007-08 Manchester United
2008-09 Manchester United-x
2009-10 Inter/ Lyon-y/Bayern Munich-y

x- faced in finals
y- other semifinalists

Pep Team's greatest challenge?

If one were to say to us that Barcelona would have well over two-thirds possession against and outshot Inter at the San Siro, it was safe to say that they were just a formality away from heading to Madrid. Barcelona woud then suffer the biggest defeat of the Guardiola era at the hands of Inter 3-1.

The match on Tuesday was exactly that as Barcelona appeared for the first 20 minutes and seemed lost after Pedro's goal. Jose Mourinho perfected what Mauricio Pochettino did at the weekend as he was able shut the Barcelona breakout and were effective on the attack.   Their opportunities were quality and they cashed in on mistakes.

Barca lost the big matchup

The problem became the midfield that was virtually non-existent. Xavi looked limited on both ends. He was by himself on the breakouts while he had to switch over towards Sergi Busquets to help him on the mark. This allowed Wesley Sneijder to be wide open. This was how Barca were scored on in the 30th minute when Samuel Eto'o passed the ball to Diego Milito and he would find Sneijder all alone.

Sergio Busquets spent his time fighting more than playing and was one of the five blaugrana that saw yellow.   Xavi was unable to distribute and Inter challenged Seydou Keita to perform that function.  One thing was for sure, Andrés Iniesta was missed big time.

Sneijder, Thiago Motta, and Goran Pandev, and Dejan Stankovic were absolute workmen in the midfield.  They outworked, outhustled and were outprepared Barcelona.

These players were able to layer Lionel Messi and render him ineffective during the 90 minutes.

Pandev started the breakout that led to the go-ahead goal  as he found Milito and Maicon would fly in down the middle and coolly beat Victor Valdés.

Big game hunter? 
Samuel Eto'o put his hunger for glory behind him in an effort to win.  His role was more inclined to clean the area and give room to Milito in the middle.  He did help out in the first and third goal as he was the player that put the ball in the box for Sneijder and Milito's goal.

The gamble that didn't pay off
Pep Guardiola is known for being ballsy in his changes, but he was absolutely wrong in changing Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Éric Abidal.  Barca lost their presence in the box and that helped Inter close in the ranks and tighten up spaces in the middle.

Guardiola also did not use his two remaining substitutions to bring in either Thierry Henry or Bojan Krkic.  Instead the biggest offensive threat in the final stages of the match was Gerard Piqué.  He pushed up and was almost playing at the nine spot left vacant by Ibra.

Man of the match
It would be the right thing to give it to the entire Inter side.  But the player that truly made an impact on the game was Goran Pandev.  His inlcusion in the starting XI gave another dimension to Inter.  Although he did not play the entire match (Dejan Stankovic came in for him) Pandev gave Inter the balance they needed.  Obviously he was key in the marking of Messi and breaking out on the attack.

"Pandev was the difference maker. He brought intelligence and order to our game today."-Samuel Eto'o

Now Barca face the adversity that they have never experienced in the Guardiola era.  Down two goals and heading home isn't a scenario facing them in this recent stretch of success.  So now with Carles Puyol out, they will have to play one of those epic matches that have made this team what it is.

No excuses.  Not the bus ride.  Not the volcano.  Nothing.  Barca did not perform and that is it.

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Inter outwork somniferous Barcelona at San Siro

This team never ceases to amaze me. When they are doubted the most, they come up the greatest.

It seems like a lesson I never learn. Despite all the odds not being in favor of the Blaugrana, they still stepped on to the pitch and defeated Arsenal 4-1 at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night.

People talked about the Wolfgang Stark Factor prior to the game. They talked about Barca missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gerard Piqué, and Carles Puyol; but the one factor that no one thought would make THAT much of a difference.  The difference-making factor was as subtle as a Flea in the room.

Pep Guardiola rubbed his magic bottle of Messi-dependency and what he got was a can of whoop ass as the Gunners were outgunned by the Argentine international.

From the third minute of the match Messi shot on Manuel Almunia's goal and was the only true option on offense.

After Nicklas Bendtner scored the first goal of the match on the counter, Arsenal knew that they had a chance at making history in Catalunya were rekindled; but were quickly extinguished in the 20th minute when Messi scored the first of his four goals.

Messi recovered the rebound on the top of the box and hooked it to the right as Almunia must have thought that he was going the other way and was beat equalizing the affair.

The second goal came in the 37th minute when Éric Abidal's cross was deflected in the box.  Pedro recovers the ball and dishes it off to a dashing Messi in the box, and finishing the play making it 2-1 for the Blaugrana.  One detail, Messi started that play.

Barcelona remained faithful to their usual style and monopolized the ball with a whopping 69% over Arsenal and had Messi was not only the finisher, but he was the link between Xavi and any threat in the Arsenal defensive third and the question mark of having Diego Milito (who was solid today) and Rafa Márquez in the back.

The hat-trick would be sealed just five minutes later when Abidal heads the ball to Messi and he rushed to the goal; chipping the ball over Almunia for the 3-1 score going into the dressing room.

The second half, Barcelona slowed the pace down, although they did have some sporadic threats.  Pedro found himself on a one-on-one with Almunia and the teardrop that he placed over the Arsenal goalkeeper, but the ball went wide.

Arsenal had some opportunities in the second half, including a header from Nicklas Bendtner that hit the woodwork despite being offside.  In the 86th minute Messi would show that he was not satisfied with just a hat-trick and became the sixth player in history to score a poker (that's four goals) in Champions League history- the first to ever do it in the quarterfinals.

This epic performance puts Barca in the semis for a third consecutive year and a step closer to the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabéu.  Their next obstacle is none other than Inter, who defeated CSKA Moscow 1-0 at Luzhniki Stadium, and advanced on a 2-0 aggregate.   This will be the anticipated rematch for Jose Mourinho as well as for former Blaugrana Samuel Eto'o.

"We lost the game to the best player in the world. For me, Messi is the best player by a distance,"hailed Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger after the match.   '"On the run, he is just unstoppable.  He's the only player that can change direction at such a pace and still be a threat."

In Spain, El Clásico will be now front and center as Barcelona will have their team ready to go for the most part. If there was a dose of bad news, it was the Abidal came out of the match reinjured and will miss El Clásico against Real Madrid.

For Barcelona, they are now 12 wins away from a historic treble-double.

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Messi...Do I need to say anything else?

Ivica Olic and Franck Ribéry celebrate after Bayern Munich scored the game-winner against Manchester United (AP)

It was 1999, in reverse at the Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich as well as Louis van Gaal were able to mildly avenge their losses to Manchester United 11 years ago. Remember, Van Gaal was the coach of Barcelona that same year and the Red Devils eliminated the Blaugrana en route to their second European title.

In the first minute, Manchester United once again proved to everyone why they are a team that will never forgive their opponents' mistakes.

The masked man, Martín De Michelis slipped and Wayne Rooney scored his 34th goal of the season tapping a volley past Hans-Jörg Butt to open the scoring after only 84 seconds.

From that point on Alex Ferguson went to their 4-4-1-1 and allowed Bayern Munich to battle back in the match.

They took advantage of the spaces that the English champs allowed them. The Bavarian giants took the game to Manchester and kept going after the first goal that would give them some life once again.

An organized backline along with an inspired Edwin van der Sar helped United's road goal seem almost insurmountable until Franck Ribéry's freekick in the 77th minute that deflected off of Wayne Rooney's foot and into the back of the net.

In the end, the team that worked harder ended up winning and Ivica Olic's goal in the 92nd minute was a tribute to that persistent attitude. After what seemed to be another subdued attack and the match looked to end up being a draw; the Croatian international dashed into the box and took the ball away from Patrice Evra. He would coldly beat van der Sar for the eventual game-winner.

To make matters worse for Sir Alex, Wayne Rooney would injure his ankle and air raid sirens sounded all over English football as this injury could end up being the most talked about in the British Isles since David Beckham broke his foot back in 2002.

Meanwhile the two best teams of the past three years in France faced off and the match at the Stade Gerland lived up to the hype.

Lyon take foothold in French encounter
Meanwhile Lyon and Bordeaux would duke it out in order to become the first team since Monaco to reach the Champions League semifinals.

Lisandro López and Michel Bastos gave Diego Maradona and Dunga more of a headache after his performance in Lyon's 3-1 win over Bordeaux. The former Racing man scored a brace and was a man in the box constantly being a threat to Cédric Carrasso's goal.

Marouane Chamakh equalized in the 14th minute when he headed home a beautiful cross past Hugo Lloris, who would become one of the stars of the match as he made spectacular save after spectacular save in order to keep "The Kids" in the game.

This was not the case for Bordeaux's defense, who let them down with very basic mistakes. Case and point, in the 32nd minute Brazilian international Michel Bastos would take advantage of a misplayed ball by Benoit Trémoulinas and he would drill the ball to Carrasso's back post for the eventual game-winner.

Lisandro would make it 3-1 on a penalty kick. They would now take this advantage to Stade Chaban Delmas and play try to reach the semis of Europe's most important club competition for the first time ever.

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Champions League goes from 1999 to 2004

The UEFA Champions League draw for the Quarterfinals took place this friday, in Switzerland. And Oh boy do we have some good matches ahead.

QUARTERFINALS:
Lyon v Bordeaux
Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Arsenal v F.C. Barcelona
Inter Milan v. CSKA Moscow

SEMIFINALS
Bayern Munich v Manchester United winner vs. Lyon v Bordeaux winner
Inter Milan v. CSKA Moscow winner vs. Arsenal v F.C. Barcelona winner

The home team in the finals will either be Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Lyon or Bordeaux.

The match will be played on May 22nd in the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

UEFA Champions League Draw

Bordeaux had to suffer in order to get past Greek side Olympiakos, but Marouane Chamakh saved the day for the French for the 2-1 win, 3-2 in the aggregate.

Laurent Blanc's side was able to come away with a win that put French football in good standing within Europe as they, along with Lyon advanced. This is the first time since 2004 that this occurs.

The home side was solid as usual, but things seemed to be in their favor when Yoann Gourcuff opened the scoring in the fifth minute.

Bordeaux advance to quarters in dramatic fashion

Lio Messi celebrates after scoring against Stuttgart (AP Photo)

Barcelona took last week's elimination of Real Madrid as a lesson that had to be learned. Like good students, the Blaugrana Ballet studied and absorbed the information and aced this test like many others in the recent past.

During the week, Josep Guardiola praised his opponent and offered caution. He told the Catalan media that if they did not focus on the task at hand Stuttgart could eliminate them.

Although they respected the Germans off the pitch, Barca steamrolled over them; beating them 4-0 at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

Barca came into the game with every intention of being offensive and Stuttgart had no answers for that blaugrana. What was most frustrating for the Germans was the fact that the home side were perfectly set up on defense, making goalkeeper Victor Valdés virtually a spectator.

The night was frustrating especially for Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. He was the only player that truly kept the close. His saves and ability to cut off angles prevented the match being a historic slaughter.

Messi's first goal in the 13th minute was vintage. He ran three past defenders and found the space right outside the Stuttgart box and unleashed a shot that curled over the Lehmann's outstretched arms. A few minutes later, would find Yaya Touré on the left and the triangulation would find Pedro in the box to double the culé lead.

Barcelona would then extend their lead after Pedro would break towards goal. He found Dani Alves who first-time heal passed the ball to Lio Messi who would nail the ball past Jens Lehmann.

Bojan Krkic would make it 4-0 a few minutes after he came in and would take a Zlatan Ibrahimovic pass and slot the ball past Lehmann.

The Barcelona performance was one of those that not one player played poorly. It was one of those epic performance that they have accustomed us to when they have to show up.

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Barca apply lessons learned against Stuttgart

While gathering opinions from sources I came across a quote that summed it all up.

"The greatest group of players on earth were beat by a better team on this evening."

I tried to find where that came from, but I failed to find it; but it described what occured at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night.

Reverse psychology and Madrid believed the hype
The team as well as the local media bought the words that Chelo Delgado and a host of others said about Real Madrid in the days leading up to the match. Claude Puel's Boys played the role of sheep in wolves clothing as they complimented Real Madrid for their lineup, their history, and their scary scoring proposition.

The usual suspects, Marca and As, were leading running into battle with the white flag not realizing that Lyon came in with one simple concept: don't fix what's broken.

If this strategy worked against a fully loaded Madrid side at the Stade Gerland, why wouldn't if work for them on the road where the 12th man and the ghost of Juanito usually betrays a group of players.

They believed the hype
I am proponent of La Liga, but I can also find the defects that it has as well. If there is one thing that teams 3-20 have in common is that they allow Barca and Madrid the room to roam. These types of teams are deadly in reduced space, forget about when they have acres to jaunt.

The six-spot that they put on Villarreal and the epic rally against Sevilla are tarnished now that they are out of the Champions League. They do have a value in the overall scheme of things, they are in first place but that is not their primary objective- until referee Nicola Rizzoli blew the final whistle.

It is easy to bully the teams in your league, but how do you fair against the big boys in Europe? That is the biggest failure of the Madrid era.

Great teams don't play for results they play to win. This club was nowhere close to being that battling side that was on the pitch on Saturday against Sevilla during those final 30 minutes. Real Madrid looked to find a result and got burned in the end.

Great teams are also aware that there is dirty work that needs to be done. Real Madrid didn't do that. César Delgado was key in the Lyon goal as he took up the central defenders in the marks and had the ball bounce off of him perfectly to Miralem Pjanic and that leads to the next topic.

Defense wins titles
When Florentino Pérez brought in Raúl Albiol he showed that he learned from his first administration. But just like Fabio Cannavaro and Walter Samuel, the personnel following through on their respective assignments are what make a defender great, too. Real Madrid's defense has shown gross breaches in their assignments and they have led to goals. They have shown that they are vulnerable, but the offense has been so explosive this season that it has masked those shortcomings.

On Wednesday, Lyon's backline outplayed their Spanish counterparts. With the exception of Guti's assist to Cristiano Ronaldo, Lyon defenders were always found in the right place at the right time. There was no way Cris would catch Ronaldo in a foot race and the Portuguese star slotted the ball right in the five-hole.

With the exception of some early threats, that was all Madrid got.

They handcuffed Guti in their defensive third and forced Ronaldo to go wide. Kaká was put in a position where he had to dish off (mostly backwards) to a teammate. They pushed up when they had to and neutralized Sergio Ramos and Ronaldo in the air.

The Madrid backline was suspect at best and Ezequiel Garay was caught in the most compromising positions a defender can be in:

Garay lost Pjanic at the top of the box when César Delgado put the ball in the box to Lisandro López. He then went to defend López thinking he would hold the ball to turn around and shoot, thus allowing the Bosnian teenager to cleanly receive the one-time pass and shoot on goal. It does sound like a condemnation of the young Argentine, but the defense as a whole did not collapse on this and act as a unit. Garay just happened to be the one that looked bad on that play. Defense wins championships. Defense loses them, too.

After that Real Madrid did little and nothing to affect Hugo Lloris. Lyon did waste two incredible counterattacks to ice the game late. Delgado blasted a one-on-one with Iker Casillas wide. That second goal would have sent the already angry Merengue faithful storming out of the stadium.

The Verdict?
First of all, you have to applaud Lyon for their effort on the pitch throughout the 180 minutes. It was a team effort in every sense of the word and it taught the "ultimate team" a huge lesson in the process.

As far as Real Madrid, for the short term there will repercussions as there should be. There are 260 million reasons why Madrid fans should be angry. They did not joyfully spend that type of money in order to win the league title. There is that and the fact that their archrivals have cast a shadow that can only be dispelled by equaling the feat. But they will do it only one way- together.

Whether they do it next year or not is another story, but there is a great deal of talent. Yet the greatest lesson that was learned on this evening as the best talent out there was truly beat by a better team, whether paper says it or not.

Lyon end Madrid Bernabéu final

2009-2010 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – GROUP STAGE

Everyone was so engulfed in all the drama going on in the World Cup qualifiers that without even knowing it the start of the 2009-2010 UEFA Champions League surprisingly crept up on us. It’s only match day one of the group stage and there’s a lot to cover already. Cristiano Ronaldo made his Champions League debut with Real Madrid by scoring two goals. Chelsea got three big points at home. Juventus suffered a disappointing draw against French champion Girondins Bordeux while Bayern Munich had no problems on the road against Macabbi Haifa. AC Milan and Pipo Inzaghi once again proved that Rossoneri should never be left out when it comes to Champions League candidates. Atletico Madrid’s early season woes continue. German champs Wolfsburg were victorious at home, showing that they could be the dark horse in this season’s Champions League.

On Wednesday, Liverpool and Lyon squeezed out 1-0 wins at home against Debreceni and Fiorentina respectively. Inter & Barca drew 0-0 in Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return to the San Siro while Dynamo Kiev moved to the top of the group. Stuttgart drew at home against Scottish champs Rangers as Sevila dominated Romanian side Unirea. Olympiacos secured 3 points against Dutch champs AZ and Arsenal showed heart in coming back from 2 goals down to beat Standard Liege 3-2 on the road.

Below are Matchday 1 results. Check out our website for more Champions League information and tune into the next Mad About Futbol podcast as we will analyze what went on in the most coveted international club competition in Europe.


GROUP A

Juventus 1-1 Bordeaux
Iaquinta (JUV) 65
Plasil (BOR) 75

Maccabi Haifa 0-3 Bayern Munich
Van Buyten 64, Muller 85, 88


GROUP B

Wolfsburg 3-1 CSKA Moscow
Grafite (WOL) 36, 41
Dzagoev (CSKA) 76
Grafite (WOL) 87

Besiktas 0-1 Manchester United
Scholes 77


GROUP C

FC Zurich 2-5 Real Madrid
Ronaldo (RM) 27
Raul (RM) 34
Higuaín (RM) 46
Margairaz (ZU) 64
Aegerter (ZU) 65
Ronaldo (RM) 89
Guti (RM) 94

O. Marseille 1-2 AC Milan
Inzaghi (MIL) 28
Heinze (OM) 49
Inzaghi (MIL) 74


GROUP D

Chelsea 1-0 Porto
Anelka 48

Atletico Madrid 0-0 APOEL

GROUP E

Liverpool 1-0 Debreceni VSC
Dirk Kuyt 45+1

O. Lyonnais 1 - 0 Fiorentina
Pjanić 76

GROUP F

Inter Milan 0-0 Barcelona

Dynamo Kiev 3-1 Rubin Kazan
Alejandro Dominguez (RUB) 25
Atanda Ayila Yussuf (DYN) 71
Gerson Magrão (DYN) 79
Oleg Gusev (DYN) 85

GROUP G

VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Rangers
Pavel Pogrebniak (STU) 17
Madjid Bougherra (RAN) 76

Sevilla 2-0 Unirea Urziceni
Luis Fabiano 45, Renato 70

GROUP H

Olympiacos 1-0 AZ Alkmaar
Vassillis Torosidis 79

Standard Liège 2-3 Arsenal FC
Eliaquim Mangala (STL) 2
Milan Jovanovic (STL) pen 5
Nicklas Bendtner (ARS) 45
Thomas Vermaelen (ARS) 79
Eduardo (ARS) 82

2009-2010 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

In this edition of the Mad About Futbol Show...

"The Tapper" Richard Farley is introduced officially as the newest member of the MAF team. We talk about the first round of Argentina as well as the latest goings-on with the Albiceleste as they prepare for the titanic clash against Brazil in Rosario. We also learn that he is able to multitask while doing a show as some girl was yelling in the room. He is the first person in the world that can do THAT and think about soccer at the same time.

We also find out about California Klingy... at first we thought it was a disease of the posterior netherregion, but Johnathan Starling taught it was the weight jettisoned by Bayern Munich last year.

He was also on board along with Kevin Walker to talk about the Champions League draw as well as other topics such as hooliganism and World Cup bids.

We were also able to have Kartik Krishnaiyer on to talk to us about the incredible week that has transpired in both USL and Miami FC as well as other pertinent issues that have emerged locally.

Click here to listen- Seg.1

Click here to listen- Seg.2

Click here to listen- Seg. 3

Click here to listen- Seg. 4


Special thanks to DJ Gino Fuentes over at The Dirty Funk'n Show on Miami Beatz

MAF Show 19

The guys will talk about the Champions League draw. They will also preview the European Supercup as well as recap opening week in Argentina and Serie A.

In our Miami segment, we will talk about the week that has been at Miami FC as well as other local topics of relevance.

Join us as guest Kartik Krishnaiyer, newbie Richard Farley, and a host of others come on to talk and do what they do best on the Mad About Futbol Show.

This Week On The Mad About Futbol Show

Club Deportivo Marathon and Real Club Deportivo España are the two representatives for Honduras at the CONCACAF Champions League. After winning their first group matches at home last week, both teams look for another solid step in their race for next round in the competition.

Tonight, Marathon receives the visit of San Juan Jobloteh from Trinidad & Tobago in the same stadium where the Honduran national team will match up against Trinidad for the 2010 World Cup qualifier on September 5th, the Olympic Metropolitan Stadium of San Pedro Sula. Marathon must stand up to its impressive record in this competition, having won 7 of 11 games, tied 2 and lost only 2. At home, Marathon has only lost 1 game of 5 since last season (0-1 against PR Islanders).

On the other side of town, Real España prepares itself for the second match in this competition. Arguably one of the most consistent teams in the country since 2007, Real España must take advantage of its home condition against Mexico's Pumas de la UNAM, who have lost 5 games in a row in their local league. Curiously enough, both visiting teams are direct rivals of the Honduran National Team for the WC qualifier. More than likely, Real España will count with the presence of its striker and national team star Carlos Pavón for tomorrow's match.

Match: CD Marathon (HON) vs San Juan Jabloteh (T&T)
Date: August 26, 2009
Kick off time: 8.00 pm (10.00 pm ET)
Venue: San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Stadium: Olympic Metropolitan Stadium

Match: RCD España (HON) vs Pumas (MEX)
Date: August 27, 2009
Kick off time: 8.00 pm (10.00 pm ET)
Venue: San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Stadium: Olympic Metropolitan Stadium

CONCACAF Champions League Focus: Honduras

June signifies the end of the busiest part of the football season, we at Mad About Fútbol would like to salute & list some of the newly crowned champions from recently ended tournaments. Congratulations to you that support these great clubs.

DOMESTIC LEAGUES

FRENCH LIGUE 1
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux

ENGLAND PREMIERSHIP
Manchester United Football Club

ITALIAN SERIE A
Football Club Internazionale Milano

SPANISH LA LIGA
Futbol Club Barcelona

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH

DUTCH EREDIVISIE
Alkmaar Zaanstreek

SCOTLAND PREMIER LEAGUE
Rangers Football Club

PORTUGUESE LIGA
Futebol Clube do Porto

TURKISH SUPER LIG
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü

GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
Olympiacos F.C.

MEXICAN TORNEO CLAUSURA
Club Universidad Nacional Pumas

INTERNATIONAL CLUB TOURNAMENTS

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Futbol Club Barcelona (ESP)

UEFA CUP
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

UEFA SUPER CUP
Football Club Zenit Saint Petersburg (RUS)

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Atlante Fútbol Club (MEX)

CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Al-Ahly Sporting Club (EGY)

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Gamba Osaka (JPN)

COPA LIBERTADORES
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito (ECU)

COPA SUDAMERICANA
Sport Club Internacional (BRA)

RECOPA SUDAMERICANA
Club Atlético Boca Juniors (ARG)

FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
Manchester United Football Club (ENG)

While the summer isnt the busiest time of the footballing calendar its still loaded with action from MLS, Brazilian Championship, World Cup Qualifiers, Copa Libertadores, Confederations Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup and some exciting local tournaments from some of the lesser known footballing nations. Keep logging on to Mad About Fútbol to get latest info.

Roll Call Of Champions: 2008-09

The 2008-09 UEFA Champions League Final features the matchup everyone wanted to see:

Futbol Club Barcelona (ESP) vs. Manchester United Football Club (ENG)

After months of matches and controversy the Champions League final has arrived. Its Spain vs. England, La Liga vs. Premiership, and Champion vs. Champion. Stadio Olimpico in Roma, Italy will be host to the most anticipated UCL Final in a long time. Let's breakdown the game with its key components that should make this match compelling.

Goalkeepers:
Barcelona's Victor Valdes is a much better athlete that Man U's Edwin Van Der Sar, however the Barca stopper is prone to mindless errors and with a depleted and makeshift backline Valdes will have to be flawless. Van Der Sar is solid but not spectacular while Valdes has made some massive saves this season.
Edge: Futbol Club Barcelona

Defensive Backline:
Manchester United's backline has been solid but they were exposed a bit by Porto's attack in the 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in 1st leg of their quarterfinal tie. However Man U's likely backline of Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, and O'Shea is more reliable than the makeshift backline that Pep Guardiola will have to put together for the final due to the absence of Eric Abidal & Dani Alves.
Edge: Manchester United Football Club

Midfield:
Manchester United has little midfield shuffling to do compared to Barcelona. The Blaugrana will probably start Sergi Busquets in the middle with Xavi & Andres Iniesta in their normal spots. Sergi's presence in that spot is due to the possibility of regular midfielders Seydou Keita & Yaya Toure playing in Barca's backline. Man U will be without Darren Fletcher for the final but his absence could mean that Ryan Giggs could possibly be in the starting 11. If that's the case its a huge boost for The Red Devils.
Edge: Manchester United Football Club

Attack:
Barcelona has the best attack in the world. The trio of Messi, Eto'o, Henry with the sharp passing & play of Barcelona MVP Andres Iniesta is the most devastating the footballing world has seen in a long time. Cristiano Ronaldo, Tevez, and Rooney are excellent but they don't scare defenses to the level that Barca's does. Man U's backline has not seen an attack like Barca's all season.
Edge: Futbol Club Barcelona

Coaching:
Sir Alex Ferguson vs. Josep Guardiola. Old vs. New. SAF has been a manager for 35 years, JG for 1. This is Sir Alex's 3rd UCL Final and this is Guardiola's 1st. So you think that Man U's iconic coach would have a massive edge but Guardiola has proven to be brilliant this season. The Catalan coach has managed to put his team in a position for a never been done treble for a Spanish club despite injuries and pressure. The coaching chess match is one of the great storylines of this final but Sir Alex is an all-time great and you can never discount an all-time great.
Edge: Manchester United Football Club

History:
Manchester United and Barcelona have faced each other nine times in European competitions: three times in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and six times in the Champions League. Of those nine matches, Manchester United have three wins to Barcelona's two, with four matches ending in draws. Manchester United are 3-0 in European Champions Clubs' Cup/Champions League Finals while Barcelona is 2-3 in Finals of the same competition.
Edge: Manchester United Football Club

Prediction:
3 is the magic number. If both sides score more than 3 goals advantage Barca, if both sides score less than 3 goals advantage Man U. Barcelona's style of play is to dominate possession add that to their speed advantage in attack and Man U's backline will be in for a rough night. Man U's midfield will have to defend more than they have had to all season so The Red Devils will have to be precise on the counter. All indications from both sides are that they will both press and go after goal and that favors Blaugrana.
Futbol Club Barcelona 3 - 2 Manchester United Football Club

Probable Lineups:
Barcelona (4-3-3) - DT: Josep Guardiola
GK: Victor Valdes
Defense: LB - Seydou Keita, CB - Pique, Yaya Toure, RB - Puyol
Midfield: RCM - Xavi, CM - Sergi Busquets, LCM - Iniesta
Attack: RS - Messi, ST - Eto'o, LS - Henry

Manchester United (4-4-2) - DT: Alex Ferguson
GK: Van Der Sar
Defense: RB - Evra, CB - Vidic, Ferdinand, LB - O'Shea
Midfield: RM - Park, CM - Carrick, Anderson, LM - Giggs
Forwards: RF - C. Ronaldo, LF - Rooney

2008-09 Champions League Final Preview

FC Barcelona's journey to the Champions League final has been a long and unusual one. After last year's fourth-placed finish in La Liga, Pep Guardiola took over a side that needed to play it's way into Europe against a club few outside of Poland had ever heard of. (For those who care, Wisla Krakov is on the verge of successfully defending it's Ekstraklasa title.) When Barça lost the second leg of their third round qualifying tie with Wisla, the Spanish media shrugged. After all, the 4-0 win in the first leg had practically clinched a spot in the group stage. When Barça lost it's next game - La Liga's season opener at Numancia - the Spanish media gasped.

Was Pep Guardiola too green? Did he have the knowledge to lead a club of Barcelona's stature? The answer to those questions carried an exclamation point the size of the Camp Nou, as Guardiola orchestrated what is now set up to be Barcelona's greatest single season ever. Only the defending European champions stand between Barça and a first-ever treble. It's the Champions League final that neutrals are salivating over. A record-setting and stubbornly offensive Barça against a dominant and evenly-balanced Manchester United.

Even without it's two starting full-backs, I like Barcelona's chances in Rome. Assuming that Iniesta will be fit (and it appears that both he and Henry will be) Barcelona will have three of the final's best four players on its side: Messi, Iniesta and Xavi make the Clockwork Blaugrana tick. Xavi's vision, Iniesta's pace, and Messi's combination of the two can carve up any defense in the world. Even an English one. The play of that home-grown trio is directly responsible for Henry's resurrection and Eto'o's bid to win the Pichichi. It's because of them that Barça has more goals and assists than any team in the Champions League, including United.

Sir Alex Ferguson will have an impressive attacking trident regardless of what combination of Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez he opts for. But it will inevitably be a notch below the prolific trio of Messi, Eto'o and Henry, who combined for 94 goals in all competitions this season, including 16 in 12 champions league games since the group stage. That accounts for just over half of Barça’s tournament-leading 30 Champions League goals, an average of 2.5 per game, and the highest scoring clip en route to the final since United's 1998-99 treble-winning season. Having already secured the Copa del Rey and La Liga titles, Barça will hope the parallels with United '99 will not end there.

The midfield battle should also go to the Catalan side, even if Toure Yaya is dropped into the center-back slot once again. With Fletcher suspended for the final, Ferguson will choose some combination of Anderson, Giggs, Carrick and Park. That’s a decent stable, but lacks the disruptive force to break up the quick passing prowess of Iniesta and Xavi that has become the staple of success for both Barça and the Spanish national team. If United cannot win possession in midfield, they’ll be reduced to bottling it up at the back a la Chelsea. While that tactic has frustrated Barcelona in the past, Iniesta proved it can be a dangerous proposition.

The defense will be United’s greatest strength. With Rio Ferdinand expected to be fit by match day, the Ferdinand-Vidic tandem is as good as any in the world. Patrice Evra is among the planet’s best full-backs and Irish veteran John O’Shea will be trusted to man the opposite flank. Guardiola will have a puzzle to build at the back, with Dani Alves and Abidal suspended for the final. But the rookie coach will be able to count on his two best defenders: Puyol and Pique. ‘Piquenbauer’ has emerged as a legitimate anchor and this final against his former club seems tailor made for him. That means Puyol can cover for Dani Alves on the right flank. Toure Yaya proved he has the strength, touch and technique to fill in at center-back. And Sylvinho would appears to be the logical choice at left-back, where he’ll have the unenviable task of containing Ronaldo.

The makeshift backline will seem inviting for United. As such, I expect Ferguson to attack, making for an attractive and open Champions League final. Just the sort of game that favors Barcelona.

Andrés Cordero is the host of Gol TV News and is a frequent contributor to the Barcelona Supporter's Group- Miami site.

Barca Will Come Out On Top

It's been a long season, but they always are. This Sunday was the last in the BPL season where Manchester United retained their crown as champions. Yes there was competition, no we did not run away with the league. Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal they all had a chance but didn't take their chances when the opportunities arouse. Taking their chances, that is among others one thing that Manchester United does time and time again. When it comes to the Champions League we haven't always taken our chances but lately we have been spot on. Not since the 1989-1990 season has a team retained their Champions League title in consecutive years and not since the inception of the Champions League in 1992 from the European Champion Clubs' Cup has it been done. The task is a tall order that falls on the shoulders of Ronaldo, Rooney, Carrick, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Park, Giggs, Tevez, O'Shea and Van der Sar. Can you tell that is my starting eleven. Well I can't be certain that Park, Giggs, Tevez or O'Shea will start so insert your choice of player.

Barcelona have a fine team, very fine. Messi, Xavi, Eto'o, Henry, Iniesta and the list goes on. We know who they are, we know the football they play. We've held them before, true it was a different team last season but we've done it before. Now we don't need to just hold them we need to beat them. Rome is the place of the battle and one that Manchester United are going there to win. We have the firepower, so do Barcelona, we have the midfielders, so do Barcelona. I believe we have a better defense than Barcelona and a better goalkeeper. For us to win we need everyone on their A game.

I usually don't like writing pieces like this. I am a very superstitious person when it comes to sports, especially football. I will not predict a score, but I do believe in my team and will say we will make history and be Champions again.

Hannah Lee is the co-host and Ms. Everthang on the Forza Futbol podcast. You can listen to her and "El Presidente" Mando on the site's podcast every week.

Let us know what you think about Hannah's opinion.

Man Utd. Is Going To Repeat