UEFA Champions League

[R.C]

they improve liao lah... now that they have more spanish flair in their games... just lack the scoring touch... lack a Zhai striker... i thought morientes will solve the problem but no leh...

[MiCmAsTa]

Originally posted by R.C@Apr 28 2005, 02:05 AM

they improve liao lah... now that they have more spanish flair in their games... just lack the scoring touch... lack a Zhai striker... i thought morientes will solve the problem but no leh...

Must give him sometime... Trust me... He will be a HIT.... Someday....

[R.C]

yeap... HE will be one!!! hopefully cisse and baros will find their scoring touch soon!!!

[sunnyday]

so many pple awake ah?

[R.C]

haha.. what do you think?

[sunnyday]

10 mins

[sunnyday]

LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Traore, Gerrard, Alonso, Riise, Biscan, Garcia, Baros.

 

SUBS: Carson, Kewell, Cisse, Smicer, Le Tallec, Nunez, Warnock.

 

 

CHELSEA: Cech, Johnson, Terry, Carvalho, Gallas, Tiago, Lampard, Makelele, Cole, Drogba, Gudjohnsen.

 

SUBS: Cudicini, Smertin, Kezman, Geremi, Robben, Forssell, Huth.

[R.C]

Yeah.... Half the job done... what a relief. i was like sweating throughout the match man... i thought for a moment the liverpool can sneak a goal in..

 

alright guys!!! now for the showdown at the KOP!!!!

[siak]

Poor chelsea, Unable to score on their own ground....

[MiCmAsTa]

Still a 50-50 Game...

 

Anfield...

[MiCmAsTa]

Benitez delighted after Chelsea draw

 

Reds boss Rafael Benitez was pleased with his side's performance as they held Chelsea to a draw in their Champions League semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge.

It was a game of few chances, and the Liverpool manager believes his side have a good chance of progressing to the final, with the home leg at Anfield to come on Tuesday.

 

 

'We have played a good game. The team worked hard and controlled the game, they had some chances but at the end a draw is a good result.

 

'We had more counter-attacks and they started playing with long balls.'

 

The Spanish boss admitted he thought Milan Baros' first-half header was in before Petr Cech got a hand on it to push it wide.

 

'On the bench you see the ball was almost in the goal but the goalkeeper is a good goalkeeper,' he added on Sky Sports.

 

'We knew what to do against Chelsea, we know they have a lot of good players who can create opportunities. The most important thing is we need only to win at Anfield.

 

'It is a good situation. We have very good supporters, they will be with us at Anfield and we need to win.

 

'We always have confidence and we need to believe in ourselves.'

[MiCmAsTa]

Bullish Mourinho 'very, very confident'

 

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho insisted he believes his team will progress after his side's home draw against Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final..

The result means that Liverpool will have to beat Chelsea in the second leg at Anfield on Tuesday - if the Blues manage a crucial away goal.

 

 

He explained: 'I'm happy with the result.

 

'0-0 is not the result we fought for, we tried to win the game and created enough chances to win it.

 

'We had chances - more than I thought we would get before the game. Before I was thinking it would be more difficult to create chances.

 

'But in a Champions League tie 0-0 at home is a good result. The result leaves me very, very, very confident we will get to the final.

 

'We will score goals in Liverpool and they will have to play a different way.

 

'99.9% of Liverpool fans will be thinking at the moment they have one foot in the final - but they aren't. It is very difficult for them.

 

'Rafael Benitez is a great manager but I think we are in a very good position.'

 

The Portuguese added: 'It was not an outstanding game, it was a good game with fair play and the teams fighting for their objectives, trying to win.

 

'It's a game everyone participating in it can be quite proud of - but I go home very confident.

 

'I expect us to win and I'm confident we can score goals if we don't lose more players because our situation isn't good with injuries - but I think we will go to the final.'

[MiCmAsTa]

Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool: FT Report

 

http://www.soccernet.com/images/england/xabifrank_shaunbotterill.jpg

Midfield generals: Alonso and Lampard contest the middle ground at Stamford Bridge. (ShaunBotterill/GettyImages)

 

Chelsea paid the price for some woeful finishing and must now fight for place in the final of the Champions League as the first leg at home to Liverpool ended goalless.

 

Jose Mourinho may claim to be "special" but, at least until next week's return Champions League encounter, Rafael Benitez has proved his equal on the European stage.

 

 

Mourinho, last year's Champions League winner with Porto, had joked that his ego has expanded this season amid further domestic success with Chelsea.

 

However, Benitez, who claimed last season's UEFA Cup trophy with Valencia, also has a rich European pedigree.

 

And even amid an all-English Champions League semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge, there was enough Spanish nous and bravado to match the Portuguese extravagance and showmanship.

 

For even though Liverpool had lost all three previous meetings with Chelsea this season - twice in the league and once in the Carling Cup final - they still bridged the 31-point Premiership gulf.

 

Of course, it could all change at Anfield. After all, Chelsea were held to a goalless draw in their Carling Cup semi-final first leg by Manchester United, and they still prevailed.

 

However, while Frank Lampard spurned one clear chance, Chelsea were indebted to goalkeeper Petr Cech for saving them from defeat with two superb reaction saves.

 

It was still by no means a classic. Far from it, in fact. But as Liverpool fans taunted "you've got no history", their team at least proved they could still have a future.

 

Although the Reds have been frustratingly inconsistent this season, losing at Crystal Palace just four days earlier, when Europe calls - even in London - they have so far risen to the occasion.

 

As for Chelsea, they may have already won the Carling Cup and be poised for success in the Barclays Premiership, but the Champions League is proving a rather tougher nut to crack.

 

There was certainly an element of Continental caution in the air at Stamford Bridge, with Didier Drogba and Milan Baros respectively playing up front on their own.

 

With Arjen Robben initially kept on the bench and Damien Duff injured, Chelsea lacked natural width and while Drogba still managed to muscle his way through the centre, he dragged his shot wide.

 

Liverpool, meanwhile, looked to exploit Glen Johnson's defensive weaknesses and John-Arne Riise was pushed well forward as a result.

 

Indeed, when the Norway international skipped past Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry, he was only foiled by Cech's first vital reaction save.

 

Cech was even more inspired just before half-time when he produced an exceptional one-handed save at full stretch to tip Baros' header around the post from Steven Gerrard's cross.

 

In between, Chelsea threatened themselves, albeit rather more ponderously than normal and they lacked their usual sharpness on the counter-attack.

 

When William Gallas provided some much-needed width, his deep cross was headed down by Joe Cole and Lampard swivelled six yards out but promptly blazed his half-volley over the bar.

 

Drogba headed over the top, with Terry mishitting an effort wide, but a Liverpool defence marshalled by the excellent Jamie Carragher were holding firm.

 

Indeed, while Cole jinked round two defenders after the restart, Sami Hyypia recovered just in time to stop him in his tracks.

 

It was therefore no surprise to see Robben emerge from the bench with 58 minutes gone to replace Tiago.

 

The Dutch winger was quickly in the thick of the action, although Benitez responded by throwing on Djibril Cisse for Baros and the Frenchman immediately rifled a shot over the crossbar.

 

Liverpool were comfortably holding their own and Mourinho turned to Mateja Kezman, replacing Cole.

 

It made little difference. Indeed, his main impact came in being booked within a minute of his arrival for a needless foul on Djimi Traore, as the frustration levels grew in the Chelsea ranks.

 

Xabi Alonso still paid a heavy price for a tackle from behind on Gudjohnsen in the closing stages, ruling him out of the second leg at Anfield.

 

Chelsea, however, now face a real test of their progress under Mourinho. The treble is still potentially on but Liverpool in the Champions League are clearly a different prospect than in the Premiership.

[sunnyday]

now at work

[Pauche]

Ideal end to this season:

 

EPL champions - Arsenal

FA cup champions - Man Utd

League cup champions - Chelsea

Champions league champions - Liverpool

Qualify for champions league 2006 - Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Everton & Liverpool

 

everybody win something, everybody oso happy.... no need tok so much c***....

[Guest NPNT]

hw can C.League be 5 teams from a country?

[BikeLover]

LVP really lucky that Duff is injuried. Chelsea looks stiffled in attack. Big difference.

 

Carragher did well in center-back and luckily expired-Kewell not playing..... kekeke. Another Lee Sharpe.... remember him from MU?

 

Luckily Drogba has just a big-price tag and a big mouth (like his manager). A Henry-wannabe and he said he is getting very close!!!!.... Chelsea's top scorer has 16 overall and Lampard is the one, not Drogba. Some more, this is half of Henry's overall of 30.

[jkaiser]

Originally posted by BikeLover@Apr 28 2005, 03:34 PM

LVP really lucky that Duff is injuried. Chelsea looks stiffled in attack. Big difference.

 

Carragher did well in center-back and luckily expired-Kewell not playing..... kekeke. Another Lee Sharpe.... remember him from MU?

 

Luckily Drogba has just a big-price tag and a big mouth (like his manager). A Henry-wannabe and he said he is getting very close!!!!.... Chelsea's top scorer has 16 overall and Lampard is the one, not Drogba. Some more, this is half of Henry's overall of 30.

i used to condemn drogba too..but ah..his expertise is not scoring leh...chelski just need to pump high ball up..he will bring the ball down for ppl like lampard to shoot...though i think he should be able to score more often with his head...must send to germany for heading school.... look @ klinnsman and bierhoff

[melf]

boring game last night... watch until i fall asleep....

[Pauche]

Originally posted by newbie@Apr 28 2005, 03:07 PM

hw can C.League be 5 teams from a country?

preciously..... so if all 5 teams enter next season's champions league, no team will make noise liao..... now its the everton vs liverpool debate over who will qualify next year if everton finishes 4th and liverpool winning the cup.

[numbergames]

Originally posted by melf@Apr 28 2005, 03:55 PM

boring game last night... watch until i fall asleep....

same here... i thought it would be a high scoring game but turns out to be otherwise.....had to resort to switching channels to keep myself awake....

[Guest NPNT]

Originally posted by Pauche@Apr 28 2005, 04:06 PM

preciously..... so if all 5 teams enter next season's champions league, no team will make noise liao..... now its the everton vs liverpool debate over who will qualify next year if everton finishes 4th and liverpool winning the cup.

aiyah but wont happen la... at most 4 la..

 

neway y u say 'preciously'?

[BikeLover]

Originally posted by jkaiser@Apr 28 2005, 03:41 PM

i used to condemn drogba too..but ah..his expertise is not scoring leh...chelski just need to pump high ball up..he will bring the ball down for ppl like lampard to shoot...though i think he should be able to score more often with his head...must send to germany for heading school.... look @ klinnsman and bierhoff

If you saw him in Marseille, confirm buy Drogba for speed and scoring. But maybe Mourinho found out that he cannot score lah... so ask him to do more support, like Gudjohnsen. Now he is neither scorer or playmaker leh, more like a "Heskey"... kekeke... new term for support striker who just do heading and no flair. Drogba cannot be called a playmaker cos playmakers got this bit of ART in their football. They just have this "magic".

 

But 24 mil for a Heskey..... expensive.

 

No need germany lah.... RVN is the best header and clinical scorer in the world now... equal to Andrei Schev (AC). But he better don't learn RVN's no-sportsmanship behaviour.

[R.C]

Originally posted by numbergames@Apr 28 2005, 04:08 PM

same here... i thought it would be a high scoring game but turns out to be otherwise.....had to resort to switching channels to keep myself awake....

haha... both the matches yesterday ended in a stalemate...

[R.C]

Originally posted by BikeLover@Apr 28 2005, 03:34 PM

LVP really lucky that Duff is injuried. Chelsea looks stiffled in attack. Big difference.

 

Carragher did well in center-back and luckily expired-Kewell not playing..... kekeke. Another Lee Sharpe.... remember him from MU?

 

Luckily Drogba has just a big-price tag and a big mouth (like his manager). A Henry-wannabe and he said he is getting very close!!!!.... Chelsea's top scorer has 16 overall and Lampard is the one, not Drogba. Some more, this is half of Henry's overall of 30.

i think jaime carragher is really improving game after game man.. the commentators were full of praise for him... too bad he wasn't nominated for PFA... anyway, drogba really has big mouth... haha.. i think big lips lah... very scary man his face... arjen robben had a quiet game yesterday man.. but that is fgood news for liverpool...

 

but alonso will be out for the next match...