7 December 2011

MANCHESTER CITY 2 (Silva 36, Y Toure 52)
BAYERN MUNICH 0

With his back to goal Dzeko flicked on a Barry pass and Silva hammered it past Butt. Badstuber didn't get enough on a back pass and Yaya ran through to poke a second past Bayern's reserves.

Attendance : 46,002
Assists : Dzeko, Dzeko


VILLARREAL 0
NAPOLI 2 (Inler 65, Hamsik 76)

Mazzarri was sent off for shoving Nilmar as he ran a ball out of play near the Napoli bench. Inler let a Hamsik centre roll across him and from 20 yards cracked a left foot drive inside the right post. Hamsik sealed qualification with a tap-in after Cavani flicked on a corner.

Attendance : 15,350
Red Card : Mazzarri 54 (Coach Napoli)
Assists : Hamsik, Cavani


LILLE 0
TRABZONSPOR 0

Attendance : 16,000
Assists : n/a


INTER 1 (Cambiasso 51)
CSKA MOSCOW 2 (Doumbia 50, Berezutski 87)

Berezutsky intercepted Nagatomo's lazy pass out of defence and passed inside to Dzagoev, Doumbia dummied his center, ran outside Ranocchia and onto Love's pass, 0-1. Inter were level immediately when Mr. Lightweight stabbed in a rebound. Milito should have put them in front but headed a great Zanetti cross against the bar. Berezutski headed in a later winner. The defending on the corner was something else.

Inter are the weakest of the last 16 teams left in the competition. APOEL will put up a better fight and have infinitely more spirit. Ranieri is a dinosaur and has to go, he has to go.

Attendance : 49,000
Assists : Love, n/a, Cauna (ck)


BASEL 2 (Streller 9, A Frei 84)
MANCHESTER UNITED 1 (Jones 89)

Today was a truly joyous day in the history of European football. Vidic knocked down Smalling when clearing a cross from the right, Shaqiri fired in a center from the opposite flank, De Gea stuck out a leg but only succeeded into deflecting the ball to Strellar and he smacked a half volley into the ground and over De Gea. Rooney missed an open goal and to further compound United's first half misery Vidic had to be stretchered off when landing awkwardly on his right knee after a challenge with Strellar. Steinhofer came within a lick of paint of scoring a spectacular own goal, his volley smashed off the underside of the crossbar. Shaqiri dispossessed Rooney on the edge of his own penalty area, ran wide, whipped in a cross, Evans should have cleared but missed and Frei pulled off Smalling's shoulder to head through De Gea's legs. Sommer made a brilliant point blank save from Wellbeck, Macheda smashed the rebound against the bar and Jones header crept over the line. Much to everyone's surprise Basel held on in 3 minutes of injury time to cause one of the biggest ever shocks in the group stages.

It's nice to see United return to their pre 2008 form and suffer an early exit. I've read some utter bullshit about how Taggart will rebuild and United will bounce back. Happen not gonna. The list of teams the scummers can't compete with in the transfer market continues to grows which makes rebuilding very difficult. Additionally the talent from the youth team is mediocre. Wellbeck & Cleverly are exceptions to the rule and even then they are the first players to break into the starting XI since Fletcher in 2003. Pique doesn't count as he's no longer at the club. O'Shea and Brown don't count because of the same reason and because they're shit as it Johnny Evans.

Attendance : 36,894
Assists : Shaqiri, Shaqiri, n/a


BENFICA 1 (Cardozo 7)
OTELUL GALATI 0

Attendance : 50,000
Assist : Gaitan


DINAMO ZAGREB 1 (Kovacic 40)
LYON 7 (Gomis 45, Gomis 48, Gonalons 48, Gomis 52, Lopez 64, Gomis 70, Briand 76)

Leko was sent off for pulling down Gomis but despite their numerical disadvantage the hosts took the lead when Kovacic stabbed in a rebound. Gomis poked in a deflected cross. Briand's corner bounced in off Gonalons and he picked the pocket of a Dinamo defender before laying on Gomis' second. He completed his hat-trick goal from a center on the opposite end. Lacazette sent Lopez clear of the Dinamo offside trap for goal number 5. Gomis became the 7th player to score 4 Champions League goals in a match and did it in style. With a deft flick of his right boot he sent the ball spinning wide of Kelava. Fofana played a first time pass into Lopez who let the ball run through his legs and while Briand's first touch was heavy his second was not.

Lyon needed seven goals to go through. The conspiracies theories will run and run.

Attendance : 27,000
Red Card : Leko 28 (Dinamo Zagreb)
Assist : n/a, n/a, Briand (ck), Briand, Cissokho, Lacazette, Cissokho, Fofana


AJAX 0
REAL MADRID 3 (Callejon 14, Higuain 42, Callejon 92)

Ajax screwed up offside on the first goal then got jobbed out of two goals by a linesman's flag. A fantastic crossfield pass sent Higuain racing clear of Ajax's trademark idiotic high line and any sympathy you can have for Ajax disappeared when they allowed that useless bastard Xabi Alonso a rare assist for the third.

Attendance : 50,000
Assist : Kaka', Benzema, Alonso