Camp Nou y Yo

Here's a few pics of our first night in Barcelona where we caught a great match between Barça and Getafe at the European football cathedral, the Camp Nou. The last picture is of the club celebrating after a Ronaldinho goal. The only disappointment of the night came when Ronnie was booked with a tarjeta roja late in the first half. That's cool... we only flew 6,000 miles to see him play. Still it was enough as Barça held on to win it 1-0.

Final Pool Standings

As promised, here's the final standings for the 2007 Champions League pool, albeit late. Eastern Influence came out of the gate strong and never relinquished his hold on first place. He is the undisputed champ of the 2007 pool with all the bragging rights that implies. Nutmeg was in second for every round save the third gaining his part of the spoils once again on the backs of the Italianos. Team Auckland had victory in his sights but couldn't quite seal the deal from the land of the Kiwis despite descending a glacier to cast his Round 3 picks at the 11th hour. Team Lee and Team Carpenter, the baby boy contingent of the pool, made respectable late showings by grabbing 4th and 5th place in the table with their final picks. KC Barstow fared the best of the newcomers with their upstart run in the middle rounds but were eventually done-in (as were others) by their anti-Italianism. FC Effsee and Real Marin stayed true to their twinship by matching exact point totals in every round of the competition. What AC Emilia lacked in points they made up for in creative commentary and bold picks. But what the hey-ho happened to Perfect Pitch? The man who seemingly knows every sport inside and out-- who can rattle off everything from the top twenty sluggers of the 1948 baseball season to the name of the current WBC lightweight champ-- never managed a correct pick after the first round. Better luck next time, buddy. Afterall, there's nowhere for you to go but up.

It´s Milan

AC Milan won the Champions League for the 7th time in their history by defeating Liverpool FC 2-1 in Athens, Greece on Wednesday night. For the Rossoneri it was sweet revenge for the painful loss they suffered in the final two years ago when the Reds cameback from a 3-0 deficit to defeat them on penalties in Istanbul. It was a tightly contested battle with Liverpool failing to capitalize on the best chances of the night. Pippo Inzaghi score both goals for Milan, one on a deflection off a free kick from Pirlo, the other off a beautiful pass from Kaka which allowed him to slip through the defense and nudge it under the charging goalie Reina.

Congrats to Eastern Influence who led the pool from wire to wire. There´s no denying the man knows his soccer.

Congrats also to Nutmeg who eaked out the 2nd place showing in the final round. The Italians have been very good to him this year.

I´ll be away from the computer for the next week or so travelling to Barcelona and the Camp Nou with Lizzie. Will sort out the details and post the final standings when we return to California in June.

Saludos!

Championship: AC Milan v. Liverpool FC

¡¡Amunt Valencia!!

¡Hola chicos y chicas! Here are a few pics from last Sunday´s match between Valencia CF and Real Zaragoza at the Mestalla. It was a festive night where 4th place Valencia beat 5th place Zaragoza 2-0 and virtually assured themselves a spot in next year´s Champions League with only 4 matches left to play. Pictured above are my new colleagues/amigos from France, Spain, and LA, CA. Nos hemos mucho divertido.

Round 3: Pool Standings

1. Eastern Influence 32

2. Team Auckland 28

3. Nutmeg 24

4. KC Barstow 20
FC EffSee
Real Marin

5. Team Lee 18

6. Team Carpenter 16

7. AC Emilia 14

8. Perfect Pitch 8

Unlike Round 2 no pool team managed to sweep in Round 3. To the surprise of many, Manchester United and Chelsea, the top two teams in the English Premiership and upcoming finalists in England´s FA Cup, were eliminated by AC Milan and Liverpool respectively. With correct picks worth 6 points there was a slight change in the pool leadership as Team Auckland nutmegs Nutmeg (who scored zero this round) to grab hold of the second place spot. Along with Man U and Chelsea´s exits went the last of the potential 5 points from the orignal bonus pick to win it all, ie. no one picked Milan or Liverpool. Thus everyone is on equal footing to score a total of 8 points from the championship game on Wednesday, May 23rd. Be on the lookout to post your pick for the last game. Check your local listing for the game broadcast (prob. one of the ESPN´s for those in the US). For those of us who are mathematically eliminated from first or second place this pick is simply one for pride.

Round 3: Leg 2, Day 1 & 2

Hola from Valencia, Spain. I´ve just arrived a day and a half ago for a spur of the moment work gig for the next five weeks. Apologies for not posting match summaries for these last two games but I was in transit and settling in... though I did catch last night´s match at an outdoor cafe near my flat. Wow. Chelsea and ManU are out. Liverpool and Milan advance. Who´da guessed it. No one from the pool, that´s for sure. I´ll try to calculate point totals later this week. For the record:

Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea (agg: 1-1, Liverpool won it on penalties)... once again Anfield proves to be inpenetrable.

Milan 3-0 Manchester United (agg: 5-3, Milan advances)... United´s defensive injuries finally caught up with them.

So it´s a matchup of perennial European power houses with 5 time champs Liverpool facing 6 time champs AC Milan in the final, Tuesday the 23rd of May. Be on the lookout to post your pick.

Last 4: Leg 1, Day 2

Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool

Joe Cole in his second match back from a long string of injuries secured the winning goal for Chelsea in the 30th minute of their match against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The goal was manufactured from a beautiful clearing pass from Portugese international defender Ricardo Carvalho to Cote D’Ivorian international forward Dider Drogba who beat two men on a brilliant run to supply the streaking Cole for the only score of the match. The match was tightly contested but Liverpool seemed unable to solve the puzzle Mourinho’s Blues presented them on defense. The tie rests on a razor’s edge as it returns to Anfield where the Reds will like their chances to win it outright. However it seems fitting that the current tie advantages indicate a match-up between titans Manchester United and Chelsea in the championship in Athens - the two clubs which have dominated the Premiership and European competition this year.

Last 4: Leg 1, Day 1

Manchester United 3-2 AC Milan

Wayne Rooney had the final say in a game that showcased three of the brightest young stars of the game. Fresh off Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards from the Premiership’s Professional Football Association, Portugese International forward Christiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a header from a Ryan Giggs’ corner. There is dispute as to whether or not it was an own goal by Milan’s Brazilian keeper Dida. You can see for yourself. And though United pressed early and looked to be continuing their form from their 7-1 thrashing of Roma, it was the Rossoneri’s young star Brazilian midfielder Kaka who was to take over the game in the 22nd minute when he scored his first goal off a perfect pass from Dutch international midfielder Clarence Seedorf. It looked as if the Red Devils injury ravaged defense had finally caught up with them when Kaka drove home his second after a defensive collision between Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra. With the momentum decidedly swinging to the visiting side, Kaka seemed destined to complete his hat-trick as the Italians pushed forward time and time again. But with all the accolades of Ronaldo and Kaka in recent weeks, it was young English international Wayne Rooney who would emerge as the man of the match. In the 60th minute he deftly controlled a lofted pass from Paul Scholes and buried it in the back of the net for the equalizer. Through the rest of the match United pushed forward relentlessly and were finally rewarded in the 91st minute when Rooney blasted the match winner off another pass by Scholes. Old Trafford was treated to a real cracker as Man. U. stole the advantage from Milan as the tie heads to the San Siro next week.

Round 3: Manchester United v. AC Milan

Round 3: Chelsea v. Liverpool

Messidona!

In case you missed it, Barca's 19 year old Argentinian Wunderkind Lionel Messi scored a goal for the ages on Wednesday against Getafe in the Spanish Copa Del Rey - drawing immediate comparisons to the famous goal of his idol Diego Maradona against England in the '86 World Cup in Mexico. Here's the call in Arabic, Spanish, Portugese, and a few others. Here's the extended highlights from the game - the first 5 minutes are worth a look as they include three dazzling goals, all involving Messi. Here's some analysis on the goal. And here's the original Diego Maradona goal - so you can judge for yourself.

Round 2: Pool Standings

In the quarterfinals the Premiership showcased itself as the peeminent league in Europe and thereby the world with three English clubs qualifying for the Last 4 of the Champions League tournament. Four of the pool teams broke out their brooms and swept their way to the top of the table with the full complement of 16 points available from Round 2 (4 pts for each correct pick): Eastern Influence maintained his dominance, Nutmeg strengthened his bid to repeat as pool champ, Team Auckland was perfect from halfway around the globe, and KC Barstow were the comeback kids rising through the ranks to challenge for the title. Those of us who looked for a more diverse collection of sides to advance to the semifinals paid a price for that hope. While nothing is decided there is an increasing gap between the have's and have-not's. Bear in mind that point values will continue to increase in the subsequent rounds (6 pts for the semifinals, 8 for the championship) and that there will be a second place prize. There is a week hiatus but look to be making your picks before the tournament resumes on Tuesday, April 24th. Here's the schedule.

Last 8: Leg 2, Day 2

Bayern Munchen 0-2 AC Milan (Agg: 2-4, Milan advances)

Luck finally ran out on the injury-depleted side from Munich as they lost the home leg of their tie to AC Milan 0-2. Bayern started the match strong and appeared to be building on the momentum of their 2-2 draw with Milan at the San Siro last week. But within the space of four minutes the Rossoneri scored two away goals and put the tie away for good. The first was off the foot of Dutch-Surinamese midfielder Clarence Seedorf in the 28th minute, the second from Italian international forward Filippo Inzaghi off a fick from Seedorf in the in 32nd minute. The six time winners find themselves in a familiar position headed back to the semifinals to take on two time winners Manchester United. With no chance at the Italian Serie A title in large part due to the points penalty they received in the match fixing scandal from last summer the Rossoneri have all their season’s hopes pinned on their success in the Champions League.


Liverpool 1-0 PSV Eindhoven (Agg: 4-0, Liverpool advances)

Playing at home with a three goal advantage Liverpool was content to play keep away from PSV at Anfield. Peter Crouch continued where he left off last week with the lone goal of the match in the 68th minute. A rare moment of drama occurred when the Italian referee dismissed PSV’s 18 year old defender Dirk Marcellis in his Champions League debut with a red card. The Kop were in splendid voice working their way through their entire repertoire of celebration songs from the beginning of the match. They’ll need the practice for the next round as the five time winners take on Chelsea in a rematch of the semifinals from two years ago.

Last 8: Leg 2, Day 1

Valencia 1-2 Chelsea (Agg: 2-3, Chelsea advances)

Chelsea pulled off yet another last minute victory as Ghanaian international midfielder Michael Essien drove home the tie winner in the 91st minute of play against Valencia and became the first English side to win at the Mestalla in 40 years. Los Che struck first when Spanish international Fernando Morientes who returned early from a shoulder injury delivered a lighting strike off a superb cross by Valenica defender Luis Miguel in the 33rd minute. But Chelsea was poised to score in the second half as they've done so many times this year. The equaliser came in the 53rd minute when Ukrainian international forward Andriy Schevchenko made good on a rebound off a Frank Lampard free kick. Chelsea kept pressing through the remainder of the game yet the tie seemed destined for extra time as the sides were locked in a 2-2 aggregate deadlock. But Michael Essien, also back from injury, delivered the knockout blow in the first minute of penalty time thus dashing the hopes of the last Spanish side remaining and keeping Mourinho and Co.'s dreams of a quadruple crown alive and well. Nutmeg's bonus pick club looms large on the horizon much like the Deathstar of the Evil Empire. Can't you just hear the menacing soundtrack in the background?


Manchester United 7-1 Roma (Agg: 8-3, Man U advances)

AS Roma were the unfortunate recipients of a good ol' fashioned ass whuppin' at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford. Seemingly everyone got a piece of the action for United with Alan Smith, Wayne Rooney, and Patrice Evra each scoring a goal and Michael Carrick and Christiano Ronaldo with two each. For Ronaldo it marked the first Champions League goals of his young but illustrious career. Roma came out relatively strong and nursing their 2-1 aggregate advantage but by the time the 20th minute rolled around the Giallorossi found themselves down by 3. The rest of the match Roma looked completely flat. Star Italian international and Roma captain Francesco Totti can add one other item to his list of reasons he doesn't care for England (besides their style of soccer and the weather): it was the site of the most humiliating defeat of his professional career. Schubin must have been smiling big as his boys piled on the goals and assured themselves of a spot in the Last 4.

Last 8: Mid-Tie Power Rankings

1. Eastern Influence, Perfect Pitch
2. FC EffSee, Real Marin
3. Nutmeg
4. Team Carpenter, Team Lee
5. Team Auckland
6. KC Barstow
7. AC Emilia

In this round's Power Rankings, Perfect Pitch jumps to the top of the table on virtue of being the only team to pick all four of the current advantage holders. Though only gaining power on their Liverpool pick, Eastern Influence holds onto a share of the leadership because of their sizeable point total after the first round. Liverpool and Roma picks hold the strongest current value. But take heart at the bottom of the table, the Bayern and Valencia advantages could turn on a dime. By the end of next Wednesday the true standings will be known.

* Note: The Power Rankings are an interim projection of the pool standings based on a highly subjective analysis of the results of the first leg of the current round. In each tie one club is determined to have an edge, an advantage, or a strong advantage. One need only look at last round's Power Rankings to know that the standings can ultimately vary widely from the rankings (i.e. i got it wrong... big time). The true standing will be determined this week as the second leg of the ties are played on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here's the schedule.

Last 8: Leg 1, Day 2

Chelsea 1-1 Valencia

Valencia positioned themselves well with a hard fought away draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The play opened at break-neck pace with both sides passing well, but it was Valencia who had more chances on net through the first half. In the 30th minute it was one of the Spanish side's three David's - David Silva - who broke the stalemate on a stunning blast at an improbable angle from well outside the penalty area delivering an all-important away goal for Los Che. But Chelsea have been the comeback kings throughout the tournament collecting scores of goals in the final 10 minutes of play, and this night they would not be denied. In the 53rd minute Ivory Coast international striker Didier Drogba salvaged the match for the Blues with a nifty header off a fortuitously served ball from a clearance by English international defender Ashley Cole. Valencia's positive result is slightly tempered by the injury to key midfielder Vicente Rodriguez suffered in the 55th minute of play. With Vicente out the organization of the Valencia midfield diminished noticeably with Chelsea pressing forward trhoughout the rest of the game. Los Che will need to overcome their many injuries if they are to take the return leg from the Blues in the Mestalla next week.

Roma 2-1 Manchester United

Manchester United was fortunate to come away with only a 2-1 loss to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome after playing the majority of the match a man down. The Giallorossi started the contest with an offensive flurry orchestrated by the intricately free-flowing tactics of coach Luciano Spalletti. Man U.'s injury depleted defense looked jittery under the pressure and did not settle into any semblance of rhythm until 20 minutes into the match. After several ill-judged tackles throughout the first half, veteran Red Devil midfielder Paul Scholes finally pushed his luck one too many times and picked up his second yellow card in the 35th minute of play which banished him to the dressing room and left his side with only 10 men for the remainder of play. This proved to be a devestating blow as Roma were able to break through the deadlock in the 44th mintute on a quickly taken corner by Roma captain and Italian international Francesco Totti whose pass found Brazilian midfielder and last round dazzler Alessandro Mancini who threaded it to the young Italian midfielder Rodrigo Taddei for a lighting strike deflected off United defender Wes Brown and into the net. Despite the man deficit Manchester United were able to string together many fast-paced counter attacks in the second half led by the speed and prowess of Portugese international forward Christiano Ronaldo. Indeed it was a beautiful break by Ronlado in the 60th minute that initiated the Red Devils' equaliser and crucial away goal when English international forward Wayne Rooney deftly controlled Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's cross with his chest and cooly delivered a shot past Roma keeper Doni. But Man U let the draw slip away when Serbia-Montenegrin international striker Mirko Vucinic scored off a rebound from a Mancini shot in the 66th minute. The match was marred by a violent clash in the crowd during the halftime break. This was the culmination of a week-long war of words where Manchester United has warned their fans to avoid certain sections of the city and Rome's mayor had accused the English club of escalating the tensions by issuing the warning. UEFA is looking into the incident which at first blush seems to be the result of over aggressive Italian police tactics in beating down the English fans. Look for much finger-pointing in assessing blame for the bloodshed, but with the rash of violence in Italian football one might conclude that the Romans bear a significant portion of the responsibility.

Last 8: Leg 1, Day 1

AC Milan 2-2 Bayern Munchen

Bayern Munchen snagged a critical 2-2 away draw in injury time from AC Milan at the San Siro in Italy. Milan dominated the first half of play and deserved the 1-0 lead Italian international midfielder Andrea Pirlo gave them on a looping header just over the reach of second-string goalkeeper Michael Rensing and just under the crossbar. But the young Rensing filled in admirably for the suspended German great Oliver Kahn - who missed the game for throwing his urine sample at a doctor during a doping test – keeping his side in the match at halftime with two fantastic saves. Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld knew he needed to change it up with 20 minutes remaining and found the spark he was looking for by sending in Peruvian international forward Claudio Pizarro. In the 78th minute the re-energized Bavarians found the equalizer on a goal from an unlikely source - Belgian international defender Daniel Van Buyten. The Rossoneri regained the lead on a Kaka penalty kick from a dodgy foul called by the Russian referee. Replays seemed to show Brazilian defender Lucio cleanly tackling Kaka in the penalty area. Kaka’s successful conversion gave Milan the lead and seemingly the win, but on the last kick in the last minute of the match Van Buyten amazingly put the ball in the back of the net for his second goal of the night. The draw puts Bayern in the driver’s seat as the tie heads to Munich next week.


PSV 0-3 Liverpool

Revenge was sweet for Liverpool in Holland as they throttled the Dutch side led by Ronald Koeman - the man whose Benfica side eliminated the Reds from the tournament last year. Without injured star Brazilian defender Alex, PSV could do little to thwart Rafa Benitez’s masterful tactics. Liverpool captain and English international midfielder Steven Gerrard initiated the scoring with a header in the 27th minute. Norwegian international defender John Arne Riise drilled the second in the 49th, and too-tall English international striker Peter Crouch followed up his weekend hat-trick with a header of his own in the 63rd. Koeman’s side now faces a Herculean task needing at least 3 goals next week at Anfield to advance to the semifinals.

Round 2: AC Milan v. Bayern Munchen

Round 2: PSV Eindhoven v. Liverpool

Round 2: Roma v. Manchester United

Round 2: Chelsea v. Valencia

Fiesta Mexicana

Here's a couple of pics of us and 50,000 aficionados mexicanos at the Mexico v. Ecuador friendly at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland last Wednesday night. The party atmosphere was unlike any other sporting event we've attended with a constant din of cheering and horn blowing that erupted when the Mexicans took the field or scored one of their goals en route to their 4-2 victory. It has to be heard to be believed. Hat tip to Kelly C. who told us about the match weeks in advance... enough lead time to get tix to this sold-out exhibition which broke the attendance record for a non-World Cup soccer match in the Bay Area.

Separated at birth?

Kevin recently wondered aloud about whether he bore a resemblance to Jose "the Special One" Mourinho. Judge for yourself.

Other spitting images

While looking into the Mourinho matter we found a few other uncanny look-alikes:

The Argentine wunderkind Lionel Messi and Jeff. It's all in the eyes...and the turtleneck.


The Jerver and Barca keeper Victor Valdes. What's more reason to celebrate, a championship or a cold margarita?

Me, pissed off woodswoman circa 1993, and Barca defender/captain Carles Puyol, 21st century viking.

Chillin' It: A Soccer Fan Is Born

Cooper Gun Lee in stylish soccer gear soaks up his first World Cup Final in July with his parents (Team Lee) and Team Chavez (KC Barstow) in NJ. Word is that he's smiling because his money's on Italy. A little young to watch grown men head-butt, no?

Last 8: Draws

AC Milan - Bayern Munchen

PSV Eindhoven - Liverpool
Roma - Manchester United
Chelsea - Valencia

As the draws for the Last 8 were announced on Friday, the English and Italian clubs breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were not matched with rival sides from their domestic leagues. The four matches of the first leg will be played on April 3rd and 4th.

Round 1: Pool Standings

On the strength of Bayern's performance against Real Madrid, and Liverpool's elimination of Barcelona, Eastern Influence has emerged as the early pool leader. Close behind are Nutmeg who also benefited from Bayern's victory and Team Lee who followed Roma all the way to the top of the table. With successive rounds worth progressively more points, the pool is far from determined, although Barca, Lyon, Arsenal, and Inter's departure have left only Eastern Influence, Nutmeg, and Team Auckland with a chance at the 5 point bonus for picking the overall winner. Stay tuned for the next round of picks with the quarterfinals beginning on April 3rd and 4th.

Last 16: Leg 2, Day 2

Bayern Munchen 2-1 Real Madrid (Agg: 4-4, Bayern advances on away goals)

Dutch international striker Roy Makaay started the leg off with a bang for the homeside scoring the quickest goal in Champions League history 10 seconds into the match. With their two away goals, a 1-0 lead, and Real Madrid missing key players David Beckham and Italian international captain and this year's World Footballer of the Year Fabio Cannavaro to injury, Bayern were in the drivers seat througout much of the match. A desperate Real finally found the back of the net in the 82nd minute on a Ruud Van Nistelrooy free-kick set up by a controversial penalty from Robinho falling down inside the box. Though the remaining minutes were tense, the Galacticos failed to find the elusive last goal that would have sent them through. Thus the 9 times champs bowed out to the four time champs and will look to find solice on Saturday in their battle against La Liga arch rivals Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

AC Milan 1-0 Celtic (Agg: 1-0, AC Milan advances)

Having failed to score an away goal in the first leg of the tie, the Rossoneri came out firing in a match in which they outshot the Hoops 38-8 at the San Siro in Milan. But the Bhoys, buoyed by a vocal contingent of supporters who had followed them to Italy, were up to the challenge and survived the onslaught for the entire duration of regulation time holding the tie to a 0-0 draw. It was in the 3rd minute of extra time that the Brazilian international midfielder Kaka finally broke the 4 period stalemate on a brilliant run that started at midfield. Despite their stout play the Scottish champs were eliminated from the competition while the Italians advance to the quartfinals for the 6th consecutive year.


Arsenal 1-1 PSV Eindhoven (Agg: 1-2, PSV Eindhoven advances)

In a night which saw Arsenal completely dominate the first 30 minutes of play, it was PSV's Brazilian international defender Alex who was to score both goals in the 1-1 draw. The first was an own goal which occured in the 58th minute when the Gunner's Togoan international striker Emmanuel Adebayor took a corner which deflected off the unfortunate defender right into his own net. With the tie tied at 1-1 and 25 minutes left on the clock, Arsene Wegner substituted in the Gunner's talisman team captain and French international superstar Thierry Henry who had been listed as doubtful because of an injury. Though Henry almost scored the tie-winner on a free kick it was Alex who was to make up for his earlier error with a goal of his own on a header off a free-kick served by Ecuadorian international winger Edison Mendez with 7 minutes left in the match. Thus the Dutch champions forced last year's finalists and runners-up out of the tournament as they make their way to the Last 8.


Manchester United 1-0 Lille (Agg: 2-2, Manchester United advances)

It was Swedish international striker, and last year's tournament hero for Barca, Henrik Larsson who gave the Red Devils a lovely parting gift in the form of a tie-clinching goal in the 72nd minute of their clash with Lille at Old Trafford. Larsson who has been on loan from Swedish club Helsingborg for the last 10 weeks is scheduled to return to his home country next week, and ended his brief but successful tenure with the Red Devils with a standing ovation. Despite all the nasty talk between the clubs throughout the last two weeks over Man U's disputed goal in the first leg, the match progressed without the physical challenge from Lille that was widely expected. As United looks forward to the Last 8, Sir Alex Ferguson needs to find a solution to his injury-depleted team with key players Louis Saha, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Mikael Silvestre and maybe Wayne Rooney on the bench. Still with the Red Devils leading the Premiership and arguably the best player left in the tournament in Portugese international sensation Christiano Ronaldo, SAF will like his chances to advance to the final.

Last 16: Leg 2, Day 1

Lyon 0-2 Roma (Aggregate: 0-2, Roma advances)

Having failed to score an away goal in the first leg in Rome, the home side Olympique Lyonnais came out desperate not to concede the first score of the match. The Brazillian international midfielder Juninho created three chances for Lyon in the early going on a wicked shot on goal and two well-placed free kick crosses to teammates Sebastien Squillaci and Sydney Govou. But it was the Italian international and World Cup winner Francesco Totti who opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a powerful header off a perfect cross from Max Tonetti. The match was put away in the 43rd minute when Roma’s Allesandro Mancini received a crossfield pass 30 yards out, dribbled past defender Anthony Reveillere in a dazzling series of stepovers, and powered home the goal of the night. With the win Roma advances to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in their history, while French Champion Lyon fails to reach the Last 8 for the first time in three years.

Liverpool 0-1 Barcelona (Agg: 2-2, Liverpool advances on away goals)

Despite all expectations of an early Barca offensive onslaught, the Catalans looked uncharacteristically sluggish in the first half at Anfield. Liverpool had the best chances of the half on quick powerful counter attacks, with Norwegian international defender John Arne Riise and Malian international defensive midfielder Momo Sissoko each hitting the crossbar. After managing only one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes, Barcelona finally found some rhythm in the second half. Ronaldinho almost broke the stalemate when, in a moment of shear brilliance, he beat three men only to hammer his shot off the woodwork. Barca found fresh legs when substitutes French international winger Ludovic Giuly and Icelandic international forward Eidur Gudjohnsen came on for Eto’o and Thuram. Indeed, the Ice Man, Gudjohnsen, delivered the lone goal of the contest in the 73^rd minute when he coolly took the ball past the challenge of Reds’ keeper Jose Reina. With 20 minutes remaining, one more goal would have sent the Blaugrana through, but with the Anfield faithful in strong voice, Liverpool withstood every challenge Barca could muster. Thus on virtue of the away goal tie-breaker rule, the Spanish champions, current Champions League holders, and Poet Laureates of football were unceremoniously and precipitately eliminated from the tournament. Pity both sides couldn’t advance after this hard fought tie.

Valencia 0-0 Inter Milan (Agg: 2-2, Valencia advances on away goals)

With 2 away goals in their pocket, home side Valencia came out in a defensive posture at the Mestalla in Spain. Despite their conservative approach Valencia had the early chances on goal with scrappy play by David Villa, Fernando Morientes, and Ruben Baraja. Inter mounted a strong challenge in the final 10 minutes of the match - most notably on two chances for Julio Cruz created by Italian international defender and Zidane headbutt-ee Marco Materazzi. But the Nerazzuri failed to put the ball in the back of the net and thus conceded their place in the quarterfinals to the Spanish boys with bats on their shirts by way of the away goal rule. At the final whistle a brawl broke out when words were heatedly exchanged between Valencia midfielder Carlos Marchena and Inter midfielder Nicolas Burdisso. The fracas was escalated when Valencia substitute, David Navarro - who hadn’t played in the match- ran onto the middle of the pitch and punched Nicolas Burdisso in the face, breaking his nose. Several Inter players chased Navarro into the tunnel where the fight continued. Inter players attempted to find him in the Valencia dressing room but were stopped in a scuffle with security. No doubt UEFA will dole out some fines for the melee. Regardless, having won 18 of their last 19 matches, the Serie A leaders Inter Milan return to Italy stunned by their failure to qualify for the Last 8.

Chelsea 2-1 Porto (Agg: 3-2, Chelsea advances)

Things started off on shaky footing for Jose Mourinho's Blues as his former team Porto came hard out of the gates with well executed one-touch football. In the 15th minute Portugese international midfielder Ricardo Quaresma initiated the scoring with a nifty run past Czech international goalkeeper Petr Cech. But in the opening of the second half Chelsea's fears were allayed when Dutch international striker Arjen Robben drilled in the equaliser from 25 yards out. The last minute heroics of two of the newest Blues delivered the tie-winner when German international captain Michael Ballack headed in a ball served by a header from Ukrainian international captain Andriy Schevchenko off a cross from English international defender Ashley Cole. Ballack picked a fortunate time to score his first goal since November. Jose Mourinho's success at Chelsea continues as his side won England's Carling Cup against Arsenal last week and now moves on in their dream of a European Championship.

L'Himne Del Barça

Visca Barça !

The Table Is Set

The Last 8 and the First Round Pool Standings will be determined by the 2nd Leg matches on Tuesday and Wednesday. Hold on to your gelato, it's gonna be a wild ride.

Don't Count Them Out Yet

Cameroonian international striker, 3 time African Player of the Year, reigning Spanish League goalscoring champ, and 2005/6 Champions League Forward of the Year, Samuel Eto'o returned triumphantly to Barca's starting lineup on Sunday against Atletico Bilbao after 4 months on the sidelines recovering from a knee injury suffered in a Champions League match with Werder Bremen. Two weeks ago, Eto'o's much anticipated return to the pitch at the Camp Nou in the final minutes of a league match was abruptly aborted when Eto'o refused to take the field. A media frenzy ensued, pitting Eto'o against his coach, Rijkaard, and Ronaldinho in a battle of press statements. The club insisted that the matter had been settled quickly by the team captains and that the media were making too much of what had been a series of miscommunications. But the following week, Barca suffered a difficult loss at home to Liverpool in a match in which Eto'o sat in the spectators seats. The Spanish media followed with several stories (complete with pictures ) questioning whether Ronaldinho had become fat like his fellow Brazillian footballer, Ronaldo. On Sunday, Ronaldinho had an answer for his critics about his fitness. The sign which starts the video is roughly translated, “Ronaldinho is not fat, We are.”. The Blaugrana seem to be regaining last year's form as they gird up for the most difficult two week stretch of their season with the second legs of their tournament ties against Real Zaragoza in the Spanish Copa Del Rey, and Liverpool in the Champions League, as well as league matches against second place Sevilla and arch rivals Real Madrid. This is good news for all Poolers save Eastern Influence whose maverick Liverpool pick has them sitting in the catbird's seat.

Last 16: Mid-Tie Power Rankings

ask and you shall receive...

1. Perfect Pitch
2. Eastern Influence, KC Barstow, Team Lee
3. AC Emilia, FC EffSee, Real Marin, Team Auckland, Team Carpenter
4. Nutmeg

* Power Rankings are unscientifically determined by the results of the first leg of the tie. Points are assigned based on which club holds the advantage and how strong this advantage is. No points are awarded for ties in which each pool team has picked the same club to advance.

Mid-way through the first round Perfect Pitch is the surprise leader in the Power Rankings on virtue of Celtic shutting out AC Milan, Real holding a slight advantage over Bayern, and Roma shutting out Lyon. Huddled in second place, Team Lee picks up points for Roma and Real, KC Barstow for Celtic and Real, and Eastern Influence for Liverpool's strong advantage over Barca. Nutmeg rounds out the bottom based on Bayern's slight disadvantage against Real.

Last 16: Leg 1, Day 2

In a night of draws, Liverpool's victory over FC Barcelona in the Camp Nou grabs all the headlines.

FC Barcelona 1-2 Liverpool

In a battle between the two most recent winners of the Champions League, the Catalans were left scratching their heads after falling a goal behind Liverpool in a match in which they dominated time of possession 67% to 33%. Barca came out flying and looked to be on cruise control after Portugese international midfielder Deco scored a dazzling header on a beautiful cross by Italian international defender Gianluca Zambrotta in the 14th minute. However, just before the half, Liverpool manufactured the equalizer on a header by Welsh International Craig Bellamy. Barca keeper Victor Valdes had appeared to make the save but his backwards momentum carried the ball over the line and into the net. In the 74th minute Norwegian international defender John Arne Riise capitalized on a Barca defensive mixup to give the visitors the lead. The blaugrana came tantalizingly close to the equalizer late in the match on a Deco free-kick which bounced fruitlessly off the far post. The reigning champs have their backs against the wall as they travel to Anfield for the second leg of the tie. Eastern Influence's cheeky matchday pick-switch appears prescient as they look to pick up some points from the rest of the pool.

FC Porto 1-1 Chelsea

The 1-1 draw in Porto's Estadio do Dragao saw all the scoring occur within the first 20 minutes. Portugese international midfielder Raul Meireles struck first for the home side in the 12th minute, but Chelsea quickly answered when Ukrainian international, and second leading European goalscorer of all time, Andriy Schevchenko volleyed the leveller on a nifty pass from Dutch forward Arjen Robben. Jose Mourinho received a relatively warm welcome from Porto's home crowd on his return to the stadium where he'd led the Dragones to a Champions League title in 2004. He'll be happy with the away draw, but disappointed with the injury to captain John Terry whose ankle injury in the first half may keep the English international out of the second leg.

Inter Milan 2-2 Valencia

Valencia's David Silva's late match heroics gave Los Che a crucial equalizer on the road at Inter Milan's San Siro. Inter's attack dominated most of the night but ultimately squandered many opportunities. Argentine international midfielder Esteban Cambiasso opened the scoring for the Nerazzurri with a header in the 28th minute. It wasn't until the second half that Valencia's David Villa was able to volley the leveller on a powerful 30 foot free-kick in the 64th minute. Brazillian international midfielder Maicon restored the home side's advantage on a brilliant give-and-go run with teammate Julio Cruz in the 74th minute, but in the last two minutes of regulation time, David Silva hammered home Valencia's second score giving the away side the psychological advantage to start the second leg in Spain.

Roma 0-0 Lyon

In a tightly contested but scrappy match noted more for its set-pieces and fouls than its attacking play, Roma and Lyon battled to an 0-0 stalemate at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Overall the visitors had more chances on net, but their failure to capitalize deprived them of the all-important away goal they came to collect. Still Lyon will like their chances to advance to the Final 8 and qualify for the tournament's quarterfinals for the fourth year in a row as the tie heads to France for the finale.

Last 16: Leg 1, Day 1

European heavyweights Real Madrid and Bayern Munchen exchanged blows in a five goal cracker at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid.


Celtic 0-0 AC Milan

Celtic and AC Milan battled in an entertaining but goaless draw at Celtic Park. Failing to convert on their many chances, Celtic still could advance with a win or draw against Milan on the road in the San Siro.

Lille 0-1 Manchester United

In a sluggish match that went 42 minutes before a shot on net, Man U finally scored a critical away goal on Ryan Giggs' controversial free-kick. Lille keeper Tony Silva was still lining up his wall when Giggs delivered what would be the only score of the night. Furious, the Lille coaching staff ordered their players to the sideline in protest, refusing to end the game. Calmer heads prevailed and the match was drawn to a close with the visitors holding a precious 1 point advantage. The contest was also marked by a strange security scare in the vistors section of the stadium where fans seemed to get crushed against a 10 foot barrier. There were no injuries despite the fact that riot police fired tear gas into the section. It would seem that soccer's crowd control issues persist.

PSV 1-0 Arsenal

PSV's Ecuadorian midfielder Edison Mendez scored the lone goal of the match for the home side at the 61 minute mark.

Real Madrid 3-2 Bayern Munchen

Real Madrid jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first half of what proved to be the most exciting match of the night against Bayern Munchen. After an early goal by Galacticos' captain Raul, Bayern's Brazillian defender Lucio headed the away side to a 1-1 draw. The next two goals were deftly served by an inspired David Beckham, the first of which was headed by both Helguera and Raul before it found the back of the net, the second of which was finished beautifully by his old Man U mate, Ruud van Nistelrooy. Bayern's Mark Van Bommel salvaged the match for the Germans in the 88th minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the Madrid area. This tie is up for grabs as it heads to Munich.

It Begins.

Champions League Hymn

FCK v. Manchester United, 11/01/06

Bonus Pick: Who will take it all?

Round 1: Inter Milan v. Valencia

Round 1: Porto v. Chelsea

Round 1: Barcelona v. Liverpool

Round 1: Roma v. Lyon

Round 1: Real Madrid v. Bayern Munich

Round 1: Lille v. Manchester United

Round 1: PSV v. Arsenal

Round 1: Celtic v. AC Milan

Picking up where we left off...

July 9, 2006 -- 3 AM in Kyoto.

The World Cup 2006 Pool ends on PKs.

Italy hands the Knestricks the spoils.

Zizou is disgraced.

We are disgruntled.

Real Marin avoids relegation by the skin of their teeth.

Fast forward >> February 2007. An innocent international friendly between Brasil and Portugal rekindles the football fervor. Now the battle for the best club in Europe is on. Team Nutmeg has a chance to add a second trophy to their mantle. The rest of the teams are seeking sweet revenge.

Tuesday, February 20th it begins again.

World Cup revisited

3 AM Toyko time, first night in Nippon. Italy v. Germany.
Our money back home is on Germany.

5:30 AM. Damn Italians!