Round of 4: Leg 2, Day 1 Results

Paul Scholes celebrates his 14th minute strike.

Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona (Agg:1-0 Manchester United advances)

In the end the only thing that separated Manchester United from Barcelona was a Paul Scholes cracker off a botched clearance from Gianluca Zambrotta. Unable to score a goal in 180 minutes of play despite world class talent in their attack, Barcelona return to Catalunya faced with their second consecutive trophy-less season and an almost definite end to the Frank Rijkaard era -- a five year period of prosperity which produced two Spanish League titles and a Champions League trophy. United advance to Moscow where they will compete in the first-ever all-English CL Final against Chelsea or Liverpool.

Is this supposed to be fun?

Seriously... the anxiety that comes with watching these matches (if your club is in it) is almost unbearable. I think it's the lack of commercial breaks. C'mon now, Barça!

Round of 4: Mid-Tie Power Rankings

1. Eastern Influence, JonnyRayUnited
2. Cantona
3. The Terrible Twos, Team Jerusalem
4. SaMo
5. Big Bend
6. Banana Island
7. The Continentalist
8. Team EC, Real Marin

Those who picked a United v. Chelsea final have leaped to the top of the table in this edition of the Power Rankings. The Terrible Twos have perhaps tragically tied their fate to that of lowly Team EC and Real Marin in picking a Barca v. Liverpool final. While three of the four possible final matchups were evenly represented among the picks of the pool teams, only SaMo picked a Barça v. Chelsea final. If this is in fact the matchup, he will jump to sole possession of first place. In any case, we'll soon know who'll be the home side representative at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on May 21st as Barça and United clash tomorrow/today at Old Trafford.

Round of 4: Leg 1, Day2 Result

Cristiano Ronaldo launches a penalty kick wide left to start the game.

Barcelona 0-0 Manchester United

It appears that the last minute scratching of United central defender Nemenja Vidic from the lineup due to stomach ailments may have changed the tactics of Sir Alex Ferguson as the Red Devils dropped unexpectedly back into a defensive posture for almost the entirety of the first leg of their tie against Barca at Camp Nou Wednesday night. Perhaps the complexion of the match would have changed had Cristiano Ronaldo converted his hand ball penalty kick at the 2nd minute mark. Instead the ball sailed safely outside the left goalpost of Victor Valdes' net, much to the relief of the 90,000+ who witnessed the game firsthand, and United appeared content to play for the 0-0 draw for the ensuing 90 minutes. The match encapsulated Barca's 07-08 campaign, all possession and no bite, as they dominated with 65% of the play, but precious few gilt-edged chances on net. Lionel Messi was in sparkling form though only recently back from injury, but could not finish any of his chances. Samuel Eto'o should have done better on at least two occasions. Credit United's backline and midfield, in particular Patrice Evra, for absorbing wave after wave of Barca attack. United must be tipped with the slight advantage as the tie heads to Old Trafford next Tuesday, though their failure to secure an own goal gives Barcelona the edge should the Catalans manage to score.

Dare we dream?

Round of 4: Leg 1, Day 1 Result

Didier Drogba in ecstasy over John Arne Riise's agonizing own goal in minute 90+5.

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea

The match at Anfield proved every bit as cagey and tactical as was expected; the atmosphere both electric and oppressively tense as these old foes squared off. If Chelsea had the run of play in the beginning, the tide slowly turned to Liverpool as the first half wore on, and Dirk Kuyt was rewarded for his work rate with a 43rd minute goal to break through the stalemate. The Reds, backed by the ever-vocal Anfield faithful, looked to build upon their momentum in the second half pressing forward again and again, while the Blues seemed to resort to a half-hearted attempt at the equaliser with aimless long ball volleys at a lonely Didier Drogba. Already in the fifth minute of overtime, Liverpool appeared assured of the victory when an unlikely Solomon Kalou cross from the left corner was awkwardly headed by the Reds' John Arne Riise past Pepe Reina for a shocking last-second own goal... a moment that will not soon be forgotten by those who witnessed it. With that precious away goal Chelsea snagged the advantage as the tie heads to Stamford Bridge next Wednesday. How will Liverpool respond to the demoralizing lighting strike that saw their fortunes turn on a dime?

Round of 4: Liverpool v. Chelsea

April 22

Round of 4: Barcelona v. Manchester United

April 23

Pool Standings: Round 2, REVISED

For an added twist to the CL Pool drama... it has come to my attention (via an unnamed source) that there was a grievous error in this round's point tabulation. It seems that Team Jerusalem was accidentally awarded four points for the Liverpool v. Arsenal tie, though they had picked Arsenal to win. In truth Team Jerusalem earned 12 points in the last round, not the perfect 16. The result is Team Jerusalem dropping into a three way tie for second, while The Terrible Twos reclaim sole possession of first. Looks like the Miami Cowboy strikes again... this time in Israel.

(Wag of the finger at SaMo for a 4 point misstep and me for not double checking)

Brackets: Round of 4

Click image to enlarge

Pool Standings: Round 2

The second round of pool picks saw some movement in the table. A whopping 4 teams had a perfect record in this round: Big Bend, Eastern Influence, JonnyRay United, and Team Jerusalem. The Terrible Twos first loss slips them into a tie on points with the rising Team Jerusalem, although they still hold the advantage in the tie-breaker based on record. Team EC had the furthest fall from grace and they land at the bottom of the table with cellar dwellers Real Marin. If you didn't go English in this round, you never stood a chance. Things will inevitably tighten in the semifinals as Round 3 picks are worth 6 points each.

(Hat tip to SaMo for the tabulations.)

Round of 8: Leg 2, Day 2 Results

Barça's Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o congratulates the young Ivorian Touré Yaya on his first ever CL goal with a tackle.

Barcelona 1-0 Schalke 04 {Agg: 2-0, Barcelona advance}

A nervy first half at Camp Nou saw Barça cling to their slim 1-0 advantage as the German visitors controlled the run of play with numerous chances on net. Two minutes from half the Blaugrana's holding midfielder Yaya Touré (or Touré Yaya as he is now called) gave the Barcelona faithful a little breathing room when he drove home a rebound off a desperate clearance from a Bojan Krkić chance he'd helped create. Barça were back to their customary possession game in the 2nd half but squandered several opportunities to put the tie away for good. As brilliant as they started, Schalke looked disorganized and dull for the last third of the match. While the Catalans are happy to advance they will be wary of losing captain defender Carles Puyol for the first leg of their tie against United due to suspension after receiving his 3rd yellow card in this match. Barça simply aren't the same in the back line without their tireless captain throwing his body around at would be attackers.


Manchester United 1-0 Roma {Agg: 3-0, Manchester United advance}

United seemed to be banking on their 2 away goal advantage (and eyeing their weekend domestic clash with Arsenal) at the start of their return leg at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson sat both Crisiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney on the bench. Such is the depth of the Red Devil squad that the Giallorossi still had their hands full with Owen Hargreaves, Ryan Giggs, Ji-Sung Park, and Carlos Tévez. Playing again without talismanic captain Francesco Totti, Roma had precious few chances on net and when they did -- a penalty on a foul earned by Mancini-- taker Daniele De Rossi squandered it badly by misfiring over the net. The tie was officially dead and buried in the 70th minute when Tévez headed in a Hargreaves cross to put United up 3-0 on aggregate. On-form United advance to the semifinals against a stuttering Barcelona side for a dream matchup that has many fans salivating. It will be a star-studded affair featuring two of the games finest young talents in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi who is due to return from injury in time for the first leg at Camp Nou.

Round of 8: Leg 2, Day 1 Results

Liverpool's unstoppable Fernando Torres delivers yet another blow.

Liverpool 4-2 Arsenal {Agg: 5-3, Liverpool advances}

The tension was palpable for the vast majority of Arsenal and Liverpool's see-saw return leg at Anfield as the English clubs clashed for the 3rd time in 8 days with both previous matches ending in 1-1 stalemates. It was the Gunners who grabbed the early intiative with a sublime first half of football and a 1-0 lead by virtue of Abou Diaby's 13th minute opener. Despite their off-balance start the Reds' Sami Hyypiä brought the home side back into the tie with the equaliser in the 30th minute. Spanish starlet Fernando Torres continued his fierce form when he put Liverpool ahead with a 69th minute stunner. But the drama only intensified when Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor converted after another beautiful run by Theo Walcott with just 7 minutes left in regulation. The 2-2 draw would have been enough for the Gunners to advance on away goals, but their celebration was short lived when Liverpool immediately attacked and were awarded a controversial penalty on a Kolo Toure foul in the area. Captain Steven Gerrard cooly converted and once again established the Reds' advantage. Still on a knife's edge, the victory was sealed when substitute Ryan Babel scored on a counter attack two minutes into extra time sending Anfield into a frenzy. Liverpool advance to their 3rd Last 4 appearance in 4 years where they've faced Chelsea each time. The more things change...


Chelsea 2-0 Fenerbahçe {Agg: 3-2, Chelsea advances}

German international captain Michael Ballack grabbed the tie advantage for home side Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in just the 4th minute of play. Despite the lead, the Londoners played most of the match on a razor's edge as a single Fenerbahçe goal would have seen the Turkish side advance on away goals. But pressure as they might the men from Istanbul could not find the back of the net, and Frank Lampard put the tie out of reach when he converted a Michael Essien cross with 3 minutes of regulation time to go. Thus the Cinderella Yellow Canaries (and their rabid fans) drop unceremoniously out of the competition and Chelsea advances to their 4th CL semifinal appearance in 5 years where they will play Liverpool for the 3rd time in 4 years. I can hardly contain my excitement.

Can Stamford Bridge match Şükrü Saracoğlu?

Round of 8: Mid-Tie Power Rankings

1. The Terrible Twos
2. SaMo
3. Team Jerusalem
4. Cantona, Eastern Influence, JonnyRay United
5. Banana Island, Big Bend
6. Real Marin
7. Team EC
8. The Continentalist

* 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.

On the strength of away wins by United and Barca, the Terrible Twos maintain their lead midway through the Round of 8. SaMo was the only team to pick all four of the current advantage holders. Meanwhile The Continentalist needs Schalke and Chelsea to turn their ties around if he's to climb out of last. Leg 2 begins tomorrow.

David Beckham Goal: LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes

The Continentalist always loves a nutmeg.

Fenerbahce 2 - 1 Chelsea ( Deivid ) www.binevi.com

Round of 8: Leg 1, Day 2 Results

Brasilian forward Deivid atones for his earlier own-goal with the scorching game winner.

Fenerbahçe 2-1 Chelsea

Underdog Turkish side Fenerbahçe claimed the tie advantage from Chelsea with a 2-1 victory in a compelling match in front of a raucous Istanbul crowd at Sükrü Saraçoglu. The visiting Blues dominated the first half of play and sent the stadium into defeaning silence when a Florent Malouda chance was diverted by Deivid into an own goal in the 13th minute. The second half saw the home side regroup as the Yellow Canaries pressed hard against the English back line. In the 65th minute, Kazim Kazim finally broke through with the equaliser only to be topped when Deivid made up for his early gaffe with a stunning curving strike from distance to capture the lead. Zico will be pleased with his upstart side's result, but the Turks will have their hands full as the tie returns to Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.


Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool

In the first of 3 clashes in the next 8 days, Arsenal and Liverpool battled to an exhilarating 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium Tuesday night. The tight contest played out as expected for much of the first half with precious few chances created by either side. It was Emanuel Adebayor who broke the stalemate for the hosts with a superb header off a corner in the 23rd minute. But the celebration was short-lived as Liverpool Dirk Kuyt responded with the equaliser off a nicely delivered cross at the end of captain Steven Gerrard's nifty run. The Reds will like their chances to capitalize on their slender advantage as the tie resolves at Anfield next week.

Round of 8: Leg 1, Day 1 Results

17 year old Bojan Krkić becomes the 2nd youngest goal-scorer in CL history with his 12th minute match winner.

Schalke 04 0-1 Barcelona

Away side Barcelona grabbed the tie advantage with a slim 0-1 defeat of Schalke in Gelsenkirchen. The first half saw Barca's forwards and midfield combining much more crisply than in their recent domestic outings. In the 12th minute young Bojan Krkić capitalized on the flurry of activity with his the first CL goal of his career. If Schalke were lucky to go into the half down by only a goal, it was Barca who were extremely lucky to hold on to the win after several gilt-edged chances were blown by the German outfit during a sustained period of pressure in the second half. Barca will like their chances to advance with the aggregate lead and an away goal in hand as the tie returns to Camp Nou next week.


Roma 0-2 Manchester United

Mancheseter United snatched an authoritative tie advantage with a 0-2 drubbing of Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Missing captain Francesco Totti's replacement, Mirko Vučinić worked hard to give Roma the lead in the first half, but for all the Giallorossi's efforts it was United's Portugese star winger Cristiano Ronaldo who struck gold first with a 39th minute header delivered from Paul Scholes via Wayne Rooney. Roma came out determined to rally in the second half but again failed to convert while conceding the potential tie-decider in Wayne Rooney's brilliant finish on a Ji-Sung Park nod from a Wes Brown cross. With the Red Devils already having defeated the Giallorossi twice in the last 12 months at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson has to like his chances to advance to the semifinals for the second consecutive year.