The African Dream - All The Same Family

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Final Standings 2009

It was a tight race this year, but in the end the top three in the table were the teams which picked Barcelona to win the final from the very beginning. Congrats go out to the Continentalist who takes first place with a pretty remarkable 13-2 record. Through the years the Continentalist has been the most consistent of all the pool teams with a 1st place finish in the original 2006 World Cup Friends Pool, 2nd place finish in the 2007 CL Pool, and a final pick win away from taking it all in 2008 both in the CL and the Euros. As for us, we finished above mid to lower table for the first time -- guess it was inevitable with a Barcelona win. Props also to Claret & Blue for a third place finish in his pool debut. It's been a fun run, y'all. We've kept the torch lit since the 2006 World Cup to bridge the gap to South Africa 2010. We'll be passing it back to the Continentalist and hopefully be seeing you all next year when the stakes are much higher than best club in Europe. Cheers, RM.

¡¡¡ Barça, Barça, Barça !!!

Captain Puyol and the rest of the blaugrana hoist the trophy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

FC Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United FC

Eto'o 10'

Messi 70'

FC Barcelona surprised a great many in the football world with a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Manchester United in Rome to take the Champions League title away from the current holders and complete the historic treble. Having won the Spanish League and the Copa Del Rey the week before, Barcelona became the first Spanish side to add the European championship to the domestic double. Leading up to the match there was consensus among football punditry and experts alike that United were the favorites -- if not heavy favorites -- to repeat as European champions. Indeed there was not much one could argue to the contrary as the Catalans had managed only one goal in their previous 12 halves against English sides – their nifty passing and technical ability seemingly no match for the strength and defensive prowess of the top Premiership clubs. On this night however Barça found the breakthrough which had eluded them for much of the last three campaigns.

The pre-match debate as to Sir Alex’s planned tactics -- would he come out and attack Barça’s makeshift defense, or would he park the bus and defend in the hopes of scoring on a counter or free kick -– was answered decisively in the first ten minutes as United dominated the proceedings by launching wave after wave of attack on Barcelona’s net. However, against the run of play, in the 10th minute a clever run by Iniesta was finished when Samuel Eto’o juked past Vidic and fired a shot past Edwin van der Sar for Barça’s first goal. The surprise of the ensuing 80 minutes was that United never seemed to recover from the letdown of this initial concession and were unable to regain the initiative that had so clearly been theirs at the start. The nervy match was put out of reach in the 70th minute in an unlikely manner when 5’7” Lionel Messi deftly headed a beautifully served cross from Xavi for the blaugrana’s second and final goal.

Though it is difficult for me to put an exact finger on how Barça was able to control the majority of the match against such a strong United side, I think it is safe to say the battle was won in the midfield. Having already won the Euro 2008 tournament for Spain, Xavi and Iniesta are proving to be one of the most effective midfield tandems in world football. To their credit United seemed unwilling to hack away at the mighty mites the way that Chelsea had, and this extra bit of fairplay allowed the duo the space to orchestrate the passing game that has won Barça so many accolades this season.

Regardless of whether a cynic can question Barcelona’s right to play in the final after a terrible performance by the referee in the 2nd leg of the semifinal with Chelsea, no one can question the quality of the season that the Catalans assembled. Having beat their arch-rivals Real Madrid by an aggregate 8-2 in La Liga, they marched decisively through some of Europe’s stiffest competition on route to the CL title. They beat the reigning French champs Lyon 6-3 on aggregate, reigning German champs Bayern Munich 5-1 on aggregate, then defeated last year’s runners-up Chelsea, only to beat back-to-back English champs Manchester United in the final.

FC Barcelona have themselves said this is the greatest single season in the club’s long and storied history. After two trophy-less years and a steady decline in the club’s performance, Pep Guardiola’s rookie season at the helm could not have gone any better. His main challenge will be where to go from here.

As Cantona once explained to me, the football pendulum tends to swing back and forth between eras of attacking grace and those of stout, stodgy defense. With Spain’s dazzling conquest of the Euros and Barcelona’s capturing of this year’s CL title, joga bonito appears to be in the ascendency. Next year’s Champions League, and, most importantly, World Cup tournament will go a long way in determining how the current era is viewed in perpetuity. Personally, I’ve got my fingers crossed that the goal-scorer’s get their way.

Real Marin celebrate Barça’s championship with a bottle (or two) of Spanish vino.

Final 2009: FC Barcelona v. Manchester United FC

Round of 4 Pool Standings

It seems that each year the pool gets tighter and tighter, which may speak to the increasing football savviness of the participants. Coming off of two consecutive runner-up finishes, Cantona is poised to capture this year's pool if his beloved United can repeat as European champions. It also appears that the Bonus Pick (worth 3 pts.) could be a big factor in determining the prize-winners. With Cantona, Banana Island, and Team Auckland all having picked Manchester United to win it all, the Continentalist stands out in the second place pack as the only one to have picked Barça. What does this all mean? I'll leave it to you to ponder, but keep in mind that the final is worth 8 pts.

United v. Barça is a dream match up for most of the world's football fans. With a little luck we'll get a more open contest than the two matches they played against each other in last year's semifinals. Enjoy. And to the many United fans in the pool -- may the best side win ;)

Last 4 Results: Leg 2, Day 2

¡¡ Iniesta!!

Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona {Agg: 1-1, Barcelona advance on away goals}

Essien 9'

------------------------------Iniesta 90+3'

Wow.

Tough to sum this match up in a short post. Chelsea looked much more dangerous thoughout this match than they ever did at Camp Nou. Despite once again having very little possession, the Blues had many more good chances on net than Barça did. While Chelsea looked strong, they did very little to build up play from the back or midfield and their lone goal came on a brilliant -- but one-in-a-hundred -- strike from Michael Essien off a flukey deflection near the top of the box. However, after being held scoreless for 183 minutes, Andres Iniesta (who has been Barça's best player over the last month or more) scored the tie-winner in breathtaking fashion with Barcelona's first shot on target the entire night in the 3rd minute of extra time to send the blaugrana through.

If the first leg ended with Barcelona feeling they'd been robbed by the referee, tonight's match ended the same, but even more heatedly, for the Londoners. To be fair, the referee had a terrible game and Chelsea supporters will surely feel they were cheated out of an appearance in Rome through several missed penalty calls -- the most obvious omission being a hand ball by Pique late in the second half. But the bad decisions affected both sides as Barça's left back Eric Abidal was sent off with a ridiculous red on what appeared to be almost no contact in a challenge against Nicolas Anelka, leaving Barcelona to fend with only 10 men for almost 30 minutes. After the final whistle the Blues completely lost their composure with Didier Drogba flying in the face of the referee and yelling "It's a fucking disgrace" into the TV cameras.

In the end, people can bitch all they want about referees, but it was Chelsea's refusal to push for an away goal in Barcelona which left them exposed. This match will be debated for a long time to come, but the CL Final in Rome is a dream matchup for the neutral. Barça will be missing both their right and left backs-- Abidal and Dani Alves, respectively -- due to suspension (have I mentioned how much I hate the fact that cards are carried over into the final?).

Barcelona will certainly be considered the underdog as they are facing the in-form defending champions and have shown over the last few years to have a very difficult time scoring against English sides. Still, the final will feature the potent strength and attacking power of Manchester United against the finesse of the highest goal-scoring side in Europe in Barcelona. Mouth-watering to say the least.

¡Visca Barça!

BarçaBarça final?

Last 4 Results: Leg 2, Day 1

Park Ji-Sung all but ends the tie in the 8th minute.

Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United {Agg: 1-4, Manchester United advance}
------------------------------Park 8'
------------------------------Ronaldo 11'
------------------------------Ronaldo 61'
Van Persie 76'

Manchester United proved to have too much power and class for Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday, putting the tie away with two goals inside the first 11 minutes. The rout started when Park Ji-Sung capitalized off young Gunner defender Kieron Gibbs' slip on a Ronaldo cross. Next the Emirates were stunned when Ronaldo nailed a scorcher of a free kick from well outside the area. Finally they sealed the tie early in the second half with a lightning counter attack that covered a ton of pitch in an instant: Ronaldo back flick-Park-Rooney-Ronaldo... match over. On a night which Arsene Wegner described as his worst in 25 years of managing, United dominated in every aspect and have surely shown they deserve to defend their title in Rome on May 27th. The only black mark for the Red Devils on an otherwise glorious night was the harsh red card given to Darren Fletcher for a tackle on Cesc Fabregas in the area which means the industrious Scottish midfielder will miss the final. Congrats to the United fans in the pool -- you have a lot to look forward to in your second consecutive CL Final appearance. Tomorrow we'll learn who will challenge you.

WB & Me

Wear it with pride.

On the eve of the second legs of the semifinals, just thought I'd give a shout out to my peeps from WB. This is the shirt Cantona gave me in 2006 when I left for an LA stint. It was worn by an indoor team the studio fielded in 2000 which was eventually disbanded due to excessive injuries and a shallow bench. Along with the World Cup 2006 Friends Pool, it's what tipped me into following club football. Many good times at lunch watching World Cup matches at the J&B, and CL matches on the screening room's HD projection TV with Cantona, Banana Island, and Claret & Blue. In that spirit, the Continentalist and I'll be watching the second half of Arsenal v. United at Bobby G's in Berkeley tomorrow in case anyone can swing by.

Peace out, WB and x-WB'ers.

Round of 4: Mid-Tie Power Rankings

1. Team Jerusalem
2. Eastern Influence
3. Cantona
4. Banana Island
---Team Auckland
---The Continentalist
5. Real Marin
6. The Claret & Blue
7. Crown City FC

With everyone picking United over Arsenal, the only separation in this round's Power Rankings was Team Jerusalem and Eastern Influence picking Chelsea over Barcelona. The Gunners appear to be in too big of a hole to overcome United. While most give Chelsea the edge for keeping a clean sheet at Camp Nou, the lack of an away goal could come back to bite them. The Catalans are riding high off an historic 2-6 victory in Madrid on Saturday, and if Barca scores first the Blues won't be able to park the bus in front of the goal. Cheers to the semis.

Last 4 Results: Leg 1, Day 2

John O'Shea is the unlikely hero as he scores the leg's lone goal for United.

Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal

O'Shea '17

Manchester United acheived the result Sir Alex Ferguson claimed he desired, a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford. While they will be happy to have kept a clean sheet, the Red Devils may regret that they didn't put the tie away with a second or third goal after dominating long stretches of the match. Keeper Manuel Almunia was the Gunner's saving grace as he came up with several fantastic stops to limit the damage and keep the Londoners in the tie with a glimmer of hope as the sides square off at the Emirates on Tuesday.

Last 4 Results: Leg 1, Day 1

Ugly.

Barcelona 0-0 Chelsea

In a virtual replay of last year's semifinal against Manchester United at the Camp Nou, Barcelona's high flying attack were frustrated by a single-mindedly defensive Chelsea game plan. Guus Hiddink took a page out of Sir Alex's playbook and was content to sit back and clog all the space in the box and hope for a lucky goal on a counter or set piece. Despite the fact that Barca controlled 65% of the possession, and out shot them 20-3, the Blues were rarely worried as Barca were forced to take most of their shots well outside the area. The tie will now be decided at Stamford Bridge with the worst news for Barca being the loss of their veteran central defenders, Rafa Marquez to a season-ending knee injury, and team captain Carles Puyol to suspension for picking up his 3rd yellow card. Chelsea must now be considered favorites to reprise their appearance in the final as the momentum swings decidedly the way of the tenacious Londoners.

Round of 4: Barcelona v. Chelsea

Round of 4: Manchester United v. Arsenal

Brackets: Semifinals

(click to enlarge)

Round of 8 Pool Standings

Once again the Power Rankings have proved atypically prescient in predicting the pool teams' standings. With each pick in this round worth 4 points, Team Jerusalem retains his place at the top of the table with an impressive 11-1 record, but shares the spot with Cantona who's EPL expertise and "law of averages" theory on English head-to-head matches saw him correctly select Chelsea over Liverpool. As mentioned before, the rest of us all picked en masse, except for Eastern Influence who also rode lucky Guus Hiddink up a couple positions on the table, while Crown City FC's Bayern boys let him down both literally and figuratively.

The next round figures to separate the wheat from the chaff as each correct pick is worth 6 pts. The ties begin next Tuesday, April 28th so be looking to make your selections over the weekend.

Last 8 Results: Leg 2, Day 2

C. Ronaldo is pumped about the tie-winner.

Porto 0-1 Manchester United {Agg: 2-3, United advance}
------------------------------Ronaldo '6

Cristiano Ronaldo's scorching 35m strike proved all that was necessary to eliminate Porto from the competition. United's defense looks to be back in form as they finally delivered a clean sheet for the first time in six matches.


Arsenal 3-0 Villarreal {Agg: 4-1, Arsenal advance}
Walcott '10
Adebayor '60
Van Persie '69 (pen)

Arsenal made good on their reputation for attacking football in a dominant performance against upstart Villarreal. Young English international Theo Walcott has emerged from injury in even better form as he contributed heavily to the Gunners' forays into the Yellow Submarine's defense. Arsenal will face Manchester United in the fourth all-English semifinal in five years. Incidentally, this is the third year in a row that three English sides are featured in the last four.

Last 8 Results: Leg 2, Day 1

Drogba and Ballack celebrate Alex's scorching free kick goal in a wild one at the Bridge.

Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool {Agg: 7-5, Chelsea advance}
------------------------------Aurelio '19
------------------------------Alonso '29 (pen)
Drogba '51
Alex '57
Lampard '76
------------------------------Lucas '81
------------------------------Kuyt '83
Lampard '89

In a match which some are already calling perhaps the best CL match ever played, Chelsea stormed back to defeat Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Twice Liverpool were one goal away from pulling off an astounding comeback to advance to the Last 4, but the Blues were up to the task each time. Lampard's goal in the 89th minute was the final nail in the Reds' CL coffin.


Bayern Munich 1-1 Barcelona {Agg: 1-5, Barcelona advances}
Ribery '47
------------------------------Keita '73

Bayern proved to be more energetic on home soil with a much more dangerous attack in the opening half of the second leg. As transfer rumors swirl, Ribery did well in what may have been a job interview for his future club by scoring the only German goal against them early in the second half of play. However, Malian Sedou Keita delivered the knock out blow with a lethal finish on a deft dish from Xavi after a beautifully built-up series of one touch passes.

Last 8: Mid-Tie Power Rankings

1. Cantona
___Team Jerusalem
2. Banana Island
___Big Bend (Team Auckland)
___The Continentalist
3. Real Marin
___Easter Influence
4. Claret & Blue
5. Crown City FC

There was a definite herd mentality in this round's picks. Out of the 36 picks made there were only 3 deviations from the group: Cantona and Eastern Influence picking Chelsea, and Crown City FC picking his boys from Munich. Chelsea's surprise spanking of Liverpool at Anfield sees Cantona and EI rise up through the ranks, while Bayern's listless debacle at the Camp Nou has cast CCFC down to the very bottom. Of course nothing's decided yet, and with this being Easter, there's always hope that CCFC will rise again.

We'll know more when the second leg matches are played this Tuesday and Wednesday.

Last 8 Results: Leg 1, Day 2

On a night of surprising results, Branislav Ivanovic scores the first of his two header goals in Chelsea's 3-1 victory at Anfield.

Liverpool 1-3 Chelsea
Torres '6
------------------------------Ivanovic '39
------------------------------Ivanovic '62
------------------------------Drogba '67

Barcelona 4-0 Bayern Munchen
Messi '9
Eto'o '12
Messi '38
Henry '43

Last 8 Results: Leg 1, Day 1

Emmanuel Adebayor saves Arsenal in spectacular fashion with an all-important away goal to secure the 1-1 draw on Spanish soil.

Villarreal 1-1 Arsenal
Senna '10
---------------------- Adebayor '66


Manchester United 2-2 Porto
-----------------------Rodriguez '4
Rooney '15
Tevez '85
-----------------------Mariano '89

Round of 8: Villarreal v. Arsenal

Round of 8: Manchester United v. Porto

Round of 8: Liverpool v. Chelsea

Round of 8: Barcelona v. Bayern

Waiting Out the International Break

While we wait for the Champions League to resume next week, I thought I'd throw out some videos of goals from the last week of league play. Two of the more in-form teams in Europe right now are Liverpool and Barcelona, who won 5-0 and 6-0 respectively when last they played.

Apologies to The Claret & Blue for highlighting a win against his Villa side, but the Reina to Reira goal embedded above takes the idea of 'direct football' to a whole new level. While it is still difficult to envision the Reds catching United in the EPL, watch out in the Champions League. Rafa knows how to win in Europe.

After hitting a month long rough patch, Barca seem to be back in groove that led them to a record breaking first half of the season. If you have a few minutes, take a look at the six goals here. If not, at least look at this mazey Leo Messi run. Forca Barca!

Also... please note that in the CL match results posted below (and from this point forward), text with the name of the goal scorer and time of goal hyperlinks to a video of the goal. Enjoy!

Last 8 Draw

Villarreal v. Arsenal
Manchester United v. FC Porto
Liverpool FC v. Chelsea FC
FC Barcelona v. FC Bayern München

Round of 16 Pool Standings

The Round of 16 results are in and have proven the Power Rankings uncharacteristically accurate. As we've seen the last two years, the EPL is making its case as the strongest league in the world with English sides comprising four of the last 8.

Last year I made a huge deal of The Terrible Twos (aka Biggamag) sweeping all eight first round picks, citing the astronomical odds of the occurrence in World Soccer Daily's pool. Who'da thunk Team Jerusalem would go out and repeat the feat the very next year? Perhaps sweeping is not as crazy as I thought... or, more likely, the World's Game is rubbing off on our very own Middle Easterner -- even during the onset of March Madness. Regardless, the man doesn't have a lot of breathing room as Banana Island, Big Bend, and The Continentalist are nipping at his heels. Also of note is Eastern Influence surprisingly far out of the mix at this early stage. Could his 2 year run as CL Pool champ be coming to an end? Is SOB SOL? No doubt he's wondering if EI's already talked him out of his precious pesos. And lastly, I just have to point out that in totally whiffing on my first pass at the tabulations, the only change in standings order is CCFC dropping from 2nd down to 3rd. Sorry, Jerver, some guys just can't catch a break.

At any rate, the tables can definitely turn as we make it further into the tournament. Subsequent rounds are worth progressively more points, with the next round's picks worth 4 pts each. Stay tuned for the Final 8 draw this Friday.

Lastly, please don't hesitate to verify your score yourself... I can use the backup.

Last 16 Results: Leg 2, Day 2

Titi Henry celebrates the first of his two goals with the Camp Nou faithful as Barca launch an attacking display to remember against Lyon.

Porto 0-0 Atletico {Agg: 2-2, Porto advance on away goals}

Barcelona 5-2 Lyon {Agg: 6-3, Barcelona advance}
25' Henry (click on goals for videos)
27' Henry
40' Messi
43' Eto'o
------------------------44' Makoun
------------------------48' Juninho
90+5' Keita

Roma 1-0 Arsenal {Agg: 1-1, 6-7 pen, Arsenal advance on penalties}
9' Juan

Manchester United 2-0 Inter Milan (Agg: 2-0, Manchester United advance}
4' Vidić
49' Ronaldo

Last 16 Results: Leg 2, Day 1

El Nino, Fernando Torres leaves Madrid's Gabriel Heinze in his wake en route to a massive 5-0 aggregate drubbing of the Spanish Champs.

Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid {Aggregate: 5-0, Liverpool advances}
Torres 16 (click on goals for videos)
Gerrard 28 (pen), 47
Dossena 88

Chelsea 2-2 Juventus {Agg: 3-2, Chelsea advances}

____________________________Iaquinta 19
Essien 45+1
____________________________Del Piero 74 (pen)

Drogba 83

Panathinaikos 2-1 Villarreal {Agg: 3-2, Villarreal advances}
____________________________Ibagaza 49
Mantzios 55
____________________________Llorente 70

Bayern Munchen 7-1 (!!) Sporting {Agg: 12-1, Bayern advances}
Podolski 7, 34
Polga (o.g.) 39
____________________________Moutinho
Schweinsteiger 43
Van Bommel 74
Klose 82 (pen)
Muller 90

Last 16: Mid-Tie Power Rankings

1. Team Jerusalem
2. Banana Island
___Big Bend (Team Auckland)
___The Continentalist
3. Crown City FC
4. Cantona
___Real Marin
5. Claret & Blue
6. Eastern Influence
7. SOB

Although a little late, here are the Mid-Tie Power Rankings. For the newbies, these power rankings are a completely subjective formulation based on the results from the first leg of the current round. In each tie, a club is determined to have a slight advantage, an advantage, or a strong advantage. Based on each pool team's picks, points are awarded, and thus the above rankings.

The advantage holders which caused the most separation in this round are Porto, Arsenal, and Liverpool due to the fact that the pool split evenly in these ties. If you picked Liverpool, you are most likely in the top half of the rankings by virtue of them holding a solid advantage over Madrid having won on the road. Anybody really think Los Blancos are going to win in Anfield? The biggest toss-up goes to United. I know they failed to get that all-important away goal, but after the offensive barrage they unleashed in the San Siro, I just don't see them giving it up at Old Trafford... slight advantage goes (utterly unscientifically) to United.

Team Jerusalem is out of the gates strong, as I believe has been his pattern in the past. Alas, Los Amigos Mexicanos (EI and SOB) are sharing agave shooters as they stumble off to the side of the track for a breather.

Last 16 Results: Leg 1, Day 2

French winger Franck Ribery proved unstoppable en route to a 5-0 ass-whooping of Sporting.

Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool

Chelsea 1-0 Juventus

Villarreal 1-1 Panathinaikos

Sporting 0-5 Bayern Munchen

Last 16 Results: Leg 1, Day 1

Atletico 2-2 Porto

Lyon 1-1 Barcelona

Arsenal 1-0 Roma

Inter 0-0 Man. United

It Begins

Round of 16: Atlético Madrid v. FC Porto

Round of 16: Lyon v. FC Barcelona

Round of 16: Arsenal v. Roma

Round of 16: Inter Milan v. Manchester United

Round of 16: Real Madrid v. Liverpool

Round of 16: Chelsea v. Juventus

Round of 16: Villarreal v. Panathinaikos

Round of 16: Sporting Clube de Portugal v. Bayern Munich

Bonus: Who will win it all?