Borussia Dortmund Drop Madrid, Headed to Wembley

4-3 

Real Madrid were facing a three goal deficit for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Borussia Dortmund following the stellar performance of striker Lewandowski.  Playing the second leg in Spain, Dortmund knew they did not have to be as good as they were a week ago in front of their fans, as the pressure was on Madrid to score.

Higuaín was again selected over Benzema to start for Madrid as the center forward and had a great opportunity to carve into the lead with an early goal.  Keeper Weidenfeller made a good save to deny the forward and his day did not improve after that.  Ronaldo and Özil also had very good chances early, but another big save from the keeper as well as a bad miss kept Dortmund sitting comfortably in front.

In the second-half Benzema replaced Higuaín and Kaka replaced Coentrão as the urgency to score increased.  Benzema was a positive change and gave hope to Madrid in the last the moments of the match.  Kaka played Özil into space wide right and he was able to pass to Benzema crashing the near-post for the first goal of the match (82').  Then the light at the end of the tunnel got a little bit brighter when Madrid scored again minutes later.  Benzema controlled a loose ball at the Dortmund end-line and picked out Sergio Ramos waiting at the six yard line.  Ramos used one touch to settle the ball before blasting the shot into the top netting (88').

Unfortunately for Real Madrid the scoring came too little too late and Borussia Dortmund held on for the final 4-3 aggregate score.  Dortmund will have to wait until the end of tomorrow's semi-final replay to know who they will face in London, though the odds are certainly in favor of Bayern Munich.  Dortmund may have to play without their central midfielder Mario Götze who left today's game early with an injury.  He is set to join Bayern Munich next season, but Dortmund need him to play now while they still have him.

Sans-Suarez Liverpool Crush Struggling Newcastle

 0-6 

Striker Luis Suarez is done for the season with a ten game ban following the ridiculous biting incident last weekend.  Today at Newcastle, his absence was not an issue as Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho more than made up for the Uruguayan.

Liverpool jumped out to an early lead when the centerback Agger scored with a header.  A diagonal cross played him into space and he finished by getting his header just over the keeper caught off his line (3').  Liverpool scored another shortly after by stretching the Newcastle defense.  Coutinho played a long through-ball that put Sturridge behind the back line.  Sturridge had the opportunity to shoot, but with the keeper crashing in on him, Sturridge instead made the smart pass wide to Henderson who finished on the empty net (17').

Newcastle made two changes after half-time and for the first few minutes of the second-half, Newcastle looked like they would get back into the match.  But sloppy possession from substitute Ben Arfa let Coutinho tackle the ball off of him and make a run at the defense.  Timing his run well, Coutinho passed to Sturridge for the finish in front of goal (54').  Moments later Sturridge scored again when Henderson returned the favor from the first-half.  Captain Gerrard released Henderson into space and again keeper Elliot was beat coming off his line when the easy pass found Sturridge wide to finish on an empty net (60').

At this point the Newcastle supporters started filing out of the stadium as they had had enough, though Liverpool had not.  Forward Borini came on for Liverpool and scored right away.  Winger Downing managed to drive to the end-line and hit Borini with a cutting pass.  Borini used his first-touch to find just enough space to work the shot, finishing with a toe-poke (74').

The Newcastle players were getting fed up as well and a brash tackle by the right-back Debuchy earned him a red card.  On the ensuing free-kick Liverpool scored a sixth and final goal.  Henderson's free-kick was intended to be attacked with a header, but nobody could get a touch and the ball ended up in the back of the net (76').  Though Suarez is responsible for the majority of Liverpool's goals this season, Sturridge has proven to be a positive addition to the club.  He will have a bigger role in the last few games of the season, and hopefully he can continue to build a relationship with his teammate Coutinho.

Lewandowski Electric Against Madrid

 4-1

For the second day in a row a German club demolished a top tier Spanish club in the Champions League semi-final.  Like Bayern Munich over Barcelona, today Borussia Dortmund hammered Real Madrid in the first of two meetings.

Also playing the first leg in Germany, Dortmund got off to a great start and scored early in the match.  Mario Götze played a cross into the box from the left side for Lewandowski sliding in at the far-post (8').  Later in the first-half Dortmund had shouts for a penalty when centerback Varane made a challenge on Reus in the Madrid box.  No foul was called by the referee and immediately after Madrid leveled the score.  Defender Hummels made a sloppy pass that Higuain intercepted who then found Ronaldo all alone in front for goal for an easy finish (43').

The Dortmund defense gave Madrid no more free-bees and the second-half was all about Lewandowski.  Shortly after the break Lewandowski put the home team back in front when a good through-ball from Reus played him behind the Madrid back line.  The striker used his first-touch to turn and face goal before finishing his second of the day (50').  Moments later Lewandowski completed the hat-trick when a shot from teammate Schmelzer was blocked but landed for him in front of goal (55').

But the Polish international wasn't quite finished as he was given one more chance from the penalty spot.  Xabi Alonso was called for a foul on Reus in the Madrid penalty area and the shot was scored by Lewandowski from the spot (67').

Real Madrid are almost in the same position as Barcelona heading into the second leg of the semi-final. Madrid have a slightly better chance with only a three goal deficit and an away goal in hand.  Still, like Barcelona, Madrid struggled to break through the German defenses and conceded four goals.  An all German final looks inevitable with the top two clubs from the Bundesliga knocking out the top two teams from La Liga.

Bayern Munich Pummels Barcelona

  4-0

Barcelona travelled to Germany for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.  Barcelona's defense has been banged up over the course of the season and with Puyol and Mascherano out, Marc Bartra had to start at centerback.  The inexperience of Bartra was a real weakness as Munich were able to penetrate the visitor's back line often.

Müller and Robben were in top form today with at least one of them getting involved in every Munich goal.  First Robben played a high cross into the box for Dante at the back-post.  Dante won the header and played the ball back across the goal for Müller crashing the opposite post.  Müller finished with a header for the only goal of the first-half (25').

Barcelona, as expected, held the majority of possession, however the team only had one off-target shot during the first-half of the game.  After half-time things only got worse for Barcelona as the German club played with more confidence and scored shortly after the break on a corner-kick.  Robben played another cross to the far-post, this time met by Müller with a header, laying the ball down for Gomez in front of goal (49').  There were some questions about Gomez being offsides, but no call was made on the field and the goal counted.

Robben then scored himself following a counter-attack led by Ribery.  Robben managed to find space to shoot inside the box and curled the ball around the keeper with his preferred left foot (73').  Again Barcelona protested the goal, this time for a basketball style pick set by Müller that helped Robben loose defender Jordi Alba.  Again no call was made and Munich pulled ahead 3-0.

Munich put one more in the Barcelona net as Müller finished his big day with another goal.  Ribery worked the overlap with fullback Alaba who fired a low cross into the box that Müller finished easily for a final score of 4-0 (82').

Barcelona have one foot out the door and need a huge turn-around next week at the Nou Camp.  Munich sit with a comfortable lead and their fans have already started booking their tickets for the final in London.

R.V.P. Scores Hat-Trick, United Clench League Title

  3-0

Aston Villa traveled to Old Trafford for the Monday night match against Manchester United.  With a win United make the point difference to large for second-place City to overcome.  Aston Villa on the other hand are on the verge of falling out of the Premier League for the first time since it began in 1992.

Van Persie started as the striker for United with Kagawa playing behind him and Rooney back in the holding midfield position next to Carrick.  Rooney is not seen in this position often, but he seemed to take to the new role, distributing the ball well out of the back.  

Aston Villa had trouble defending this offense and let United score early and often.  The first came in the opening moments of the match when Rafael played a cross to the far-post that Giggs was able to lay down across the face of goal.  Van Persie was waiting for the pass in front of the goal and finished easily put United in front (2').

Van Persie scored again when a long pass from Rooney fell perfectly for him.  Van Persie let the ball come down over his shoulder then hit it out of the air for a stunning finish (13').  The Dutch international had more in him though, and completed the hat-trick before half-time.  The play started with a through-ball from Kagawa that put Giggs behind the defense.  Giggs could have shot himself, but instead played a square-pass to Van Persie who scored his third of the game (33').

The second-half was better for Aston Villa as Benteke, Weimann, and substitute El Ahmadi were able to test the United keeper and stop United from scoring any more goals.  However Villa could not produce any goals in the second-half and United finished 3-0.

Manchester United now cannot be caught in the table and have now won the twenty league titles.  Aston Villa still have a lot to play for as they are dangerously close to finishing in the bottom three.  The last four games of the season will have a huge impact on the future of the club.

Liverpool-Chelsea Draw, Suarez Self-Destructs

 2-2  

Fernando Torres and manager Rafa Benítez returned to Anfield as Chelsea faced Liverpool in today's Premier League match.  Torres had a torrid time though and put nothing on target all game.  Despite his struggles, Chelsea created better chances in the first-half and scored from a set-piece.  Oscar lost his marker during a corner-kick and beat keeper Reina with a glancing header at the near-post (26').  Defender David Luiz then nearly scored with a skipping free-kick that Reina almost let slip through his hands.  

By half-time it was clear that Liverpool needed a change and after the break the former Chelsea forward Sturridge came on for an ineffective Coutinho.  Sturridge immediately made his presence felt, putting his first shot off the post and his second in the back of the net.  A real team effort, the play started with a long ball out of the back by Carrigher to Downing.  With his first-touch Downing was able to lay the long ball down for Suarez trailing behind him who used his first-touch to play Sturridge in-on-goal.   The finish was easy for Sturridge following the precise passing as Liverpool equalized (52').

The game then took an unusual turn as some questionable behavior was shown by forward Suarez.  First Suarez was caught using his hand to clear the ball on a Chelsea cross into the box.  Chelsea were given a Penalty and Suarez was booked for the offense.  Eden Hazard finished from the spot to put Chelsea back in front (57').  Moments later at the other end of the field, Suarez had a tie-up with defender Ivanovic.  The Chelsea centerback was quite upset after the altercation and reasonably so as the replay showed Suarez bit him on the arm.  The referee did not see the incident so the striker remained in the game, though further action may come later.

Suarez did manage some redemption late in stoppage-time.  On the very last play of the game Sturridge was able to play a cross into the box that fell right between two defenders for Suarez who finished with header at the near-post (90 +7').

Chelsea's Defenders Provide the Offense

 0-3

Coming off a disappointing F.A. Cup loss to Manchester City over the weekend, Chelsea were eager to bounce back in their league match against Fulham.  Playing at Craven Cottage, Fulham's best chance came in the first few minutes of the game when Bryan Ruiz missed a close-range shot.  The early goal by Fulham would have certainly put the home team in good shape, but instead Chelsea were able to take control.

Two goals in the first-half put Chelsea ahead, both coming from the two centerbacks.  David Luiz was given space and was able to step into a long shot thirty yards away from goal.  Basically creating something from nothing, Luiz's shot was sent tearing past an out-stretched keeper Schwarzer to find the net (30').  

The other centerback John Terry then scored the second first-half goal.  Terry stayed in the box after coming forward on a corner-kick and was picked out by Juan Mata with a long cross to the far-post for a header finish (43').  After half-time the captain and centerback scored again with a header.  Torres initially sent a header towards the far-post, but Terry intervened and took the goal for himself (72').  

Chelsea have another big match against Liverpool on the weekend before playing F.C. Basel in the Europa League.  Anfield will be a hostile environment as Torres and manager Benítez return to face their former club.

Manchester City to Face Wigan in FA Cup Final

2-1  

Wigan Athletic had a considerably easier route to the FA Cup final, handling lower-level Millwall 2-0 on Saturday.  Today, however, top-tier clubs Chelsea and Manchester City met for the other spot in next month's final.  

Manchester City settled into the game early and created several good chances, but Chelsea were lively as well and the match was being played end-to-end at a high pace.  City were first to score which started with a long run forward by Yaya Toure.  He found Agüero in the box who used his first-touch to play Nasri in-on-goal.  Nasri's first-touch was not kept close, but the ball came off a defender right back to his feet, giving him a close-range shot and finish (35').

Right after half-time City scored again when Barry lifted a diagonal ball into the box.  Agüero managed to get his head on the cross and place the ball just inside the near-post (47').

Now behind two goals, Chelsea manager Benítez had no choice but to send on striker Torres to help Demba Ba in the attack.  Before Torres could get involved though Ba scored when a long ball out of the back landed for him in the penalty area.  The finish was quite impressive as he had to spin in mid-air to get the volley away past the keeper (66').  Ba had another good look moments later, but a big save by back-up keeper Pantilimon denied the striker from equalizing.  

City used substitutes to slow down the game and managed to hold on to the lead.  They will face Wigan Athletic in mid-May and are the obvious favorites to lift the FA Cup.  They will likely have to do it without Agüero though, as a retrospective ban is surely coming for the striker.  Late in today's match the referee missed a big call when he allowed Agüero to remain on the field after a very nasty foul.  He clearly jumped and stomped on the back of David Luiz and while the referee missed it, the cameras did not.  

Barcelona Reach UCL Semi-Final

3-3 

The score was level coming into today's Champions League match between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, with a slight advantage to Barcelona with two away-goals.  Messi was unfit to start the match, still recovering from a hamstring problem picked up last time these teams met.  

By half-time Barcelona controlled over 60% of possession and worked more shots than P.S.G., but much of that possession was behind midfield and only one of the shots was on target.  Also when Barcelona did have the ball forward there was usually no more than one player in the box.  True the burden was on P.S.G. to score, but the Barcelona offense was clearly missing the creativity of Messi.  

After half-time P.S.G. took the lead for the first time in this quarterfinal.  During a counter-attack, Javier Pastore was played in behind the Barcelona defense by a cutting through-ball.  With loads of space the midfielder scored to put P.S.G. up 3-2 on aggregate (50').  

When the goal came, Messi started to get loose and entered the match with about half-an-hour left, replacing a rather ineffective Fabregas.  With Messi on the field Barcelona played with more confidence and scored the equalizer.  David Villa had the ball in the P.S.G. penalty area and was able to lay off a pass to Pedro just outside the box.  Running right at goal, Pedro ripped the shot first-time to beat keeper Sirigu and reclaim the aggregate lead (71').  

Though P.S.G. never actually lost to Barcelona over the two match span, the two away-goals Barcelona scored in Paris were the difference.  

Real Madrid Get Past Galatasaray

 3-5

Real Madrid came into the match with a comfortable three goal lead and playing in Istanbul did not seem to affect their confidence early in the match.  A quick strike put them ahead, and put Galatasaray further in the hole.

Özil played Khedira into space near the end-line who then fired a cross in front of goal.  Ronaldo was playing right along the back line and was first to meet the cross, turning it into the net (8').

Madrid did not really have any issues in the first-half except an injury to right-back Michael Essien.  He had hamstring problems and came out for Arbeloa after half-an-hour.  The second-half was quite different, however, as Galatasaray managed to break through the Madrid defense.

First Sneijder played a ball into the box for the right-back Eboué making a trailing run.  Eboué hit the shot first-time to beat keeper Diego Lopez at the near-post (57').  Shortly after Sneijder missed a great chance to score, but was given another chance soon after.  Substitute Sabri Sarioglu played a through-ball to put Sneijder in-on-goal.  His first touch beat fullback Varane with a nut-meg to give hime a clear shot on goal that he did not miss (70').  

Then Galatasaray really put the pressure on Madrid when Drogba showed that he still has it with an inspired goal.  The cross was played just behind him at the near-post, but Drogba was able to turn on the ball and give it a heel-flick to beat Diego Lopez for the third time in fifteen minutes (72').  If Madrid had not scored the early goal the score would be tied, but they did and Ronaldo had one more in him during stoppage-time.  Benzema picked out Ronaldo with a pass inside the box that he drilled first-time to end any hopes for Galatasaray (90 +2').

City Win Manchester Bragging Rights

1-2

The Manchester Derby is always a big match, and these days titles can be won or lost when the two clubs throw-down.  Manchester City seem as though they will have to hand the title over to rivals United at the end of the season, but town bragging rights are still on the line.  United won the first meeting at the Etihad Stadium in December so revenge was on the minds of the City players today.

The first-half ended scoreless with possession and chances about even.  A few yellow cards were issued too, which is expected when these teams meet.  After the break the game heated up and City scored early in the second-half.  Nasri laid a ball off that Milner was able to strike.  Milner's shot took a slight deflection off Phil Jones on the way in towards goal, but not enough to keep it out of the net (51').  

The lead did not last long though as United responded moments later.  Van Persie delivered the cross into the box from a free-kick that Jones was able to connect with at the back-post.  More of a shoulder than a header, the ball came off Jones into the back of City captain Kompany that sent the ball into the net for an own-goal and a United equalizer (59').  

Agüero then came off the bench for the last twenty minutes to reclaim the lead for City.  It did not take him long either as he scored after a very good individual effort.  Coming across the box to his right, Agüero managed to shake Phil Jones to work the shot for the match-winning goal (78').  United remain well clear of City in the table, but the City fans can at least appreciate this win at Old Trafford for now.  

Gunners Eye Top-Four Finish

2-1

Arsenal, like many teams in the Premier League, are just trying to keep up with the leaders and finish in the top-four.  The Gunners are just out of place as the table stands, but a road win today against West Bromwich puts pressure on the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham.  

Rosicky has had limited starts for Arsenal this season, and today he made the most of his opportunity.  Gervinho did well to work some space in the box after getting defender McAuley turned around.  It looked as though Gervinho was attempting to curl a shot towards the far-post, but Rosicky saw it as a cross.  Using quick reflexes, Rosicky scored with a header for the only goal of the first-half (20').  

Though he is not known for scoring many goals, the Czech international scored a second shortly after half-time.  Aaron Ramsey played him into space and Rosicky had his initial shot saved by the keeper.  Ben Foster could not control the shot and Rosicky was able to follow up his own rebound for the goal (50').  

The match stayed close and West Bromwich managed to keep things interesting when they scored from the Penalty spot.  Forward Shane Long controlled a ball in the box with a nice chest-trap before he was caught from behind by defender Mertesacker.  The Arsenal centerback was sent off for the challenge and James Morrison scored the ensuing penalty shot (71').  

West Bromwich used the advantage to press the ball forward for the remainder of the match and worked a few more good chances.  However Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger used all his substitutes to bring on defensive players Vermaelen, Gibbs, and Coquelin to retain the lead. 

No Real Problem Against Galatasaray

Turkish club Galatasaray travelled to Madrid to play the first leg of this Champions League quarter-final.  Galatasaray is not nearly as world renowned as Real Madrid, but recently they have acquired some top name like Wesley Sneijder, Didier Drogba, Felipe Melo, and Emmanuel Eboué.  Unfortunately today against Madrid those stars were unable to shine.

Madrid scored quickly when Özil played a great through-ball that split two defenders to put Ronaldo in-on-goal.  Ronaldo finished by chipping the keeper for an early lead (9').  Benzema then scored a second for Madrid when a cross from fullback Essien came to him at the back-post.  Ronaldo jumped to try to attack the cross, but it was just over his head and Benzema was able to control comfortably before finishing (29').  

Drogba had a few chances to score in the first-half, but an alert Diego Lopez in goal denied the striker.  Galatasaray put up less of a fight in the second-half though as Madrid extended their lead.  Benzema came off for Higuaín and he was quick to get involved.  Xabi Alonso played a free-kick over the top that Higuaín finished with a header (73').  

After the third goal Madrid were well out of reach and the frequent substitutions and bookings took all the energy out of the game.  Next Tuesday Real Madrid will play the rematch in Istanbul and Galatasaray have quite a tall order to fill.

Late Goals In Paris Help Hold Off Barcelona

David Beckham’s experience led to his start for P.S.G. in today’s Champions League match against Barcelona.  Though his age is a concern, especially playing a team that is known for dominating possession, he has played in over 100 UCL games.  Ibrahimovic was also included after having his suspension was reduced which was a big break for the home team.  Beckham was rather quite in the match though, as was Barcelona striker Messi.  In fact, Messi only managed his first shot late in the first-half.

Dani Alvez lifted a ball into the box with the outside of his foot to put Messi in-on-goal.  Hitting the shot off the volley Messi finished for the only goal of the half (38′).  Feeling confident he ripped another shot from the edge of the box moments later, but missed the frame by inches.  After that shot he showed some discomfort and limped around for the last few minutes of the half, then replaced by Fabregas after the break.

The pace of the game slowed down a bit in the second-half as Barcelona were protecting the lead with careful possession.  Also both sides used up all substitutes and the yellow cards started coming out often.  With about ten minutes left, however, the game got more interesting.

Ibrahimovic had two great chances in a matter of minutes.  The first was a shot denied by keeper Valdes that Ibrahimovic worked after two Barcelona defenders collided and stayed on the ground.  Shortly after the striker got a free shot that came when teammate Thiago Silva’s header hit the post.  The ball deflected right in front of goal off the post for an easy finish (79′).  Replay showed he was offsides when the header was played and should have been called offsides.  Unfortunately for Barcelona no such call was made and the equalizer counted.

Barcelona did get some satisfaction though when Alexis Sanchez won a penalty for the visitors as regulation ran out.  Keeper Sirigu missed his tackle on Sanchez to concede the penalty which was finished by captain Xavi from the spot (89′).  Paris seemed out of the match, and in all likelihood out of the tournament, but the final touch of the match put them right back in the mix.  Fullback Jallet lifted a ball into the box that Ibrahimovic was able to head down for teammate Matuidi.  Running onto the ball Matuidi hit the shot first-time to beat Valdes and again equalize the score (90 +4′).

The second-leg of this quarter-final will take place next Wednesday in Spain.  Barcelona have the away goal advantage as it stands, but Paris Saint-Germain have given themselves a great chance going forward thanks to the late goal.