UEFA Champions League 2005/06

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Goal Stats

29 Total Goals
2.42 Goals Per Game

Total Assisted Goals: 21
Total Penalty Goals: 1 (out of 1 awarded)
Total Own Goals: 0

Goals per 15 minute period

 1'-15' =  1    (3.4%)
16'-30' =  6   (20.7%)
31'-45' =  6   (20.7%)
46'-60' =  1    (3.4%)
61'-75' =  5   (17.2%)
76'-90' = 10   (34.5%)
TOTAL  29

Disciplinary Stats

21 Yellow Cards
1 Red Cards


Top Goalscorers
5 - Eidur Gudjohnsen (Chelsea), Robbie Keane (Celtic), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona)
4 - Robinho (AS Monaco), Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
3 - Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (PSV), Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy (both Manchester United), Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Benni McCarthy (FC Porto), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Roy Makaay (Bayern)
2 - Rivaldo (Olympiacos), Luciano Figueroa (Villareal), John Hartson (Celtic), Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Benoit Pedretti (Lyon), Allessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Angelos Charisteas (Ajax), Alex Rae (Rangers), Obafemi Martins, Adriano (both Inter Milan), Maksim Shatskikh (Dynamo Kyiv)


Top Assisters
3 - Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Deco (Barcelona), Juninho Pernambucano (Lyon)
2 - Joe Cole (Chelsea), Rivaldo (Olympiacos), Christian Wilhelmsson (PSV), Paul Scholes (Manchester United), Zlatko Zahovic (Benfica), Alan Thompson (Celtic), Raul (Real Madrid), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Javier Saviola (AS Monaco), Diego (FC Porto), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), David Trezeguet (Arsenal), Dado Prso (Rangers), Maris Verpakovskis (Dynamo Kyiv)

[calcutta]

Only two more rounds to go...

GROUP A

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Chelsea          4  3  0  1   9   3   +6   9
Olympiacos       4  2  2  0   5   2   +3   8
PSV Eindhoven    4  1  0  3   3   7   -4   3
Sparta Praha     4  0  2  2   1   6   -5   2

GROUP B

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Manchester Utd   4  3  1  0   7   3   +4  10
AC Milan         4  2  0  2   4   5   -1   6
Villareal        4  1  1  2   5   6   -1   4
Benfica          4  0  2  2   3   5   -2   2

GROUP C

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Celtic           4  3  1  0   8   3   +5  10
Real Madrid      4  2  1  1   5   3   +2   7
Lyon             4  1  2  1   5   3   +2   5
Werder Bremen    4  0  0  4   2  11   -9   0

GROUP D

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Juventus         4  3  1  0   6   2   +4  10
AS Monaco        4  2  1  1   4   2   +2   7
FC Porto         4  1  2  1   4   4    0   5
Schalke          4  0  0  4   0   6   -6   0

GROUP E

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Barcelona        4  3  0  1  10   4   +6   9
Arsenal          4  2  0  2   7   6   +1   6
Ajax             4  2  0  2   4   6   -2   6
Panathinaikos    4  1  0  3   3   8   -5   3

GROUP F

                 
                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Bayern Munich    4  2  1  1   6   6    0   7
Inter Milan      4  1  3  0   5   4   +1   6
Dynamo Kyiv      4  1  2  1   5   4   +1   5
Rangers          4  0  2  2   3   5   -2   2

TIE-BREAKERS

If 2 teams are tied on points, the higher ranked team is the team with:
1) better head-to-head record incorporating the away goals rule;
2) better goal difference;
3) higher goals for.

If 3 or more teams are tied on points, the higher ranked team is the team with:
1) better goal difference;
2) higher goals for.

[calcutta]

Only the top TWO runners-up will join the group winners in the knock-out rounds...


WILDCARD STANDINGS

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Olympiacos       4  2  2  0   5   2   +3   8
Real Madrid      4  2  1  1   5   3   +2   7
--------------------------------------------
AS Monaco        4  2  1  1   4   2   +2   7
Arsenal          4  2  0  2   7   6   +1   6
Inter Milan      4  1  3  0   5   4   +1   6
AC Milan         4  2  0  2   4   5   -1   6

WILDCARD TIE-BREAKERS

If 2 or more teams are tied on points, the higher ranked team is the team with:
1) better goal difference;
2) higher goals for;
3) better record against respective group winner.

[liaoclair]

This is my only European hope for Celtic this year -- real-life squad is depressingly awful.

[calcutta]

It's the penultimate round of the group stage...

DAY 1

Match of the Day
B) AC Milan vs Manchester United (Guiseppe Meazza)

A) Chelsea vs Sparta Praha
A) PSV vs Olympiacos
B) Villareal vs Benfica
C) Lyon vs Real Madrid
C) Celtic vs Werder Bremen

DAY 2

Match of the Day
F) Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan (Allianz Arena)

D) Juventus vs AS Monaco
D) FC Porto vs Schalke
E) Panathinaikos vs Arsenal
E) FC Barcelona vs Ajax
F) Dynamo Kyiv vs Rangers


Injuries
Arjen Robben (Chelsea) - cleared to play in Week 5 game vs Sparta Praha; toe
Ludovic Magnin (Werder Bremen) - cleared to play in Week 5 game at Celtic; ankle
Mladen Krstajic (Schalke) - will miss Week 5 game at Porto; thigh

Suspensions
Luisao (Benfica) - returns from one game suspension for Week 5 game at Villareal
Claudio Cacapa (Lyon) - returns from one game suspension for Week 5 game vs Real Madrid
Bobo Balde (Celtic) - returns from one game suspension for Week 5 game vs Werder Bremen

[calcutta]

Sorry for the lack of updates...

I've played all the Week 5 games but haven't had time to write the reports yet.

They should be up by the end of the week.

Thanks

[calcutta]

AC MILAN
MANCHESTER UNITED FC

Group B Match from the Guiseppe Meazza, Milan

Today's equation was clear for both teams - Milan needed the full three points to have any chance of winning the group, while Manchester United, who were four points clear of their opponents, only needed a draw to guarantee a quarter finals berth. Sir Alex Ferguson named the same 4-4-2 line-up for the fifth straight time, meaning joint top scorers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney started in attack while Steven Gerrard was again only a substitiute. Milan also started in an attacking 4-4-2 formation with Hernan Crespo partnering Andriy Shevchenko up front. Problematic defender Jaap Stam was demoted to the bench allowing a second start for Marek Jankulovski at left back, shifting captain Paolo Maldini to the centre of defence.

With both teams adopting attack-minded setups, free-flowing football was expected and it was United that had the first shot on goal five minutes into the match. Cristiano Ronaldo's floated cross was met by Rooney on the edge of the area, looping safely into the hands of Dida. Milan's first chance came in the 17th minute when Shevchenko dispossessed Roy Keane in his own half and played Crespo through on goal. But goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar came to his skipper's rescue, smothering the Argentine's attempted chip shot from just inside the box. Seven minutes later, the Rossoneri were at it again, this time entirely through the work of Kaka. The Brazilian made a weaving run down the left before cutting into the box and lashing a left foot strike on goal from an acute angle, only to hit it straight at van der Sar. Clarence Seedorf came even closer with an opportunistic 20 yard strike in the 29th minute, but his mis-hit strike bounced just to the right of goal.

The hosts asserted control of the game during the first half until a Ryan Giggs free kick shook the Milan defence in the 37th minute. The right side set piece looked harmless, as the Welshman's fierce strike curled just a bit too much and into the side netting as Dida was struggling to get across in time. The closest to an opening goal so far, that play triggered both teams into an attacking mood in the latter stages of the half. Seedorf was again involved for Milan in the 40th minute, swinging in a wicked left side cross that Shevchenko headed over from 10 yards. Two minutes later though, the deadlock was broken at the other end of the pitch when van Nistelrooy headed in his fourth of the competition. The unmarked Dutchman appeared to be offside on the six yard box to nod in a Wes Brown chip from the right edge of the area, but the goal stood giving the visitors the lead at a crucial moment in the game.

Gerrard again replaced Ronaldo at the break as United were on their way to beating Milan both home and away, turning the tables on their rivals who knocked them out in similar style last season. The hosts remained unchanged and almost saw themselves go two goals down ten minutes into the second half. It was another van Nistelrooy header that this time flew just over the bar from eight yards, after the striker lost his marker and met a Rooney cross. The second period was a much tamer affair and it wasn't until the 72nd minute that the hosts finally had a sniff at goal. Van der Sar was again the United saviour, somehow thwarting a point blank first-timer from Kaka after Crespo picked out the midfielder in the box. But their was still no equaliser in sight as Jon Dahl Tomasson subbed in for the disappointing Kaka in the final minutes. Instead it was the visitors who had the final meaningful play of the game when Giggs came soaring down the left flank in the 85th minute, beating the entire Milan backline. Unfortunately for the visiting supporters, the winger's powerful 18 yard finish didn't match his tremendous run, as it sailed across the face of Dida's goal.

Nevertheless the United faithful will go back to Old Trafford knowing that they have sealed top spot in Group B with today's 1-0 win. Hosts Milan suffer their second straight defeat and remain straggling on six points, with their hopes of repeating last year's run quickly diminishing. Holding a negative goal difference too, the Rossoneri must travel to Lisbon next week and secure a big win over Benfica to have even the slightest chance of progressing, while Manchester United will welcome back Diego Forlan when they host Villareal in their final match.


POST-MATCH COMMENTS

Manchester United goalscorer Ruud van Nistelrooy:

"Europe is our goal this season and the way we're playing we have the right to be favourites for the (Champions League). I'm proud of my goalscoring achievements so far and repeating last season's Golden Boot is possible, but it's only important if it can help the team in winning the cup."

AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko:

"It's been a horror campaign and it's probably already over which is a huge disappointment for such a big club like Milan, more so after last year's success. Even if we win next week, our destiny is in the hands of other teams, and that isn't good. At the least now we must concentrate on winning the Scudetto."

	          AC MILAN 0 - 1 MANCHESTER UNITED

                                  43' van Nistelrooy
		     
------------------------------------------------------------
                           LINEUPS

                     Dida  GK   GK  Edwin van der Sar
                     Cafu  RB   RB  Wes Brown
        Allessandro Nesta  CB   CB  Rio Ferdinand
            Paolo Maldini  CB   CB  Mikael Silvestre
        Marek Jankulovski  LB   LB  Gabriel Heinze
             Andrea Pirlo  DM   DM *Roy Keane
          Gennaro Gattuso  RM   RM  Cristiano Ronaldo (-45)
   (-74) Clarence Seedorf  LM   CM  Paul Scholes
              (-82)  Kaka* OM   LM  Ryan Giggs
        Andriy Shevchenko  CF   CF  Wayne Rooney (-74)
            Hernan Crespo  CF   CF  Ruud van Nistelrooy
   
                         SUBSTITUTES

        Christian Abbiati  GK   GK  Tim Howard
                Jaap Stam  DF   DF  Gary Neville
         Guiseppe Pancaro  DF   MF  John O'Shea (+74)
           (+74) Serginho  MF   MF  Steven Gerrard (+45)
        Massimo Ambrosini  MF   MF  Quinton Fortune
          Filippo Inzaghi  ST   ST  Alan Smith
  (+82) Jon Dahl Tomasson  ST   ST  Louis Saha

 
		             KEY
                    * player was cautioned
                    ! player was sent off
                    ~ player was injured

------------------------------------------------------------
                            STATS

              8             Shots            8
              4           On Target          5
             49            POS (%)           51
              0            Assists           1
              1            Yellows           1
              0           Red Cards          0

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[calcutta]

GROUP A: Two six-goal thrillers as PSV do a "Liverpool"

PSV....................3 Beasley 42' 65', Bouma 46'
OLYMPIACOS......3 Stoltidis 31', Ailton 38' 39'

Three goals in nine minutes seemed to have given Olympiacos an unasailable lead, but PSV produced an amazing Liverpool-esque comeback to salvage a point and dent their opponent's hopes of reaching the quarter finals. DaMarcus Beasley was the Eindhoven hero as he started and finished the comeback in a 24 minute stretch. Following a slow start, Ieroklis Stoltidis gave Olympiacos the lead just past the half hour mark after a give-and-go with Demtrios Mavrogenidis. The central midfielder volleyed in from 7 yards, connecting with a perfect chip pass from his teammate. Ailton doubled the lead in the 38th minute, beating the offside trap when Milos Maric played him through and squeezing a shot under the oncoming Gomes. The Brazilian striker scored his second in as many minutes when Wilfred Bouma miscontrolled a pass in his own half. Ailton stole the loose ball and drilled a low 19 yard shot to beat Gomes at his near post and make the score 3-0 after 40 minutes of play.

A demoralised PSV, who were effectively out of the tournament with just three points in four games, managed to pull a goal back before the break through Beasley. The American cut into the box from the left and sidefooted by Antonios Nikopolidis with his weaker right foot. It sparked PSV into an attacking frenzy in the second half, as they switched to a daring 3-3-4 formation with Ibrahim Afellay being introduced as the fourth forward. And just one minute into the second 45, Bouma made a menz for his first half error when he curled a 24 yard freekick into the top left corner to bring PSV right back into the match at 2-3. Buoyed on by a boistrous home crowd, PSV attacked relentlessly and it was Beasley who deservedly netted the equaliser in the 65th minute. Substitute striker Robert curled in a deep cross from the right where Beasley ghosted in unmarked, stooping to head in his second of the game. With the comeback complete the hosts still went forward in search of a winner, almost paying the price in stoppage time when Mavrogenidis found himself through on goal. But goalkeeper Gomes stayed firm and produced an incredible double save from the Olympiacos flanker, which resulted in a goal mouth scramble. The ball eventually fell to Maric who blasted a 15 yard shot inches to the right of goal, wasting the final chance of this pulsating match. The collapse means Olympiacos must now beat Chelsea next week at home to win the group, while PSV's pride is somewhat restored in an otherwise awful campaign.

Shots: 16-12 Olympiacos
On Target: 8-6 Olympiacos
Cards
- PSV Alex
- OLY Anastasios Pantos


CHELSEA............4 Drogba 19' 28', Lampard 70', Kezman 88'
SPARTA PRAHA....2 Poborsky 6', Heinz 72'

Having beaten Sparta 3-0 in Prague in the first matchweek, Chelsea were expected to steamroll the minnows again at Stamford Bridge. But their poor home form showed again, as they were forced to come from behind to secure the points after conceding an early goal. Radoslav Michalik's cross from he left was met by Tomas Jun whose header deflected off a defender and fell straight to Karel Poborsky. The Sparta captain cleverly drilled a low shot to Petr Cech's far post from a tight angle, giving the visitors a shock lead just six minutes in. That triggered the Blues into action, spurred on by Didier Drogba and Jiri Jarosik who made the most of rare starts. Those two combined in the 19th minute as Drogba was given enough room on the edge of the area to blast a shot into the top right corner. Within ten minutes, Chelsea took the lead as the two were involved again. This time Drogba was on hand to bang in the five yard rebound from Jarosik's initially blocked shot.

Now that Chelsea held the advantage, they never looked like relinquishing it against the demoralised Czechs. The hosts went further in front in the 70th minute via a 25 yard effort from Frank Lampard who spotted Jaromir Blazek off his goalline. The Sparta keeper was able to get a hand to the ball slowing it down considerably, but defender Jiri Homola was unable to reach it in time. Jarosik again provided the set up - his second assist of the match. But Sparta pulled a goal back just two minutes later after Marek Heinz drilled in a low 14 yard drive, again beating Cech at his far post. The left winger had played a clever one-two in the middle of the park with Lukas Zelenka that saw him in acres of space for which he punished the out-of-sorts Chelsea defence, pulling the deficit back to one goal. Unlike PSV above however, there was no comeback here, and substitute Mateja Kezman made sure of that with a fortuitous fourth goal two minutes from time. Blazek was slow to clear the ball when the Serb came rushing in to ricochet his eventual clearance into the open goal. With the win, Chelsea go three points clear of their final week's opponents Olympiacos atop the group, clinching a quarter final appearance in the process.

Shots: 14-8 Chelsea
On Target: 8-3 Chelsea
Cards
- CHL none
- SPA Lukas Zelenka