Men behaving badly in the beautiful game

LAST week was a bad week for the game of football.  The beautiful game was dragged through the mud by a series of unprofessional events which soured its image spectacularly.  Touchline brawls, tunnel punch-ups, unpunished elbows and gun incidents; the game made the headlines for completely the wrong reasons.

Saturday

INNOCENCE: Rooney protests the incident, and gets away scot-free

Nine minutes into the match between Wigan Athletic and Manchester United and Wayne Rooney throws an elbow into the back of James McCarthy’s head.  It is an act of thuggish behaviour from Rooney, who still has to justify many for earning £250,000 a week.  Remarkably, referee Mark Clattenburg seemed to share a joke with Rooney about the incident and only gave Wigan a free-kick for the incident.  In his match report, Clattenburg believed that he had dealt with the incident in a calm and professional manner, meaning that the FA couldn’t punish Rooney further until strict FIFA guidelines.  Once again, Wayne Rooney sets a poor example for those who idolise him.

Sunday

Twenty-four hours after the Rooney saga and it is another England team-mate who faces the wrath and condemnation for his actions.  The News of the World break the story that Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole carried an air rifle into the club’s training ground and ‘accidentally’ shot a 21-year old work placement student.  Carlo Ancelotti insists he is still in control with events at the club, but how can this be deemed acceptable.  The club are believed to have fined Cole the maximum two weeks wages for this bizarre and frankly, unforgiveable behaviour.  If Chelsea had been serious, a suspension invoked by the club would have got the message across.

Monday

Stoke City and West Brom have played out a drab 1-1 draw in the Barclays Premiership and Jonas Olsson is angry when he attempts to shake the hand of a Stoke player.  The player, reportedly Dean Whitehead refuses to accept Olsson’s reconciliation attempt, which suggests of some previous bad blood.  In his rage, Olsson punches a picture in the Britannia Stadium tunnel afterwards.  Tony Pulis is furious and insists that disciplinary action should be taken.  Roy Hodgson apologises on Olsson’s behalf, but once again, a stance has not been set out by the club in question.

Tuesday

A pivotal clash in the Premiership title race sees Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.  However, it is Sir Alex Ferguson’s behaviour that is called into question.  Ferguson is incensed at the appointment of Martin Atkinson as referee for this match.  He questions Atkinson’s ability as a referee and insists the game was bound to be unfair.  In the match itself, Chelsea’s winner came from a dubious penalty decision, whilst Nemanja Vidic was sent off and David Luiz avoided a red card for two blatant trips on Rooney.  The FA charge Ferguson with improper conduct and rather than most accepting the charge, Sir Alex has decided to contest the decision, which could lead to an extended ban from the touchline.  Although I personally thought Atkinson had a poor game and made some incorrect calls, there was no need for Ferguson’s outburst and I hope the FA throw the book at him.

Wednesday

UGLY: Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist have to be pulled apart

North of the Border and Celtic entertain Rangers in a fifth round Scottish Cup replay.  It is already the fifth time that these giants of the Scottish game have met this season and the fireworks explode on a bruising and shameful night for the history of the Old Firm Derby.  Three Rangers players; Steven Whittaker, Majid Bougherra and El-Hadji Diouf are all sent off.  Whittaker and Bougherra for fouls that are more expected in a wrestling ring, not a soccer pitch.  Diouf was dismissed after the full-time whistle for an outburst at the referee.  He then evaded police to throw his shirt into the Rangers crowd.  The Senegalese also had an ugly clash with Celtic boss Neil Lennon on the touchline during the match and was goaded all night by the Celtic fans.  This leads back to a spitting incident whilst playing for Liverpool in a 2003 UEFA Cup tie at Parkhead.  At full-time, Lennon and Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist attempt to stage their own version of ‘Big Fight Live!’  They have to be pulled apart by both benches.  With over 30 fans arrested too, it’s a grim night and leads to calls for significant disciplinary action from the SFA, even from the Scottish Parliament.  The whole incident is a complete fracas and distasteful for many.  Oh and there was a football match, which Celtic won 1-0.

Thursday

Manchester City suspend Kolo Toure after the FA confirm that the Ivorian defender failed a routine drugs test following the Manchester derby last month.  Toure is an integral part of the City team and was club captain at Eastlands last season.  It is thought that the club received the news before Wednesday’s 3-0 FA Cup fifth round romp of Aston Villa, hence why Toure didn’t play.  Toure, who played for Arsenal between 2002-2009 is believed to have taken a weight loss tablet, which his wife is on.  Arsene Wenger, who still has regular contact with Toure confirmed at his pre-weekend conference on Friday that Toure takes it, as he is concerned about his weight on a regular basis.  When playing for Sheffield United, Paddy Kenny did something similar and got a nine-month ban for his actions.  If a B sample comes back positive, Toure could face upto two years out of the game, effectively ending his career in England and tarnishing all of his great memories in this country.  Once again, strong action has to be taken, so the message gets across that cheats simply don’t prosper.

For football, it has been a forgettable week.  For many lovers of the game, we all hope this was an unfortunate week and just a nasty sequence of events, but it is understandable why those who don’t follow the game question the worth of today’s footballers and their excessive wage demands.

It is now time for the politics to end, and for the worldwide and national governing bodies to get together and stamp out this kind of childish behaviour which ruins a sport most of us love for the majority.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 - Arsenal finish the English job

ARSENAL required a win last night and finished the English job of ensuring all four sides qualified for the knockout stages.  As the UEFA Champions League heads into its winter hibernation, the Gunners recorded a 3-1 win over the whipping boys of Group H, Partizan Belgrade, without being anywhere near their best.

BATTLE: Samir Nasri showed his class again last night

A tetchy first half hour was eased when Robin Van Persie went over and got a very fortunate penalty.  There seemed to very minimal contact from Marko Jovanovic, but the makeshift Arsenal captain couldn’t care less, as he confidently powered the penalty away, his first goal of any description since May.  If anyone thought that the floodgates would open, then they were to be seriously mistaken as the Brazilian Cleo bought the Serbians level, with a shot that took a wicked deflection off Sebastian Squillaci and looped over Lukasz Fabianski into the net.  A pin drop could be felt around the Emirates, as Arsene Wenger’s side looked on the edge.  Those growing fears were ultimately eased by substitute Theo Walcott, who took advantage of a poor cleared header from Jovanovic to produce an instinctive shot that Vladimir Stojkovic never saw.  Qualification for the next round was secure as Samir Nasri scored his 12^th goal of an impeccable season for the Frenchman, rounding off a brilliant team move, something the Gunners lacked all night.  Bakary Sagna was dismissed for clipping one of the Partizan strikers, when the last defender with four minutes to go.  It could be a costly dismissal, depending on who Arsenal ends up getting in the next round, but they dragged their way through for the eleventh year in a row.  The news was good elsewhere, as Sporting Braga’s dream was dismissed, seen off 2-0 in a tame affair by the group winners Shakhtar Donetsk.

TROUBLES: Salomon Kalou couldn't find a way through

Didier Drogba made an emotional return to the Stade Velodrome, but Chelsea continued their miserable record of late, beaten 1-0 in France by Marseille.  All the early threat came from Marseille, with Mathieu Balbuena hitting the frame of the goal in the first half and Gabriel Heinze having a flashing header ruled out for offside. However, Soulyemane Diawara was lucky to get away with two dodgy challenges in the box, one which was initially penalised by the referee, only to be over-ruled by the extra official behind the goal.  The only goal came with ten minutes remaining; Taye Taiwo’s shot was deflected, but fell perfectly for Brandau, who rolled the ball past Petr Cech.  Chelsea’s first slip-up in Europe this season, but how long has Carlo Ancelotti got left in the West London dugout.  Elsewhere in Group F, UEFA are bound to investigate the distasteful crowd scenes in the dead rubber between MSK Zilina and Spartak Moscow.  Play was held up for twenty minutes, with flares being thrown onto the field.  For the record, the Russians came from behind to win 2-1.

On Tuesday night, a far from clinical Manchester United got the point they required to top Group C. They fell behind to their rivals, Valencia; Pablo Hernandez put the Spaniards infront after a glaring error from Michael Carrick.  It was the first goal that United have conceded in Europe this season.  Anderson levelled the match, following up the quickest from Ji-Sung Park’s shot, which had been excellently stopped.  The major positive for Sir Alex Ferguson will be the return to top form of Wayne Rooney, who looked evidently dangerous all night for the first time in a long while.

CONFIDENT: Jermain Defoe looks back to his best

Spurs spectacular campaign continued, with another special match in Holland, but their 3-3 draw against FC Twente was enough to top Group A.  Tottenham took the lead three times in the game, the first coming when 40-year old goalkeeper Sander Boschker made a calamitous attempt to clear a Peter Wisgerhof back pass and the ball trickled in on 12 minutes.  It was a goal that would be perfect to grace any Christmas blooper DVD.  Denny Landzaat scored a retaken penalty to make it 1-1 at half-time, but two confident finishes from Jermain Defoe, either side of a good header from right-back Roberto Rosales had the visitors infront again.  Nacer Chadli drew the Dutch champions’ level again with a near-perfect free-kick, securing European football after Christmas for FC Twente.

RARE: Miller's first CL strike in four years wasn't enough

Rangers were already out of the qualification race in Group C, but they earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Turkey against Buraspor.  Kenny Miller scored his first Champions League goal in four years, but the hopeless Turks earned their first and only point of the group stage courtesy of a Sercan Yildiram effort.  Elsewhere in Europe and AS Roma’s 1-1 draw in Romania against CFR Cluj, good enough to qualify in Group E.  Marco Borriello’s early goal made it a comfortable night for Claudio Ranieri’s side, but it was a miserable week for the Italian sides.  AC Milan were shocking at home to Ajax and lost 2-0 in the San Siro in Group G, a perfect start to Frank de Boer’s caretaker reign after Martin Jol’s resignation on Monday.  Meantime, the job prospects are far from good for Rafa Benitez, after his witnessed his Inter side suffer an embarrassing 3-0 loss in Germany to Werder Bremen.  Ten points off the pace in Serie A, Rafa’s position is in severe jeopardy, especially if Inter don’t win the under-strength FIFA World Club Championship in Abu Dhabi later this month.  Finally, congratulations to FC Copenhagen, whose 3-1 win over Panathinaikos in Group D was enough for them to become the first Danish side to escape the group stages.  The Greeks miserable campaign was sealed by a stunning header for ex-Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse.  Just a shame that it was in the wrong net!

Sixteen gone, sixteen remain and a quarter of the sides remaining are English.  Can Tottenham continue their fairytale?  Will Arsenal improve?  Can Chelsea hold it together?  Or have Manchester United got something in the tank?  We will find out more in February.  Happy Christmas from UEFA! 

UEFA Champions League Matchday 5 - Spurs and United qualify, Arsenal with work to do

TOTTENHAM Hotspur and Manchester United sealed qualification for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, on matchday five.

CONFIDENCE: Luka Modric celebrates his goal with Bale

AT A vibrant full house at White Hart Lane, Spurs sealed qualification for the last 16, against a Werder Bremen side, that missed ten key players through a catalogue of suspensions and injuries.  In less than five minutes, Younes Kaboul had Tottenham infront, continuing his golden week, after netting the winner in Saturday’s North London derby.  Kaboul volleyed in at the near post after Aaron Lennon had gazumped Marcel Jansen.  On the cusp of half-time, the home side had disappeared out of sight, when Luka Modric doubled their advantage, finishing tidily after Peter Crouch had put Per Mertesacker under intense pressure.  Modric won a second half penalty, after his foot was stood on by Bremen debutant Felix Kroos.  However, Gareth Bale showed he is human after all, as his soft penalty was saved by Tim Wiese.  Crouch wrapped the game, after Lennon once again danced through the hopelessly inadequate Bremen defence.  The final 3-0 scoreline didn’t flatter Tottenham; this was as easy a win that you get in the Champions League and they remain top in group A.

TARGET: Rooney's relief at his winning penalty was clear

MEANWHILE, Manchester United secured their place in the last 16 as group C winners, beating Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox and in the process, parachuting Rangers into the Europa League after Christmas.  Dimitar Berbatov was denied a clear second minute penalty by experience official Massimo Busacca, after being tripped by Steven Davis.  United did get their penalty though, with three minutes to go, after Steven Naismith made a poor challenge, catching Fabio in the chest.  Wayne Rooney, making his first start since all the headlines about his future last month scored the resulting penalty, stealing the win for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.  It could have been more against a spirited Rangers side, had it not been for a good performance from home goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

STUNNER: Matheus added to Arsenal's pain in Portugal

ARSENAL failed to recover from their shocking collapse against Tottenham last weekend, falling to a disappointing 2-0 defeat in the north of Portugal against Sporting Braga.  It leaves their participation in the competition in jeopardy.  Arsenal pressed forward for most of the evening and looked well on top until the last 15 minutes, when it started to go pear-shaped.  Cesc Fabregas limped off with a suspected hamstring injury and is likely to be out now for a fortnight.  A gamble on his fitness simply didn’t work.  Carlos Vela was then booked for diving, even though TV replays clearly showed the Mexican was brought down in the penalty area.  Afterwards, Arsene Wenger called the extra official behind the goal system (bought in this year to the Champions League) ‘useless.’  Emmanuel Eboue was stretchered off and with Wenger having made all three substitutions, Arsenal’s increasing pain continued, now having to play on with ten men.  Both Braga goals came in the last seven minutes, both on the counter attack from the Brazilian striker Matheus, as the Gunners defence was horribly exposed. This was an awkward and awful night for Arsenal.

BATTLE: Sturridge starred in Chelsea's edgy 2-1 win

WITH Chelsea’s place secure already in the knockout stages, Carlo Ancelotti gave youth the chance to shine at Stamford Bridge, but it was the visitors MSK Zilina who went ahead, when Belo drove a shot past Ross Turnbull after a routine build-up.  Chelsea, in dire form themselves on a domestic basis, slowly warmed to their task and drew back on level terms in the second half, when Daniel Sturridge scored from a tight angle.  The Blues had a succession of good opportunities, and should have won by more, but Florent Malouda’s first Champions League goal in two years was enough with ten minutes to go, to seal a 2-1 win against the group F whipping boys.

JOB DONE: Cambiasso secured Inter's nervy passage

ELSEWHERE in Europe and Inter Milan qualified for the knockout stages, as Esteban Cambiasso scored the decisive goal on 55 minutes to beat FC Twente 1-0 in the San Siro.  However, Inter will need to improve if they want to hold onto their trophy.  Valencia also qualified, as they recorded their biggest win in UEFA competition, trouncing hopeless Buraspor 6-1 in the Mestalla.  Roberto Soldado scored two goals, taking his tally to five goals in the group stage.  Fellow Spaniards Barcelona also moved into the last 16, with Pedro scoring twice and Lionel Messi netting for the tenth game running in their 3-0 rout of Panathinaikos in Athens. 

OFF: Xabi Alonso gets his marching orders in Amsterdam

IN GROUP B, Schalke’s excellent home record has seen them through, after an easy 3-0 win against Lyon.  Jefferson Farfan scored the first goal and Klaas Jan-Huntelaar added two more to his tally, as the Germans forgot about their dismal domestic form.  Lyon still advanced into the next stage, after Benfica put in a horrid display in Israel, saw them lose 3-0 to Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Hapoel’s first ever win in the Champions League.  Finally, Real Madrid face disciplinary action from UEFA, after picking up controversial late red cards in Amsterdam.  Their 4-0 win over Ajax, ending Ajax’s hopes of progression from group G was overshadowed by time wasting tactics from Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos.  Both Spanish internationals were sent off, and although Jose Mourinho has dismissed the conspiracy theories, the fact that both Alonso and Ramos didn’t seem to care about their dismissals and faced possible suspensions in the knockout stages certainly hints that these cards were staged.

Well done to Tottenham and Manchester United, joining Chelsea in progression.  Come on Arsenal, you are letting the English force down!

UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 - Sensational Spurs stun Champions

WITH 53 goals in this week’s UEFA Champions League matches, there was plenty of action and drama.  Take a bow Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the first three teams to qualify for the knockout stages, whilst Partizan Belgrade, Buraspor and MSK Zilina now have no hope of progressing past the group stages.  However, it was another debut club that rocked Europe this week. . .

It was another glory night for the new Welsh wizard Gareth Bale, as he tore Inter Milan to shreds for the second time in a fortnight.  Bale led Spurs to a famous 3-1 win over the European Champions, leaving them top of Group A.  Returning from suspension, Rafael van der Vaart opened the scoring from Luka Modric’s wonderfully executed pass.  In the second half, Bale took over, leaving the likes of Maicon and Lucio trailing in his wake.  His first tormenting run and cross set-up Peter Crouch for a tidy goal.  A great goal from Samuel Eto’o gave Inter hope with ten minutes to go, but Rafa Benitez could only look on as Bale went on another breathtaking run down the left-hand side and produced the perfect pass for Roman Pavyluchenko to wrap it up.  A win against Werder Bremen in three weeks time wraps up qualification for Tottenham, who have bought something fresh to this year’s competition. 

Whilst Tottenham were producing the performance of the tournament so far, North London rivals Arsenal had an off-night in the Ukraine, losing 2-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.  Arsene Wenger only took 18 players with him, due to injuries, though he will be disappointed with their lack of maturity here, especially as he still had Samir Nasri, Thomas Rosicky and Jack Wiltshire in his starting eleven.  Theo Walcott did have the Gunners infront after ten minutes, with his own devastating pace leading to a crisp finish after a magnificent counter attacking move.  By half-time, Arsenal’s stroll through the group had come to an abrupt halt against a Shakhtar side that looked totally different from the team that surrendered so meekly at the Emirates two weeks earlier.  Jadson’s free-kick was turned into his own net inadvertently by youngster Craig Eastmond.  Then, a terrible error by Gael Clichy allowed Darijo Srna to cross for ex-Arsenal striker Eduardo to score with the last kick of the first half.  Arsenal weren’t disgraced, but will need to dismiss themselves of these slip-ups, especially when it matter so much more in the latter stages.

On a mild November night in London, Chelsea’s progress was never in doubt, coasting to a 4-1 triumph over Spartak Moscow, which seals their progression from Group F.  Only a point is needed now to secure top spot too.  Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity to rest John Terry and Michael Essien, and after a subdued first half, Chelsea clicked into top gear in the second half.  Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring from a tight angle that looked almost impossible to establish a lead.  Didier Drogba, making his fashionably late entrance into the Champions League scored a penalty shortly afterwards, before Branislav Ivanovic scored two goals that even Drogba would be proud of.  Although Bazhenov scored a consolation for the visitors, Chelsea’s first Champions League goal conceded in 300 minutes, it was another stroll in the park for the English champions.

A far superior Manchester United virtually secured their traditional passage through, with an emphatic 3-0 win in Turkey against Buraspor.  Frustrated in the first half, United took command in the second half once Darren Fletcher broke the deadlock.  Gabriel Obertan scored his first United goal in some style, with a ferocious effort, before Bebe netted on his European debut.  This was a comfortable win for the pacesetters in Group C.

However, Rangers now face a massive task to join United in the knockout stages after losing 3-0 in Spain to Valencia.  It was a very busy night for Allan McGregor, who produced a series of cracking saves, but he couldn’t prevent Roberto Soldado scoring two goals, and a fine stoppage time volley from substitute Ricardo Costa, that wrapped up proceedings.  Steven Naismith did hit the post twice for the Scottish league leaders and the scoreline was harsh on Rangers, but it was a very disappointing and potentially costly result.

Jose Mourinho returned to the San Siro and witnessed his Real Madrid side advance into the knockout stages, after they rescued a point against AC Milan.  It was a thrilling match, with Milan turning the game on its head through two more goals from one of the deadliest poachers in the European game, super sub Flippo Inzaghi.  It was Real’s own sub, Pedro Leon who scored a stoppage time equaliser that still leaves Milan with work to do, in joining Madrid to go through from Group G. 

Bayern Munich also sealed their place through into the next stage, after they outclassed CFR Cluj in Romania, winning 4-0.  Bayern are already ten points behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, and with Arjen Robben, Miroslav Klose and Ivica Olic all out injured at the moment, Louis van Gaal has lots of problems domestically.  However, Mario Gomez hit a hat-trick in this masterful performance.  Another team out of their depth in the Champions League is MSK Zilina, beaten 7-0 at home by Marseille in Group F.  There was a hat-trick from Andre-Pierre Gignac, as Marseille became the first team to score seven away from home in the Champions League.  Lyon lost their 100% record on Tuesday night in Group B, going down 4-3 in Portugal to Benfica, who were 4-0 with 15 minutes to go.  Talented winger Fabio Coentrao was on target twice for the home side and a feisty meeting in Denmark saw FC Copenhagen draw 1-1 with Barcelona in Group D, which saw coaches Solde Solbakken and Pepe Guardiola have a bust-up at full-time.  

For some, the dream of reaching Wembley is already over, but for others, they have sent out their fearful messages and it’s looking good for all four English clubs to progress past Christmas.  Matchday four though belongs to Tottenham Hotspur and its wonderful Welshman, Gareth Bale.  

UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 - Bale & Rooney Dominate The Headlines

MATCHDAY three and it is the halfway point of this season’s group stages in the UEFA Champions League.  This week saw fond returns, possible goodbyes and the valuation of a Welshman that has gone up massively after a stunning individual performance at the San Siro.

However, we start off with the chaotic week at Old Trafford, and it was off-the-field decisions that were dominating the headlines.  Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Turkish champions Buraspor will never be remembered as a classic, as Wayne Rooney took up the headlines, both on the front and the back pages.  Rooney’s decision to leave Manchester United, confirmed by Sir Alex Ferguson at Tuesday’s media conference had dumbfounded and stunned fans across the world.  On Wednesday night, banners at Old Trafford, such as ‘Colleen forgave you, we won’t’ summed up the fans attitude to Rooney’s immature behaviour.  Although Rooney has now signed a new five-year deal, putting an end to the saga for now – it has been a very bleak week in Manchester.  The match itself, which Rooney didn’t participate in, due to an ankle injury sustained in training, was settled by Nani’s stunning goal in the sixth minute.  The young Portuguese winner has really grown into a talented player and has probably benefited the most from Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure eighteen months ago.  The Group C encounter was not a stunner, with Buraspor coming looking for the draw, and only having one attempt at goal.  It may be a slow start, but seven points from nine mean United should progress comfortably as group winners.

In the other Group C match, Rangers drew 1-1 with Spanish pacesetters Valencia at Ibrox.  It was a mixed night for Maurice Edu, with the American scoring at both ends.  His own goal was a horrendous misjudgement and it might cost Rangers in the final picture.  Despite a very solid campaign so far, Walter Smith’s side will probably need at least a point in the intimidating Mestalla atmosphere in two weeks time, if they want to progress further in the competition.

Tottenham’s breathless maiden Champions League campaign continued, with a stunning individual performance from Gareth Bale, nearly rescuing an unlikely point in the San Siro against Inter.  Spurs players looked totally lost by the occasion in the first half and Harry Redknapp could only look on with rage and fury, as his side was ripped apart by the European champions in the first half.  Javier Zanetti scored his first goal since February 2008 after just 66 seconds, and from then on, the opening 45 minutes was a disaster for Tottenham.  Seven minutes later, Hereulho Gomes was sent off, after bringing down Jonathan Biabiany.  Samuel Eto’o coolly dispatched the penalty past Carlo Cudicini, and added a fourth goal ten minutes before half-time.  In between that, Dejan Stankovic finished off a thirty-five pass move, stroking a beautiful shot past the despairing Cudicini from the edge of the penalty area.  Tottenham looked dead and buried and for a while, Liverpool’s Champions League biggest win record (8-0 against Besiktas in November 2007) looked under severe threat.  Cue Bale, who sparked a dramatic fightback, with a stunning solo effort in the 56^th minute, then a similar effort in the 89^th minute.  Moments later, fine work from Aaron Lennon set the Welshman up for his first ever hat-trick, once again from a similar angle to his first two strikes.  Luckily for Inter, time ran out on Spurs, but Rafa Benitez and his assistant Mauricio Pellegrino will be worried by the defensive frailties that Bale exposed on them in the second half.

On Tuesday night, Arsenal took a giant leap towards qualification, with a crushing 5-1 demolition of their Group H rivals Shakhtar Donetsk.  Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas from the penalty spot and Marouane Chamakh were among those on target, and there was also a goal and another stunning performance from the wonder kid of the Emirates, Jack Wiltshire.  Brazilian Eduardo made a substitute cameo in the last twenty minutes, and scored a consolation for the Ukrainian champions.  It was brilliant to see the Arsenal fans all applaud Eduardo’s strike, still having a soft spot for their Brazilian striker who departed the Gunners in the summer, for a new life in the Ukraine.

It was plastic fantastic for Chelsea, as they all but wrapped up qualification from Group B, with a 2-0 win over Spartak Moscow in freezing Russia.  Yury Zhirkov scored his first Chelsea goal, and it was a memorable strike too.  Having spent four years at Spartak’s bitter rivals, CSKA Moscow, this was a moment that Zhirkov won’t forget.  Nicholas Anelka added a second as it turned out to be a comfortable night for the Blues on the artificial pitch surface, scene of their heartbreaking 2008 final defeat to Manchester United on penalties.  Also, without Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba through injury, Chelsea are only going to get stronger, and are now favourites with many football experts, to lift the trophy in Wembley in May.

Elsewhere in Europe, it may be odd to see Raul not playing anymore for Real Madrid, but he keeps scoring goals for his new club, Schalke 04.  Two strikes from the veteran helped the Germans to a 3-1 win over Hapoel-Tel Aviv in Group B.  It was his first two goals for Schalke in European competition, extending his Champions League scoring record to 68.  Also in Group B, Lyon kept their perfect record up, with a 2-0 win over 10-man Benfica in France, courtesy of goals from Jeremy Briand and Lisandro Lopez.  Raul’s former club Real Madrid won the showdown match against AC Milan in Group G, with something to spare in the Bernabeau.  Cristiano Ronaldo and Meszut Ozil scored the two goals in the first fifteen minutes, as Jose Mourinho slowly starts to make his impression in Spain.  Ajax beat Auxerre 2-1 in the other Group G game, with the French side being reduced to nine men, including a red card for one of their substitutes.  Finally, well down to FC Basle, who recorded a surprising 3-1 win in Italy against AS Roma in Group E.  Roma may now face a hard task to escape the group stages.  The contenders have now been separated from the stragglers…and Matchday four can see the first ultimate knockout blows being made.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 - Perfect Maximum For British Sides

Last week’s UEFA Champions League action provided us with plenty of cheer for the British sides, as they produced five victories out of five competitive games.  There was also a remarkable 13 penalties in the midweek sixteen encounters.

After throwing away a two-goal lead in Bremen a fortnight earlier, Tottenham Hotspur embraced Champions League football for the first time at White Hart Lane, with a thrilling match against Dutch champions FC Twente.  Spurs won 4-1, although the final scoreline does not tell the full story of a pulsating and unpredictable encounter.  It was a mixed night for the new hero in North London, Rafael van der Vaart.  Van der Vaart had a first-half penalty brilliantly saved by Nicolay Milihayov, then scored a splendid opener early in the second half.  Less than ten minutes later, he was heading for an early shower after two daft challenges left him with a red card.  For such an experienced player as van der Vaart, it was a costly and unnecessary dismissal which rules him out of Tottenham’s trip to the San Siro in three weeks time.  Experienced Norwegian ref Terje Hauge, who has once refereed a Champions League final had an awful night too, giving Spurs three penalties, of which two were very debatable indeed.  Van der Vaart may have had his spot kick saved, but Roman Pavyluchenko coolly dispatched the other two without any fuss.  Gareth Bale put the seal on the result and with Werder Bremen being ripped apart by Inter Milan, losing 4-0 to Rafa Benitez’s defending champions, thanks to a Samuel Eto’o hat-trick, Tottenham will feel in a strong position to qualify from Group A.

Whereas Tottenham’s match was a joy to watch, Manchester United’s display in the Mestalla was content and professional, if very tedious to endure.  Their 1-0 win over Valencia, the current La Liga leaders has put them in total command of Group C.  With Rio Ferdinand back from injury, United looked far more solid at the back, and restricted Valencia to very little sights on goal.  With five minutes left, Nani counter-attacked, fed in Federico Macheda, who set-up fellow substitute Javier Hernandez.  Hernandez’s finish was clinical, and with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs missing, this result could be the pivotal one in the group for Sir Alex Ferguson’s campaigners.

After six successive home UEFA Champions League losses, Rangers stopped the rot in United’s group, recording a 1-0 win over Turkish rookies Buraspor.  Buraspor may have done extremely well to beat the likes of Besiktas and Fenerbache to win the Turkish championship, but they looked far out-of-their depth in Scotland, and had it been a more clinical side, could have received a tonking.  As it was only Rangers, the scoreline consequently looked far more respectable on them.  Rangers only goal came on 18 minutes, scored by the very dangerous Steven Naismith, diving in bravely to beat the goalkeeper to Kirk Broadfoot’s header.

Following an embarrassing Premiership slip-up at home to West Brom the previous Saturday, Arsenal couldn’t afford any errors in Serbia and there weren’t any, with a 3-1 win against Partizan Belgrade in a challenging environment doing the power of good for Arsene Wenger’s young-guns.  Andrei Arshavin buried the Gunners infront early on, set-up by a cute backheel from the impressive teenager Jack Wiltshire.  Partizan levelled before half-time, when Denilson handled in the penalty area and the resulting penalty was dispatched.  On the hour mark, defender Jovanovic was dismissed for hauling down Marouane Chamakh when the Moroccan was clear in on goal.  However, Arshavin spurned the chance, by having his penalty saved.  Luckily for the Russian, headers in the last twenty minutes from Chamakh and centre-back Sebastian Squillaci saw Arsenal home, and there was even time for Lukasz Fabianski to save a second Partizan penalty.  All in all, this was a very satisfying night for the red half of North London.

Chelsea had little trouble in easily dispensing the French champions Marseille, cruising to a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.  Slack marking from the visitors allowed John Terry to ghost in at the near post and strike the Blues ahead after only seven minutes.  Nicolas Anelka dispatched a second from the penalty spot on the half hour mark and Carlo Ancelotti’s men took their foot off the gas in the second half, with Arsenal around the corner in the Premiership.  Despite that, both Alex and Michael Essien (twice!) struck the woodwork in the second half.  For Didier Deschamps, the coach of Marseille, it was a meek display to watch and a very unhappy return to the club which he played for in the 1999/2000 Champions League campaign, Chelsea’s inaugural attempt at winning Europe’s premier club competition.

Elsewhere in Europe, Bayern Munich left it very late in Group E to win 2-1 in Switzerland against FC Basle.  Two goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger, the second in the 89^th minute sealing the victory and with Louis van Gaal about to sign a contract extension, things are looking up for last season’s runners-up.  In Group C, Barcelona escaped from Russia with a very fortuitous 1-1 draw against FC Rubin Kazan, who took four points off Pep Guardiola’s team last season.  The main positive for the bookies favourites is the return of Lionel Messi from injury, far quicker than anyone anticipated.  Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama scored from the penalty spot, but couldn’t prevent Hapoel Tel-Aviv from losing 3-1 at home to Lyon in Group B, who have made a shocking start to the French domestic season that has them in the bottom three, whilst substitute Angel di Maria scored the only goal in Real Madrid’s scrappy 1-0 Group G win in Auxerre.  The battle lines have been well and truly drawn, only after the next matchday can we start beginning to separate the contenders from the stragglers.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 - Mixed Fortunes for English Clubs

Europe’s premier club competition made its annual return this week, with mixed fortunes for the English clubs, though the gulfing class between Europe’s best and the minnows was still in full evidence for everyone to see.

Tottenham Hotspur made their bow, with a thrilling draw in Germany against Werder Bremen, though they will be disappointed to have thrown away a 2-0 lead.  It was a dream first twenty minutes for Harry Redknapp’s side, who charged infront courtesy of a Petri Pasanen own goal, and a fantastic header from Peter Crouch.  Spurs were giving their more established opponents the run-around on their own pitch.  Sadly for them, the momentum swiftly turned once Hugo Almeida headed Bremen back into the match two minutes before half-time.  In the second half, Marko Marin quickly bought the game level, and despite Crouch missing a great chance late on, Tottenham clung onto their precious point at the end.

Tuesday was also a flat night for Manchester United, as they were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Scottish champions Rangers at Old Trafford.  Sir Alex Ferguson made ten changes for this match, with his focus clearly on Liverpool’s Premiership visit at the weekend.  His gamble backfired, as his side misfired badly.  Long-range efforts from youngster Darren Gibson were the order of the night, as Rangers very negative tactics took any form of class out of the game.  Wayne Rooney made his first club appearance since the revelations about his private life had been exposed in the newspapers, and he was left a forlorn figure throughout.  A dismal night for the 2008 winners was compounded by a horror injury to Antonio Valencia.  Valencia’s ankle buckled underneath the Old Trafford turf whilst competing for possession with Kirk Broadfoot.  The instant reaction for his fellow professionals could tell that the Ecuadorian winger was in agony, with Sky television refusing to show any replays of the unfortunate incident.  Valencia has been diagnosed with a broken ankle, and is likely to be out of action until February at the earliest.

Whilst Tuesday was a frustrating night for the English clubs, Wednesday’s action was seamless.  Arsenal crushed Sporting Braga 6-0 at the Emirates; with another vintage performance from Arsene Wenger’s chargers that rolled back the years.  Cesc Fabregas was fantastic all evening, scoring twice and unlucky not to score his first professional hat-trick.  Carlos Vela came off the bench to score a late double, and there were also strikes from Andrei Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh.  Having beaten Celtic and Sevilla in qualification for the group stages, Braga were desperately poor and folded once Chamakh had made it 3-0 after half an hour.  Consequently, although Arsenal’s performance was magnificent, it will be difficult to judge their potential this season until they meet a far better opponent.

Chelsea continued their goal scoring spree in Slovakia, winning 4-1 against MSK Zilina, making their debut in the Champions League.  The match as a contest was over inside half an hour, with the Blues 3-0 up, through Michael Essien and a Nicholas Anelka double.  After the break, they relaxed a fraction and Zilina deserved their goal for effort and commitment.  Daniel Sturridge scored his first goal in Europe for Chelsea, and with a side missing Frank Lampard to injury and Didier Drogba due to suspension, this is was a signal of intent from the West London side.

Elsewhere in Europe, Barcelona fell a goal behind, but showed their pedigree, with a 5-1 demolition of Panathinaikos in the Nou Camp.  Defending champions Inter Milan stuttered to a 2-2 draw in Holland, against Dutch champions FC Twente.  Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid got off to a winning start in Group G, beating Ajax 2-0 in the Bernabeau, courtesy of a double from Gonzalo Higuain.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored both goals in AC Milan’s 2-0 success against Auxerre of France, and German World Cup stars Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose both netted in Bayern Munich’s convincing 2-0 triumph over AS Roma in Germany.

After the first set of games, the jury is out on some and there is still a long way to go, before anyone can predict the finalists at Wembley in May 2011.  However, do expect the usual suspects from Spain, Italy and England to be in the reckoning in the latter stages of the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League.