Zenit 2 - Manchester United 1: Saint Petersburg is the Super Cup Champion

Danny goals arrived to Zenit: Daniel Miguel Alves Gomes

Daniel Miguel Alves Gomes, known as Danny, was born on the August 7th 1983 in Caracas. He started playing football in Venezuela. At age of 15 he moved to Portugal and played in junior team Maritimo Funchal, from 2000 - in the first team. Later on he was sold to Sporting Lisbon, but returned on loan back year later.

Danni is counted to be one of the most perspective players of Portugal. On his accunt there are participations in the U21 and Olympic teams of Portugal. On the European U-21 Championship in 2004, Danni won the bronze with his team.

FC Zenit had signed has signed him; and three days before he scored the goal that confirm the UEFA Super Cup for the Russian Team.

Danny was preferred to other European top-class players by many reasons. "First of all, this is player of high level, capable to play virtually on any position in the midfield, – says presidents counselor Konstantin Sarsania, - Danny's obvious advantage is that he adapted to life in Russia, to Russian Champinship and shows very good perfomance here. Also, he is just 25 years old, so there is probability of his transfer sum increasing in future".

Portuguese player will reinforce team prior to the Champions League and in the decisive stage of the Russian Championship. Head coach of FC Zenit Dick Advocaat stated that he is very happy about successful transfer of Danny: “Zenit is capable of showing football of high class and competition in the squad only strenghtens the team's potential”.

Best, by Advocaat's opinion, attacking midfielder of the Russian Championship, on the other hand, admitted that he was very happy to change to St. Petersburg's club.
- Zenit shows the most modern and interesting play in the Russian league, so I took this step with pleasure, as it will help me to grow in professional view.

Sir Alex Ferguson is making history again

Sir Alex Ferguson will lead a club in the UEFA Super Cup for a record fourth time on Friday, 29 August. Accoding to Infostrada, the Scotsman won with Aberdeen (1983) and Manchester United (1991) and lost with United in 1999. If Manchester United beat Zenit Saint Petersburg in this year’s match, Ferguson will be the first head coach to win the competition three times.

Most years in UEFA Super Cup as head coach

4 Alex Ferguson SCO Aberdeen (1983), Manchester United (1991, 1999, 2008)
3 Johan Cruijff NED Ajax (1987), FC Barcelona (1989, 1992)
2 Dettmar Cramer GER Bayern München (1975, 1976)
2 Raymond Goethals BEL Anderlecht (1976, 1978)
2 Bob Paisley ENG Liverpool (1977, 1978)
2 Brian Clough ENG Nottingham Forest (1979, 1980)
2 Valeri Lobanovsky URS Dynamo Kyiv (1975, 1986)
2 Arrigo Sacchi ITA AC Milan (1989, 1990)
2 Fabio Capello ITA AC Milan (1993, 1994)
2 Nevio Scala ITA Parma (1993), Borussia Dortmund (1997)
2 Louis van Gaal NED Ajax (1995), FC Barcelona (1997)
2 Guus Hiddink NED PSV (1988), Real Madrid (1998)
2 Vicente del Bosque ESP Real Madrid (2000, 2002)
2 Víctor Fernández ESP Real Zaragoza CD (1995), FC Porto (2004)
2 Carlo Ancelotti ITA AC Milan (2003, 2007)
2 Juande Ramos ESP Sevilla FC (2006, 2007)

Most UEFA Super Cup wins as head coach

2 Raymond Goethals BEL Anderlecht (1976, 1978)
2 Arrigo Sacchi ITA AC Milan (1989, 1990)
2 Alex Ferguson SCO Aberdeen (1983), Manchester United (1991)
2 Louis van Gaal NED Ajax (1995), FC Barcelona (1997)
2 Carlo Ancelotti ITA AC Milan (2003, 2007)

Belarus and Cyprus, welcome to the Group Stage

Clubs from 22 countries played in the Champions League in the competition’s first four seasons from 1992/1993. Only seven new countries had provided clubs to the competition since the 1996/1997 season but two more, Belarus and Cyprus, have qualified in 2008/2009, according to Infostrada.

These performances could be very important in the future. In spite of the Groups are not easy, they could earn some points for the UEFA rankings. Both teams have play three qualifying rounds, like these other teams in the history.

Countries with first ever club in the Champions League (since 1996/1997)

2008/2009 Belarus (BATE Borisov), Cyprus (Anorthosis Famagusta)
2006/2007 Bulgaria (Levski Sofia)
2003/2004 Serbia and Montenegro (Partizan Beograd)
2002/2003 Israel (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
1999/2000 Slovenia (Maribor)
1998/1999 Finland (HJK Helsinki)
1997/1998 Czech Republic (Sparta Praha), Slovakia (1. FC Kosice)

Here we have BATE and Anorthosis schedule

Group Stage draw and Schedule, matchday per matchday

Group A: Chelsea, AS Roma, Bordeaux, CFR 1907 Cluj
Group B: Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis
Group C: Barcelona, Sporting, FC Basel, Shakhtar
Group D: Liverpool, PSV, Marseille, Atlético Madrid
Group E: Manchester Utd, Villarreal, Celtic, Aalborg
Group F: Lyon, Bayern Munchen, Steaua, Fiorentina
Group G: Arsenal, FC Porto, Fenerbahce, Dinamo Kiev
Group H: Real Madrid, Juventus, Zenit, Bate Borisov

Matchday One - Tuesday 16 Sep 2008

Chelsea FC - FC Girondins de Bordeaux
AS Roma - CFR 1907 Cluj
Panathinaikos FC - FC Internazionale Milano
Werder Bremen - Anorthosis
FC Basel 1893 - FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Barcelona - Sporting Clube
PSV Eindhoven - Club Atlético de Madrid
Olympique de Marseille - Liverpool FC

Matchday One - Wednesday 17 Sep 2008

Manchester United FC - Villarreal CF
Celtic FC - Aalborg BK
FC Steaua Bucuresti - FC Bayern München
Olympique Lyonnais - ACF Fiorentina
FC Porto - Fenerbahçe SK
FC Dynamo Kyiv - Arsenal FC
Juventus - FC Zenit St. Petersburg
Real Madrid CF - FC BATE Borisov

Matchday Two - Tuesday 30 Sep 2008

Aalborg BK - Manchester United FC
Villarreal CF - Celtic FC
ACF Fiorentina - FC Steaua Bucuresti
FC Bayern München - Olympique Lyonnais
Arsenal FC - FC Porto
Fenerbahçe SK - FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC BATE Borisov - Juventus
FC Zenit St. Petersburg - Real Madrid CF

Matchday Two - Wednesday 1 Oct 2008

CFR 1907 Cluj - Chelsea FC
FC Girondins de Bordeaux - AS Roma
Anorthosis - Panathinaikos FC
FC Internazionale Milano - Werder Bremen
Sporting Clube - FC Basel 1893
FC Shakhtar Donetsk - FC Barcelona
Liverpool FC - PSV Eindhoven
Club Atlético de Madrid - Olympique de Marseille

Matchday Three - Tuesday 21 Oct 2008

Villarreal CF - Aalborg BK
Manchester United FC - Celtic FC
FC Bayern München - ACF Fiorentina
FC Steaua Bucuresti - Olympique Lyonnais
Fenerbahçe SK - Arsenal FC
FC Porto - FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Zenit St. Petersburg - FC BATE Borisov
Juventus - Real Madrid CF

Matchday Three - Wednesday 22 Oct 2008

FC Girondins de Bordeaux - CFR 1907 Cluj
Chelsea FC - AS Roma
FC Internazionale Milano - Anorthosis
Panathinaikos FC - Werder Bremen
FC Shakhtar Donetsk - Sporting Clube
FC Basel 1893 - FC Barcelona
Club Atlético de Madrid - Liverpool FC
PSV Eindhoven - Olympique de Marseille

Matchday Four - Tuesday 4 Nov 2008

CFR 1907 Cluj - FC Girondins de Bordeaux
AS Roma - Chelsea FC
Anorthosis - FC Internazionale Milano
Werder Bremen - Panathinaikos FC
Sporting Clube - FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Barcelona - FC Basel 1893
Liverpool FC - Club Atlético de Madrid
Olympique de Marseille - PSV Eindhoven

Matchday Four - Wednesday 5 Nov 2008

Aalborg BK - Villarreal CF
Celtic FC - Manchester United FC
ACF Fiorentina - FC Bayern München
Olympique Lyonnais - FC Steaua Bucuresti
Arsenal FC - Fenerbahçe SK
FC Dynamo Kyiv - FC Porto
FC BATE Borisov - FC Zenit St. Petersburg
Real Madrid CF – Juventus

Matchday Five - Tuesday 25 Nov 2008

Villarreal CF - Manchester United FC
Aalborg BK - Celtic FC
FC Bayern München - FC Steaua Bucuresti
ACF Fiorentina - Olympique Lyonnais
Fenerbahçe SK - FC Porto
Arsenal FC - FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Zenit St. Petersburg - Juventus
FC BATE Borisov - Real Madrid CF

Matchday Five - Wednesday 26 Nov 2008

FC Girondins de Bordeaux - Chelsea FC
CFR 1907 Cluj - AS Roma
FC Internazionale Milano - Panathinaikos FC
Anorthosis - Werder Bremen
FC Shakhtar Donetsk - FC Basel 1893
Sporting Clube - FC Barcelona
Club Atlético de Madrid - PSV Eindhoven
Liverpool FC - Olympique de Marseille

Matchday Six - Tuesday 9 Dec 2008

Chelsea FC - CFR 1907 Cluj
AS Roma - FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Panathinaikos FC - Anorthosis
Werder Bremen - FC Internazionale Milano
FC Basel 1893 - Sporting Clube
FC Barcelona - FC Shakhtar Donetsk
PSV Eindhoven - Liverpool FC
Olympique de Marseille - Club Atlético de Madrid

Matchday Six - Wednesday 10 Dec 2008

Manchester United FC - Aalborg BK
Celtic FC - Villarreal CF
FC Steaua Bucuresti - ACF Fiorentina
Olympique Lyonnais - FC Bayern München
FC Porto - Arsenal FC
FC Dynamo Kyiv - Fenerbahçe SK
Juventus - FC BATE Borisov
Real Madrid CF - FC Zenit St. Petersburg

Samir Nasri´s Arsenal haven’t got any problem to reach Group Stage

Nasri, Gallas, Walcott and Bendtner defined the match and The Gunners beat FC Twente 4-0 (aggregate 6-0).

It seems that one of the most important transfers during summer is doing very good things these days.

Here we have all results.

Dirk Kuyt goal sent Liverpool to Group Stage

How much money Liverpool win today? How much Dirk Kuyt cost now? What about his prize today?

Take a look at the clubs that will play at least six matches in UEFA Champions League like these other teams:

Third qualifying round results: second leg

August 26
Artmedia Petrzalka 1-1 (agg 1-5) Juventus
Fodrek 14 (AP)
Amauri 25 (J)

Panathinaikos 1-0 (agg 3-1) Sparta Prague
Souza 90

Wisla Krakow 1-0 (agg 1-4) Barcelona
Cleber 52

August 27
Liverpool 1-0 (agg 1-0) Standard Liege
Kuyt 118

Arsenal 4-0 (agg 6-0) Twente Enschede
Nasri 27
Gallas 52
Walcott 66
Bendtner 89

Atletico Madrid 4-0 (agg 4-1) Schalke 04
Aguero 22
Forlan 54
Luis Garcia 82
Maxi (pen) 86


BATE Borisov 1-1 (agg 2-1) Levski Sofia

Basle 2-1 (agg 2-1) Guimaraes
Stocker 11
Derdiyok 54
Fajardo (pen) 15 (G)

Dinamo Zagreb 1-3 (agg 1-5) Shakhtar Donetsk
Luiz Adriano 42
Balaban 57 (DZ)
Brandao 59
Willian 70

Dynamo Kiev 4-1 (agg 8-2) Spartak Moscow
Aliev 4
Bangoura 24
Milevskiy 49
Milevskiy 78
Dzjuba 47 (SM)

FBK Kaunas 0-2 (agg 0-4) AaB Aalborg
Risgaard 75
Risgaard 90+1

Fenerbahce 2-1 (agg 4-3) Partizan Belgrade
Senturk 28
Alex 58
Tosic 76 (PB)

Marseille 2-1 (agg 3-1) SK Brann
Niang 65
Niang 90
Sigurdsson 74 (SKB)

Olympiakos 1-0 (agg 1-3) Anorthosis Famagusta
Belluschi 54

Slavia Prague 0-0 (agg 0-2) Fiorentina

Steaua Bucharest 1-0 (agg 3-2) Galatasaray
Nicolita 57

Arsenal – FC Twente: Cesc Fabregas fit for today match, Mikael Silvestre not

Arsenal Press confirmed that Cesc Fabregas is back in the squad for the Champions League tie against Twente on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old midfielder has had just 84 minutes of pre-season football after injurying his hamstring at the Amsterdam Tournament back in early August.

Before the weekend defeat to Fulham, Arsène Wenger said Fabregas could return for the Qualification Round second leg tie against Steve McClaren’s men. At a press conference on Tuesday, he confirmed that but stopped short of saying he’d be on from the beginning.

“He is in the squad,” said Wenger. “Whether he starts or not I can not give you an answer now”. “From Saturday, we did not lose anybody [through injury]. But we still have Rosicky and Diaby out.”

Wenger also revealed that new signing Mikael Silvestre would not be available to play for Arsenal until the trip to Blackburn on September 13.

“He has a small thigh problem,” said the manager. “He should be available after the international break.”

Liverpool - Standard preview: tie-break

However, Standard de Liege could block the Reds' path to the group stage this time around with their third qualifying round tie level at 0-0 ahead of the second leg at Anfield.

The Belgian champions could have been taking a lead to England had Pepe Reina not produced a string of vital first-leg saves, including one from Dante Bonfim's penalty. Since then, Liverpool have made a good start to the Premier League season with wins against Sunderland and Middlesbrough and Benitez is sure another victory, and a group stage place, is within Liverpool's grasp.

"Our display this time will be much, much better," said Benitez, who has earned all of his previous Liverpool campaigns in this competition through qualifying.

"Of that I am confident. Our performance in Liege was poor, but the result was good. We did not concede and we hope that playing the second leg at Anfield will make a massive difference."

Standard are making their first attempt to qualify for the group stage and since holding Liverpool have beaten FCV Dender EH 3-1 and KVC Westerlo 3-0 to take an early lead in the Belgium league.

Dieudonne Mbokani Bezua is in hot form with four goals in those two games while captain Steven Defour and defender Oguchi Onyewu, the latter suspended for the first leg, look likely to start despite being used as substitutes against Westerlo on Saturday.

Coach Laszlo Boloni explained the decision to bench the pair: "This was not because of the upcoming Liverpool match. They were just too tired to play. I respect every competition and will always play with the team which I think is the strongest.

"No player is always a certain starter with me. And I think tiredness will be our biggest problem this season. Whether we reach the Champions League group stage or not, my squad is not very big."

Onyewu is expected to take over from Tomislav Mikulic at the back while striker Milan Jovanovic has made the journey, having seemingly opted to remain at Standard rather than join PSV Eindhoven.

Boloni is hopeful that Standard can perform at Anfield. "They have a super stadium, so do we," he said.

"They have super fans, so do we. They have super players, so do we.

"They have the only thing my team lacks, lads who have 40 matches of Premier League experience."



Source: FC Liverpool press

Third qualifying round: first leg results and goals

Manchester United - Zenit: Super Cup 2008

First of all, I would like to say that the match won´t be so easy for Man U.

Of course, Manchester United is the favourite, but the team from Saint Peterburg will be an interesting opponent.

Pavel Pogrebnyak return could very important for the Russian team.

Messi Olympic Gold Medal is in Barcelona

Messi has now returned to Barcelona after winning Olympic gold on Saturday in Beijing. The player, who had just arrived, went almost directly to the Nou Camp where he admitted that he was highly motivated to play again for Barça.

Leo Messi arrived at Barcelona airport this morning from Beijing. With his gold medal in his hand, the player went home to change and then went directly to the Now Camp to meet up with his team mates and start work.

But first Messi spoke with the media and once again he thanked the club for allowing him to go to the Olympics in the first place: “I was only able to go thanks to them. I am grateful to the club, the president and the manager”.

Leo Messi admitted that “the medal makes up for everything that has been said. And to return with a medal is even more perfect”.

The Argentinian also said that the gold medal allowed him “to continue growing. It gives me strength and a lot of joy for myself, my team mates and for Argentina”.

Once in Barcelona, Leo Messi is only interested in returning to work with his club. The young Argentinian is “highly motivated and happy with the squad, with the new players and the hope and excitement that is evident at the club”. He added that he “wants to be with the squad from the beginning”.


Source: FC Barcelona Press

Angel Di María profile: the player of the moment

This forward seems to be on fire. He scored the single goal of the Olympic Final, but before this achievement, he was increasing the performance.

Benfica’s player, who was born on February, 14th, 1988, was chosen by World Soccer Magazine as one of “The 50 Most Exciting Teenagers on the Planet” after he won U-20 World Cup Canada 2007.

During 2008-2009 he will be partner of Pablo Aimar the whole season; in spite of he was required by many clubs in Europe.

But that wasn’t enough for him. For the first time, this week Argentinian Main Coach Alfio Basile called him to be part of the A squad who will be playing World Cup 2010 qualifying against Paraguay (September 6th) and Perú (September 10th).

We have no doubt, it is Di María moment.

Gabriel Agbonlahor goals: fast to score

Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor scored the second fastest hat-trick in Premier League history when he netted three times in the 4-1 win against Manchester City, according to Infostrada Sports.

Liverpool’s Robbie Fowler is the only player to have scored a quicker hat-trick in the Premier League era. He scored three goals in four minutes and 33 seconds in August 1994.

Fastest hat-tricks in Premier League

Minutes Player Match Goals 1st goal 3rd goal

4.33 Robbie Fowler Liverpool - Arsenal (28 Aug 1994) 3-0 3 26’ 31’
8 Gabriel Agbonlahor Aston Villa – Manchester City (17 Aug 2008) 4-1 3 68’ 76’
9 Ian Wright Arsenal - Ipswich Town (15 Apr 1995) 4-1 3 47’ 56’
10 Ole Gunnar Solskjær Nottingham Forest - Manchester United (06 Feb 1999) 1-8 4 80’ 90’
10 Teddy Sheringham Manchester United - Southampton (28 Oct 2000) 5-0 3 45’ 55’
10 Jermaine Pennant Arsenal - Southampton (07 May 2003) 6-1 3 15’ 25’
11 Alan Shearer Newcastle United - Sheffield Wednesday (19 Sep 1999) 8-0 5 30’ 41’
13 Alan Shearer Newcastle United - Leicester City (02 Feb 1997) 4-3 3 77’ 90’
13 Eidur Gudjohnsen Chelsea - Blackburn Rovers (23 Oct 2004) 4-0 3 37’ 50’
13 Les Ferdinand Everton - Queens Park Rangers (12 Apr 1993) 3-5 3 38’ 51’
13 Alan Shearer Newcastle United - Leicester City (02 Feb 1997) 4-3 3 77’ 90’

Note: The above table only includes the first three goals if a player scored more than three in a match.

Samuel Eto'o goals are part of the top scorers since this week

UEFA Champions League Top Scorers played third qualifying round, first leg:

Player / team / goals

Linas Pilibaitis Kaunas 5
Semih Senturk Fenerbahçe 4
Artem Milevskiy Dynamo Kyiv 3
Gennady Bliznyuk BATE Borisov 3
Lukasz Sosin Anorthosis Famagusta 3
Vits Rimkus Ventspils 3
Rafael Rodrigues Ledesma Kaunas 2
Pontus Wernblom IFK Göteborg 2
Shabani Nonda Galatasaray 2
Niklas Bärkroth IFK Göteborg 2
Robin Söder IFK Göteborg 2
Mladen Bojic Modrica 2
Jari Niemi Tampere United 2
Pawel Brozek Wisla Kraków 2
Christopher James Tampere United 2
Stefan Maierhofer Rapid Wien 2
Dimitris Salpingidis Panathinaikos 2
Miloš Bogunovic Partizan Beograd 2
Ismaël Bangoura Dynamo Kyiv 2
Graham Gartland Drogheda United 2
Juraj Piroska Artmedia 2
Zbynek Pospech Artmedia 2
Samuel Eto'o Barcelona 2
Marián Cišovský Artmedia 2
Vincent Laban Anorthosis Famagusta 2
Caca AaB 2
Nikos Frousos Anorthosis Famagusta 2
Ivan Ergic Basle 2
Benjamin Huggel Basle 2
Luka Žinko Domžale 2
Anders Due AaB 2
Marijo Mandzukic Dinamo Zagreb 2
Dino Drpic Dinamo Zagreb 2
Aviram Baruchyan Beitar Jerusalem 2
Fatoš Beciraj Buducnost 2
Olexandr Aliyev Dynamo Kyiv 2

Bayern Munich - Hamburg SV: Bundesliga starts !!!

Bayern München open the 2008/2009 Bundesliga season at home against Hamburger SV on Friday, 15 August. The defending champions have failed to beat Hamburger SV in Munich since January 2005, a total of three matches.

Only three clubs have managed to avoid defeat at Bayern for four matches or more. Werder Bremen have done it twice, 1. FC Köln and Borussia Dortmund once each. According to Infostrada, Bayern’s last home win against Hamburger SV was on 21 January 2005, 3-0.

Most Bundesliga matches at Bayern München without defeat

Matches Club Last match before streak First match after streak

5 Werder Bremen Bayern München - Werder Bremen (19 Sep 1987) 2-1 Bayern München - Werder Bremen (05 Mar 1994) 2-0

4 1. FC Köln Bayern München - 1.FC Köln (21 Apr 1979) 5-1 Bayern München - 1.FC
Köln (31 Mar 1984) 4-2
4 Borussia Dortmund Bayern München - Borussia Dortmund (15 Sep 1984) 1-0 Bayern München - Borussia Dortmund (12 May 1990) 3-0
4 Werder Bremen Bayern München - Werder Bremen (20 May 2000) 3-1 Bayern München - Werder Bremen (05 Mar 2005) 1-0

3 Hamburger SV Bayern München - Hamburger SV (21 Jan 2005) 3-0 Still running
3 1. FC Nürnberg No match Bayern München - 1.FC Nürnberg (12 Nov 1968) 3-0
3 1. FC Kaiserslautern Bayern München - 1.FC Kaiserslautern (05 May 1973) 6-0 Bayern München - 1.FC Kaiserslautern (07 Apr 1977) 3-0
3 Hertha BSC Bayern München - Hertha BSC (05 Feb 1977) 1-0 Bayern München - Hertha BSC (30 Apr 1983) 4-0
3 Bayer Leverkusen Bayern München - Bayer Leverkusen (25 Mar 1989) 2-0 Bayern München - Bayer Leverkusen (15 May 1993) 4-1

Haka arrives at Olympic Games

Exactly. The Haka arrives at Olympics. But not because rugby was included in Beijing 2008 (and it seems that won’t be part of London 2012). That is because the New Zealand U-23 football team has done it before their matches at Olympic Games. But wasn’t enough. New Zealand was defeated by Belgium 1-0 and couldn’t reach quarterfinals phase.

Now we know that Haka is not only for All Blacks… And also we found interesting videos: the Haka practiced by New Zealand swimmers during the 2nd FINA World Youth Championships held in Monterrey, Mexico on July.

UEFA Cup results: second round

Here we have second qualifying round results:

First leg, today

Borac - Lokomotiv Sofia 1-0
Queen of the South - Nordsjælland 1-2
Liepajas Metalurgs - Vaslui 0-2
Vojvodina - H. Tel-Aviv 0-0
Honka - Viking 0-0
WIT - Austria Wien: cancelled
Legia - Moskva 1-2
Haka - Brøndby 0-4
Stuttgart - Győr 2-1
Litex - Kiryat Shmona FC 0-0
Sūduva - Salzburg 1-4
Djurgården - Rosenborg 2-1
APOEL - Crvena Zvezda 2-2
Stabæk - Rennes 2-1
Elfsborg - St Patrick's 2-2
Young Boys - Debrecen 4-1
Aris - Slaven 1-0
AA Gent - Kalmar 2-1
København - Lillestrøm 3-1
Liberec - Žilina 1-2
Dnipro - Bellinzona 3-2
FH - Aston Villa 1-4
M. Netanya - Cherno More 1-1
Zürich - Sturm 1-1
AEK - Omonia 0-1
Široki Brijeg - Beşiktaş 1-2
Vllaznia - Napoli 0-3
Man. City - Midtjylland 0-1
Braga - Zrinjski 1-0
IB Ljubljana - Hertha 0-2
Lech Poznań - Grasshoppers 6-0
Deportivo - Hajduk 0-0

Previous Results and Schedule

Juventus 4 – Artmedia 0: Camoranesi and Del Piero goals closed the tie

13 days will still be needed to have 100% certainty of taking part in the next Champions League, but Juventus have at least one foot in the top European competition now. In the first leg of the third qualifying round, the Bianconeri had no mercy of Artmedia Bratislava and demolished them with an eloquent 4-0 drubbing.

Three goals were already scored in the first half thanks to Camoranesi, Del Piero and Chiellini, and then Legrottaglie made it four at the end of the match. The four-goal difference clearly showed the difference in quality between the two teams tonight at the Olimpico. Ranieri considered this return to top-level European football as a reward for the stars of last season, so 10 of the old guard started tonight.

Only new boy Christian Poulsen had a place on the team due to Zanetti's injury. Buffon was in goal playing his 500th game as a professional. The 4-0 looks set to guarantee Juve going through and returning to the top European tournament.

Juventus: Buffon; Grygera (Iaquinta 16 mins), Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Sissoko, Poulsen, Salihamidzic; Del Piero (Amauri 73 mins), Trezeguet.

Artmedia Bratislava: Kamenar; Velicky, Cisovsky, Salata, Urbanek; Piroska (Obzera 46 mins), Kozak, Fodrek, Pedro; Pospech (Oravec 82 mins), Halenar (Glever 68 mins).

Goals: Camoranesi 7, Del Piero 26, Chiellini 39, Legrottaglie 90.

Source: Juventus official report

Third Qualifying Round goals

First Leg: 13th August

Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) v Olympiacos CFP (GRE) 3-0
Torosidis (OG). 5, Sosin 19, Laban 87

Vitória SC (POR) v FC Basel 1893 (SUI) 0-0

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 2-0
Srna 3, Jadson 31

FC Schalke 04 (GER) v Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) 1-0
Pander 30

Aalborg BK (DEN) v FBK Kaunas (LTU) 2-0
Caca 71, Curth 86

FC Barcelona (ESP) v Wisła Kraków (POL) 4-0
Eto'o 17, Xavi 24, Henry 49, Eto'o 83

PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) v FC BATE Borisov (BLR) 0-1
Rzhevski 60

R. Standard de Liège (BEL) v Liverpool FC (ENG) 0-0

FK Partizan (SRB) v Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) 2-2
Paunovic 11, Bogunovic 14 (P), Alex (pen) 45, Guiza 50 (F)

FC Twente (NED) v Arsenal FC (ENG) 0-2
Gallas 63, Adebayor 82

FC Spartak Moscow (RUS) v FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) 1-4
Bazhenov 4 (SM), Bangoura 28, Milevskiy 45, Bangoura 46, Milevskiy 85 (DK)

Juventus (ITA) v FC Artmedia Petržalka (SVK) 4-0
Camoranesi 7, Del Piero 26, Chiellini 39, Legrottaglie 90

SK Brann (NOR) v Olympique de Marseille (FRA) 0-1
Cheyrou 40

Galatasaray AS (TUR) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU) 2-2
Nonda 18, Nonda 47 (G), Moreno 4, Nicolita 12 (SB)

Panathinaikos FC (GRE) v AC Sparta Praha (CZE) 2-1
Kucera o.g. 24, Simao 60 (P) Kulic 30 (SP)

12th August: ACF Fiorentina (ITA) v SK Slavia Prague (CZE) 2-0
Mutu 3, Gilardino 57

Twente 0 – Arsenal 2: Gallas and Adebayor goals for a calm victory

Arsenal beats FC Twente 2-0 at Netherlands confirming that they must be part of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage. The prize is interesting: each team that will play Group Phase will receive about 15 Millions Euros.

FC Twente: Boschker, Wielaert, Tiote, Franco, Braafheid, Wilkshire, Brama, Arnautovic (Gerritsen 90), Janssen (Heubach 90), Elia (Huysegems 86), Denneboom.

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Djourou, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue, Ramsey, Denilson, Walcott (Randall 84), Adebayor, Van Persie (Bendtner 88).

Goals: Gallas 63, Adebayor 82.

FC Twente – Arsenal: the Olympic opportunity

At Gelredome, Netherlands, FC Twente and Arsenal will be playing the first leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League 2008-2009. Only one of them will play the Group Stage.

FC Twente will play their match number 73rd in European Competitions (29 victories, 28 defeats). Arsenal history is superior: they won 80 matches in 167 games, 53 of them in Champions League.

Arsenal will consist of many adsents: Kolo Toure, Philippe Senderos, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo, but today matches could describe FC Twente future.

Standard Liege - Liverpool: desiring Group Stage

It seems that Champions League semifinalists won’t have many problems in this round since today. Standard Liege coach, László Bölöni, said something like that: “Liverpool must play worst than ever to lose”. But football is football and they are eleven vs. eleven...

These matches will decide the future of the entire season per each club. Let´s see what happen...

We have an interesting preview here.

And, of course, the goals and the best moments will be uploaded here.

Fiorentina 2 – Slavia Prague 0

During the first match of the third qualifying round, Fiorentina defeated Slavia Prague 2-0 at home. Goals were made by A. Mutu (3 min) and A. Gilardino (57 min).

Third qualifying Round: Schedule and results

12th August

ACF Fiorentina (ITA) v SK Slavia Prague (CZE) 2-0

13th August

Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) v Olympiacos CFP (GRE)
Vitória SC (POR) v FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
FC Schalke 04 (GER) v Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Aalborg BK (DEN) v FBK Kaunas (LTU)
FC Barcelona (ESP) v Wisła Kraków (POL)
PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) v FC BATE Borisov (BLR)
R. Standard de Liège (BEL) v Liverpool FC (ENG)
FK Partizan (SRB) v Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)
FC Twente (NED) v Arsenal FC (ENG)
FC Spartak Moskva (RUS) v FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Juventus (ITA) v FC Artmedia Petržalka (SVK)
SK Brann (NOR) v Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
Galatasaray AS (TUR) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)
Panathinaikos FC (GRE) v AC Sparta Praha (CZE)

Fiorentina – Slavia Prague: Only one will reach the Group Stage

At Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, the host team, ACF Fiorentina, and SK Slavia Prague will play the first leg of UEFA Champions League 2008-2009 third qualifying round.

The Italian team, leads by Adrian Mutu, would like to improve last season performances when they arrive at UEFA Cup semifinals. The Viola team has won 50 of their 109 matches in European competitions, many of them during UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup 1960/61 consecration.

Slavia Prague reached this round when they beat FC Sheriff. The European history of this Czech club is very similar: they played 116 matches and if they won tomorrow they would reach 50 triumphs in the continent.

Community Shield: Manchester United – Portsmouth

While they are waiting for the UCL Group Stage, MUFC will be playing another edition of the Community Shield. On Sunday, they will face Portsmouth, who can become the 14th club to win the Community Shield multiple times. In 1949 Portsmouth shared the Charity Shield with Wolverhampton Wanderers after a 1-1 draw.

Manchester United is title holders after they beat Chelsea on penalties one year ago. It marked the Red Devils’ 16th Community Shield win which is a competition record, according to Infostrada Sports.

Multiple Community Shield winners

16 Manchester United
15 Liverpool
12 Arsenal
9 Everton
7 Tottenham Hotspur
4 Professionals
4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
3 Manchester City
3 Chelsea
2 Amateurs
2 West Bromwich Albion
2 Burnley
2 Leeds United

1 Portsmouth
Note: Includes shared Charity Shields

Atlético Madrid squad and shirt numbers confirmed

Club Atlético de Madrid has sent UEFA the list of 28 players that will face the third qualifying round of the Champions League against Schalke 04. The footballers inscribed are:

Goalkeepers
25 Leo Franco
1 Gregory Coupet
27 Ángel Bernabé

Defenders
23 Juan Valera
22 Pablo Ibáñez
21 Luis Amaranto Perea
3 Antonio López
4 Mariano Pernía
15 John Heitinga
18 Tomas Ujfalusi
2 Giorgios Seitaridis
28 Álvaro Domínguez
29 César Ortiz

Midfielders
8 Raúl García
11 Maxi Rodríguez
9 Luis García
12 Paulo Assunção
19 Miguel de las Cuevas
6 Cléber Santana
24 Ignacio Camacho
16 Maniche
20 Simão Sabrosa
30 Joshua Zapata
32 Rubén Pérez

Strikers

10 Sergio Agüero
7 Diego Forlán
14 Sinama Pongolle
31 Rubén Ramos

Robinho goals wanted by Chelsea to be part of Blues squad

Chelsea FC confirmed that the London team made an offer to Real Madrid for Robson de Souza, “Robinho”. After Deco incorporation, Chelsea doesn’t stop asking for players. The Blues have put up £19.7 million for the midfielder.

The Brazilian player, who started playing football at the Beira-Mar futsal club in Sào Vicente and enjoy listening Pagode music, scored 88 goals in his professional career. Let’s watch some of them.

Brazil 1 – Belgium 0: Anderson Hernanes confirmed the first victory

In Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Brazil has some problems but defeated Belgium 1-0. Midfielder Anderson Hernanes scored at 79 minutes in the itinerary to win the first Brazilian gold medal in football.

Also as part of the Group B, host China (Fangzhuo Dong) and New Zealand (Jeremy Brockie) draw 1-1 and must win next matches to reach quarterfinals.

Messi goal opened Argentina 2 – Ivory Coast 0 match

The Olympic Games for men’s football have started. In the first date of Group A Argentina beat Ivory Coast 2-1 searching the second goal medal in a row in this sport. Lionel Messi and Lautaro Acosta scored Argentinian goals, while Sekou Cissé scored for the African team who is playing soccer in Olympic Games for the first time.

In the same group Australia (Ruben Zadkovich) and Serbia (Slobodan Rajkovic) draw 1-1 and share the second place of the group.

FC Barcelona v Wisla Krakow: Poland team overcome Beitar

Wisla Krakow beat Beitar Jerusalem 5-0 (6-2 global) and will face FC Barcelona since next week to know who will play Champions League Group Stage. Goals were made by Cantoro (9th), Cleber (25th penalty kick) Brozek (36th), Díaz (56th) and Niedzielan (88th).

Here we have all the meetings confirmed for Third Qualifying Round:

First leg: 12/13 August
Second leg: 26/27 August

Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) v Olympiacos CFP (GRE)
Vitória SC (POR) v FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
FC Schalke 04 (GER) v Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Aalborg BK (DEN) v FBK Kaunas (LTU)
FC Barcelona (ESP) v Wisła Kraków (POL)
PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) v FC BATE Borisov (BLR)
R. Standard de Liège (BEL) v Liverpool FC (ENG)
FK Partizan (SRB) v Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)
FC Twente (NED) v Arsenal FC (ENG)
FC Spartak Moskva (RUS) v FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Juventus (ITA) v FC Artmedia Petržalka (SVK)
SK Brann (NOR) v Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
ACF Fiorentina (ITA) v SK Slavia Praha (CZE)
Galatasaray AS (TUR) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)
Panathinaikos FC (GRE) v AC Sparta Praha (CZE)

Artmedia Petrzalka vs Juventus confirmed: qualifying results

FC Artmedia Petrzalka has eliminated Tampere United 4-2 (7-3 global) and they have a prize: the Slovak champion founded in 1898 will face Juventus next week. Goals were made by Kozak (9th penalty kick), Pospìch (35th), Halenar (45th), and Piroska (89th).

This page is one of the most important in the history of this club. In 2005-2006 season, Artmedia had made history by becoming the first Slovak team to earn a point in the Champions League group stage (in the eighth attempt by a Slovak side to do so). They came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat 2004 Champions League winners Porto 3-2 at Porto's home ground.

Second qualifying round results (winners in bold)

August 6th

BATE Borisov - Anderlecht 2-2

Din. Tbilisi - Panathinaikos 0-0

Dynamo Kyiv - Drogheda United 2-2

Rapid Vienna - Anorthosis 3-1

FK Modrica - AaB Aalborg 1-2

Basel - IFK Gothenburg 4-2

FC Artmedia Petrzalka - Tampere United 4-2

Sparta Prague - FC Sheriff 2-0

Dinamo Zagreb - NK Domzale 3-2

MTK Budapest - Fenerbahce 0-5

Partizan Belgrade - Inter Baku 2-0

Wisla Krakow - Beitar Jerusalem 5-0

Glasgow Rangers is out but second qualifying round continues

At Lithuania, last UEFA Cup runner-up, Glasgow Rangers lost against host team, Kaunas, 2-1 and was eliminated of Champions League 2008-2009 being the first important surprise of the season.

Rangers official site says: "It's all over and Rangers are out of Europe. Less than three months after reaching the UEFA Cup final, they fall at the first hurdle and Kaunas deserve their place in the final qualifying round".

Also Ventspils beat Brann Bergen 2 – 1 but wasn’t enough to qualify. Here we have second leg schedule and results of second qualifying round:

August 5th

Kaunas – Rangers 2-1
Ventspils - Brann Bergen 2 – 1

August 6th

BATE Borisov - Anderlecht
Din. Tbilisi - Panathinaikos
Dynamo Kyiv - Drogheda United
Rapid Vienna - Anorthosis
FK Modrica - AaB Aalborg
Basel - IFK Gothenburg
Petrzalka - Tampere United
Sparta Prague - FC Sheriff
Dinamo Zagreb - NK Domzale
MTK Budapest - Fenerbahce
Partizan Belgrade - Inter Baku
Wisla Krakow - Beitar Jerusalem

Take a look at First leg results

Shirt numbers and squad confirmed in Barcelona: Messi gets “10”

FC Barcelona has confirmed the squad and the shirt numbers to be used during season 2008-2009.

The first team players now know what shirt numbers they will be wearing this season. Messi, Bojan and Milito have new numbers, while the new signings have also been allocated their shirts.

The shirt numbers for the 2008/09 season have been officially announced to UEFA ahead of Barça’s Champions League qualifying match. Most of the players have the same numbers they had last season, but some, like Messi, Bojan and Milito have changed – and of course the new players also had to be given their numbers.

The Barça players will wear their official numbers for the first time in tonight’s Game with Chivas.

Messi gets 10

From this season, Leo Messi will be the Barça number ten, which was the number Ronaldinho wore for the last five seasons.

Bojan Krkic will also have a new number, 11, as opposed to the 27 he wore last season.

Numbers for newcomers

The other interesting factor was what numbers would be given to the newly arrived players at FC Barcelona. Dani Alves will wear 20, Hleb gets 21, Keita gets 15, Martín Cáceres gets 2 and Gerard Piqué gets 3. Piqué has been given the number 3 shirt, which belonged to Milito last season, but the Argentinian specifically asked to be changed to 18.

Six reserve players

In the 16-strong list that Barça have communicated to UEFA, six former B team players also get numbers. Pedro will wear 27, Sergio Busquets wears 28. Víctor Sánchez gets 29, Víctor Vázquez gets 30, and Jeffren, 31.

The numbers
1. Valdés
2. Martín Cáceres
3. Piqué
4. Márquez
5. Puyol
6. Xavi
7. Gudjohnsen
8. A. Iniesta
9. Eto’o
10. Messi
11. Bojan
13. Pinto
14. Henry
15. Keita
16. Sylvinho
18. Milito
20. Alves
21. Hleb
22. Abidal
24. Touré
25. Jorquera
26. Marc Crosas
27. Pedro
28. Sergi Busquets
29. V. Sánchez
30. V. Vázquez
31. Jeffren

Real Madrid squad: Rafael van der Vaart is part of the team

On Tuesday, Van der Vaart will arrive to Madrid as new player of Real provided for 10 Million Euros. He will be travelling to Colombia as part of Real Madrid squad because they will face Bogotá’s Independiente Santa Fe.

Van der Vaart would sign for five seasons. The 25 year old midfielder will earn about 4 million Euros per season. Only Raul, Iker Casillas, Fabio Cannavaro, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Robinho will earn more than him.

The Holland player will be Real Madrid incorporation since 2008/2009 like midfielders Rubén De la Red and Javi García Fernández.

Schalke 04 v Atlético Madrid: Third qualifying round draw schedule and results

On Friday, it was confirmed the matches to be played during UEFA Champions League 2008-2009 last qualifying Round. Here we have the meetings:

First leg: 12/13 August
Second leg: 26/27 August

Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) / SK Rapid Wien (AUT) v Olympiacos CFP (GRE)

Vitória SC (POR) v IFK Göteborg (SWE) / FC Basel 1893 (SUI)

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v NK Domžale (SVN) / NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)

FC Schalke 04 (GER) v Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)

Aalborg BK (DEN) / FK Modriča (BIH) v Rangers FC (SCO) / FBK Kaunas (LTU)

FC Barcelona (ESP) v Beitar Jerusalem FC (ISR) / Wisla Kraków (POL)

PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) v RSC Anderlecht (BEL) / FC BATE Borisov (BLR)

R. Standard Liège (BEL) v Liverpool FC (ENG)

FC İnter Bakı (AZE) / FK Partizan (SRB) v Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) / MTK Budapest (HUN)

FC Twente (NED) v Arsenal FC (ENG)

FC Spartak Moskva (RUS) v Drogheda United FC (IRL) / FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)

Juventus (ITA) v Tampere United (FIN) / FC Artmedia Petržalka (SVK)

SK Brann (NOR) / FK Ventspils (LVA) v Olympique de Marseille (FRA)

ACF Fiorentina (ITA) v SK Slavia Praha (CZE)

Galatasaray AS (TUR) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)

Panathinaikos FC (GRE) / FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) v FC Sheriff (MDA) / AC Sparta Praha (CZE)

Beijing 2008: Eredivisie is the most represented league

The Olympic Men’s Football tournament starts on Thursday. The 16 qualified countries named their squads last week and most of the players play their club football in the Netherlands.

The Dutch squad contains 13 players from the Netherlands, while Belgium has selected six players from the Eredivisie.

Marc Mboua (Cameroon) and Keisuke Honda (Japan) play for clubs in the Eerste Divisie, the second professional level in Holland.

England, Spain, France and Germany are also in the top 10, despite the fact that their Olympic teams do not take part in the Olympic Men’s Football tournament, according to Infostrada.

Where do the players at the 2008 Olympic Games play their club football?

Total / Nation
28 Netherlands
27 Italy
21 England
18 China
18 Spain
17 Japan
16 France
16 South Korea
15 Honduras
12 Germany

Non Dutch players at Olympic Games who are active in Dutch leagues

Country / Player / Position/ Club
Argentina: Sergio Romero GK AZ
Belgium: Sebastien Pocognoli DF AZ
Belgium: Sepp De Roover DF FC Groningen
Belgium: Thomas Vermaelen DF Ajax
Belgium: Jan Vertonghen DF Ajax
Belgium: Maarten Martens MF AZ
Belgium: Moussa Dembélé FW AZ
Cameroon: Marc Mboua FW SC Cambuur-Leeuwarden
Ivory Coast: Sekou Cissé FW Roda JC
Japan: Keisuke Honda MF VVV-Venlo
Nigeria: Dele Adeleye DF Sparta Rotterdam
Nigeria: Sani Kaita MF Sparta Rotterdam
Nigeria: Oluwafemi Ajilore MF FC Groningen
Serbia: Slobodan Rajkovic DF FC Twente
USA: Michael Bradley MF sc Heerenveen

UEFA Cup results: Hapoel Tel Aviv, Manchester City, Hertha Berlin are in third round. FC Copenhagen completes a global 11-0

Second leg played on July 29th and 31th

First leg results: here

July 29th

FC Nordsjaelland 5 - 0 TVMK Tallinn

July 31th

Zestafoni 1 - 2 Gyor
WIT Georgia 1 - 0 Trnava
FT Banants Yerevan 0 - 3 SV Salzburg
FT Olimpik 1 - 1 Vojvodina Novi Sad
FT Borac C. 3 - 1 Dacia Chisinau
L. Metalurgs 2 - 0 Glentoran
Milano Kumanovo 1 - 2 Omonia Nicosia
Mogren Budva 0 - 3 Hapoel Kiryat Shmona
Flora Tallinn 2 - 2 Djurgarden
Birkirkara 0 - 3 Hajduk Split
Gomel 1 - 4 Legia Warsaw
Haka Valkeakoski 4 - 0 Cork City
Nistru Otaci 0 - 0 Hertha BSC
Viking 2 - 0 Vetra
APOEL Nicosia 1 - 0 Pelister
FC Midtjylland 4 - 0 Bangor City
Kalmar 7 - 1 Racing FC Union Luxembourg
B36 Torshavn 0 - 2 Brondby
Zilina 1 - 0 MTZ-RIPO Minsk
TNS 0 - 1 Suduva
Akranes 2 - 1 Honka
Debrecen 1 - 0 Shakhtyor Karagandy
FC Copenhagen 7 - 0 Cliftonville
Grevenmacher 1 - 5 Hafnarfjordur
Partizani 1 - 3 Siroki Brijeg
Vllaznia 0 - 0 NK Koper
Bellinzona 3 - 1 Ararat
Slaven Belupo 4 - 0 Marsaxlokk FC
Austria Vienna 2 - 0 Tobol Kostanay
Juvenes/Dogana 0 - 2 Hapoel Tel Aviv
Sant Julia 0 - 5 Cherno More Varna
Zrinski 3 - 0 Vaduz
Interblock 1 - 0 Zeta Golubovci
Lech Poznan 4 - 1 Khazar Lenkoran
St. Patricks 2 - 0 Olimps
Manchester C. 2 - 0 EB/Streymur