Another midweek without any Champions League action -we’ve got the Carling Cup to look forward to this Tuesday and Wednesday- means there’s plenty time to pause and look back at how the sides from foreign soils fared once more…
We’re half way through the group stages of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Fantasy game and sides now need form to either jump that final hurdle or desperately keep themselves in the competition. In the weekend gone by, form wasn’t necessarily the friend of a few sides in question…
La Liga
The reigning European Champions of Barcelona found themselves caught short at home for the first time this season when they drew 0-0 at home to Sevilla. Despite the obvious Barcelona pressure, the final minutes of this game really could and should have seen Pep Guardiola’s side skipping home with the three points.
Barca were awarded a 90th minute penalty and up stepped World Player of the Year Lionel Messi who was, after Freddi Kanoute received his marching orders for two quick yellow cards after disturbing the play, to meet his match in Sevilla goalkeeper Javi Varas- the saved spot-kick left the game all square.
Real Madrid traveled to Malaga, with an intriguing match-up against old boss Manuel Pellegrino on the cards. Jose Mourinho’s side swept aside their cash-rich opponents thanks to a ruthless display of finishing from a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
He might not have got a hat-trick this time round but Gonzalo Higuain started the ball rolling when he evaded the Malaga defence to get on the end of Angel Di Maria’s ball and round the keeper. Then Ronaldo was left to do what he does best as, after a few games without a goal, he too showed he could score hat-tricks for fun with three equally well-taken goals inside a devastating fourteen minute first-half spell.
Villarreal lost at home to the current La Liga leaders; not Barca, not Real, but Levante, as their astounding La Liga story keeps rolling on. After a strong, but ultimately fruitless, performance away at the Etihad in midweek, Villarreal reverted to type and carried on with their travails down the chilly corridor of defeat.
Leaving it until nigh on the last minute Valencia scraped together a 1-1 draw at home to Marcelo Bielsa’s latest project at Athletico Bilbao. Roberto Soldado ghosted through the Bilbao defence and rounded the keeper to score from the narrowest of angles. A nasty first half injury to Sergio Canales will be as equally pressing to fans of Los Che.
Bundesliga
German champions of Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways, trouncing FC Cologne 5-0. Shinji Kagawa gave the title holders an early lead when he slotted home Kevin Grosskreutz’ pull back from the bye-line. Some pinball in the box a quarter of an hour later saw Marcel Schmelzer eventually curl the ball home. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski then scored a brace on either side of the break to put the game beyond any doubt, before Sebastien Kehl’s late surging run and header made it five and out.
We’ll have a Scout report on Borussia Dortmund coming up tomorrow with a look at their shape and style of play and those players with which we have our keenest eyes on.
After conceding for the first time in months at Napoli in midweek, Bayern Munich slipped to an unexpected 2-1 defeat away at Hannover. Jerome Boateng’s early sending off gave the home side the advantage to surge into a two goal lead before they, too, had a man dismissed but, despite a late goal from substitute David Alaba giving them hope, Bayern couldn’t find the net again and suffered their first Bundesliga defeat since the opening week of the season.
Bayer Leverkusen were beaten 1-0 at home by last season’s Champions League semi-finalists Schalke, meaning two out of three of our Bundesliga-based sides stumbled to defeat this weekend.
Ligue 1
Two of our French-based Champions League sides faced off against each on Sunday night and it was Lille, coming back from a goal down to win 3-1, who continued to prove that their title winning side of last season wasn’t a fluke occurrence. Jimmy Briand scored the sole Lyon goal after a sublime ball from Yoann Gourcuff, making his first Ligue 1 start since May, cut through the heart of the Lille back-line.
Moussa Sow levelled affairs with a crafty backheel just before half-time after Hugo Lloris fumbled a corner. Another corner saw Marko Basa give the lead to Lille when he headed home Dmitri Payet’s ball then our Engishman abroad, Joe Cole, settled affairs when a break found him on the spot to slide the ball home. Well done Joe.
Marseille silenced the boo boys for a day at least as Andre Ayew, despite missing a penalty twenty minutes into the game, scored the two goals Didier Deschamp’s side needed to notch only their second win of their league campaign.
Serie A
AC Milan found themselves three goals down and floundering at half time away at relegation positioned Lecce. Hope of a comeback seemed unlikely but the introduction of both Kevin-Prince Boateng and Alberto Aquilani after the break inspired the visitors to an incredible 4-3 victory.
Boateng was the second player of this report to score a quick smart hat-trick as his trio of goals between the 49th minute and the 63rd saw AC Milan back on level footing and right back in the fixture. Mario Yepes completed the full recovery twenty minutes later when a set play was eventually left for him to head home at the back post from a couple of yards out.
Heading into the weekend on the back of three consecutive Serie A defeats, Inter Milan could really have done with a change of fortune. Claudio Ranuieri was given something to smile about after tight 1-0 victory- Thiago Motta rose highest to power home and score Inter’s first goal at the San Siro this season.
Napoli, meanwhile, recorded their second draw in quick succession, after a goalless encounter away at early season form side Cagliari. Not a heavy abundance of talking points in this one, seemingly.
The Rest of Europe
Ajax: 1-1 against Feyenoord might not have been ideal but the home side will take it. After going a goal down and having Kenneth Vermeer sent off after last gasp foul, Jan Vertonghen headed in Theo Janssen’s corner to level matters.
Zenit: A first half rush of goals saw Zenit cruise to a 3-1 victory away at Rostov yesterday afternoon. Danny got the ball rolling, leaving Alexander Bukharov to finish affairs, with an Aleksander Lukovic penalty sandwiched between the two.
CSKA: A high-scoring match against the nouveau riche of Anzhi saw CSKA head home on the back of a 5-3 victory in which Seydou Doumbia scored a hat-trick and Alan Dzagoev scored one and set up another three.
Porto: A five goal hammering at home to Nacional saw Porto stay top of the Primeira Liga on goal difference. Stefan Defour, Walter, Christian Sapunaru, Kleber and Hulk all bagged a goal apiece.
Benfica: A 1-0 victory away at Beira Mar Benfica kept their place as one of the Portuguese forerunners thanks to an Oscar Cardozo goal.
FC Basel: The “future of Swiss football” Xherdan Shaqiri scored the only goal of the game as Basel grabbed a slender 1-0 victory away from home.
