Arsenal's Champions League Adventures Continue

((HT: UEFA/Champions League))

First, Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey got a red card in the scoreless draw with Beskitas that means he sits out the second leg at the Emirates...

Not that Demba Ba almost didn't make that whole point moot off the kick-off...


But, just after the match was completed, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claims he was the target of a foreign object- "a bottle or something"- and the team reported the incident to UEFA.

UEFA's disciplinary department will now review the match report before deciding whether to take action as Wenger was not hit by the "bottle or something..."

OSG UEFA: Real Smokes Bayern

((HT: UEFA/Fox Soccer))

Sergio Ramos scored twice in five minutes and Cristiano Ronaldo punched it through twice on his own...

As a matter of fact, the goals by CR7 set a new Champions League record for goals in a campaign- with 16...

The final was 5-0 on aggregate- and it wasn't even that close...

Here's the PK by CR7 to advance to the final for the first time since 2002...


Bayern had never lost by three goals at home in Europe- they lost by four today...

OSG UEFA: Chelsea Climbs Ladder At Home, Real Survives In Quarters

((HT: UEFA/beINSport))

Chelsea had only one thing in their pocket going into the second leg of the Champions League quarters...
The one road goal...

Losing 3-1 wasn't all bad. It just had to be done at home by a two-goal margin...
And thanks to Schurrle and Ba... (who had those two in the fantasy league scoring column...?)
They advance to the semis with a 2-0 win...


Chelsea is now in the last four for the seventh time in the last 11 years.

And, in the other quarter of the day, Real Madrid sat an injured Cristiano Ronaldo from their starting XI. Lewandoski was starting for Borussia Dortmund and they needed some help. But they had to score a little more than they did by the end...

A 2-0 final kept them a goal short of advancing...


Bayern Munich hosts Manchester United Wednesday, and Barcelona takes on Atletico Madrid after both first legs ended 1-1 in the other quarterfinals match-ups.

OSG UEFA: Real and PSG Put Up 3 Each In Leg One...

((HT: UEFA))

It was a busy day for goalkeepers- in a bad way- in the first legs of the UEFA Champions League semifinals...

At PSG, it was Lavezzi breaking through early and the home side didn't look back in a dominating 3-1 win over Chelsea. The only saving grace for the Blues is the one road goal in the process before next week's game at Stamford Bridge


The larger issue for PSG in the second leg is the health of Zlatan Ibrahimovich- who went down late with either a knee or hamstring injury. The upside is having Cavani taking over that spot isn't to much of a drop off...

In the other semi, Real Madrid took care of Borussia Dortmund by a 3-0 score...
Three different goal scorers- including Gareth Bale- made it really difficult for an anemic offense like Dortmund's to try and do something in the second leg on the road...


The issue for Real is the injury on Cristiano Ronaldo, but look for him to sit a lot with a three goal lead in Leg 2...

OSG UEFA: RvP Hat Trick Lifts ManU To Elite 8

((HT: Instagram via aboalifz))

David Moyes is still alive in one part of the Manchester United trophy case...

A Robin van Persie hat trick gave the Red Devils a 3-2 aggregate win over Olympiacos to advance to the next stage of the Champions League...

Here's the third, which was a masterstroke, with Wayne Rooney as a decoy...

OSG Prem: Chelsea Maintains, Real Destroys Schalke

((HT: UEFA/Fox Soccer))

Let's face it...

There are a couple of words that come to mind with the absolute dismantling that Real Madrid had of Schalke today in Champions League play. When it's 6-1, sometimes it's hard to find an adjective that will fit...

But surgical comes to mind... two goals each from Benzema, Bale, and CR7... in order, in each half...


And, then, with all of the reporter shenanigans in and around the joke The Chosen One told in confidence about Samuel Eto'o, you wondered if something would be up with their match against Galatasaray in Turkey...

But Chelsea maintained... they got their road goal setting up a return of Drogba to Stamford Bridge in a game that means something...

OSG Prem: Chosen One Slams Chosen Reporter

((HT: London Telegraph))

There are lines...and there are LINES...

Reporters will go to certain lengths to get a story, but the HQ has seen what the European press do to get people to frequent their websites, buy their newspapers, or mention a by-line...

Chelsea is in a battle for the Champions League and manager Jose Mourinho is more than happy to deflect the pressure off his team and be the center of the universe to get maximum results and maximum effect...

Like titles... a lot of them...

But the players have to be HIS players... evidence the benching and dismissal of Juan Mata...

Samuel Eto'o is one of his guys... for now...

But...

Mourinho was caught on camera at a commercial event as he told a businessman: "I have a team but no striker."
He also joked about Eto'o's age: "I have Eto'o but he is 32, maybe even 35."

He didn't apologize for the joke, and instead went after the reporter who leaked the information


Chelsea now faces Galatasaray in the next round of Champions League play...

OSG Prem: ManU Flaming Out In Champions League

((HT: Fox Sports/UEFA))

Let's face it... this is not a good team, and there are not a lot of folks who give a tinker's damn about how bad they are...

Opening Round of the Group of 16 in Champions League has ManU at Olympiakos...

And it went as well as expected for the Fergie-less Red Devils...

Evidence below...


Postgame on all elements social media have been aflame with rage by Manchester United fans...
And the HQ wonders just how much patience the fans will have with David Moyes- the guy saddled with all this stuff that is supposed to resemble a world-class roster...

The front office seems ready to spend for Moyes, but will pressure let him stay...???

Michael Carrick was a stand-up guy to answer questions afterwards...

Champions League: Barca and PSG Roll

((HT: UEFA/youtube))

Barcelona has had traditional issues winning in Manchester, but that went away today with a 2-0 win over Manchester City.

A Demichelis red led to a Messi PK and Dani Alves scored in the end for a comfortable win


And PSG blew out Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 off an Ibra double...
It wasn't even that close...


Leverkusen is even thinking about resting players in the away leg if the series since things are so out of hand in their match-up...

Atleti and Milan go tomorrow as well as Arsenal and Bayern Munich...

More Racist Chants During Champ League (UPDATED)

((HT: Manchester City TV))

Not that this is a surprise or anything... it's just the most recent version of it...

Both UEFA and FIFA have big initiatives including their biggest stars trying to block out any kind of racism and racist chants during games at the sport's biggest stars...

This time, it was Manchester City's Yaya Toure hearing it from CSKA Moscow's fans...

Here's City TV's interview with Yaya after the match...


Russian soccer fans have a history of doing these kinds of silly things thinking that they're cool and all that...
But, they're really not...

And, sadly, the HQ doesn't think this is going to stop any time soon...

THURSDAY UPDATE: CSKA is, of course, denying anything happened...

"There was a lot of noise in the stadium. Nobody else, other than Yaya Toure, heard anything. The only trouble that has come about was because Yaya Toure heard something," CSKA's deputy media manager Michael Sanadze said.

UEFA said on Thursday morning: "We are awaiting the reports from the match which should land at some point today or tomorrow.

"Once received, the contents will determine whether a disciplinary case be opened. Should this be the case, we will communicate accordingly."

Champ League Wednesday: It's All Zlatan

Today's second day of the week in group play for Champions League gave us more blowouts than anything...

Man City won on a painted pitch against CSKA Moscow, 2-1... and the HQ is not kidding about the paint job...
Leverkusen put four on Shakhtar, Galatasaray's all-stars won 3-1, and Bayern put 5 on Plzen...

There were some closer games as ManU beat Real Sociedad 1-0, Real beat Juventus 2-1, and there was actually a tie- Benfica and Olympiakos at ones...

But the performance of the day goes to Zlatan Ibrahimovich as PSG was all over Anderlecht...
The final was 5-0, and Zlatan had four of them...
((HT: Fox Soccer/UEFA))


The hat trick came down in an 18-minute span and Zlatan has now scored 10 goals this season- already...

Champions League: A Few Surprises...

Chelsea had no problems getting to the top of their group with a 3-0 win over Schalke this afternoon...

Fernando Torres put two in the net to back up Mourinho's choice to have him up front...

Celtic held off Ajax at home. Messi came up with the equalizer in the 1-1 draw with AC Milan while Zenit, Atletico, and Napoli had no issues...

But the biggest surprise spoiled the birthday surprise of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Robert Lewandowski put home the game-winner for Borussia Dortmund in their 2-1 win. Wenger admitted postgame that his team may have been too aggressive in their approach and it didn't pay off...

Here's your look at what happened...
((HT: Sportsnet))

German Soccer Boss Sees UEFA Protesters Point

If this happened in your own barn before a high-profile soccer match, you'd be bent out of shape, wouldn't you...???


Wouldn't you...???

Well, FC Schalke GM Horst Heldt was quoted by the Bild newspaper as saying: "It is important that there are organisations that are committed to things that concern all people. I can identify with it, these are topics that are important to everyone."

UEFA confirmed that disciplinary action might be taken against the home team, Basel, over the protest but only after the match delegate's report had been submitted.

Whatever that means... and, what else can be said about the whole thing, anyway...???

The protesters shimmied down from the roof, got their banner unfurled, delayed the game, and got their point across. It was a massive security breach and UEFA and their suits can't be happy about it one bit...

It was a dangerous thing to have happen, and Basel will end up paying the piper somehow... especially since the protest was against one of the Champions League mega-sponsors...

This Is NOT How To Handle A Back Pass

((HT: Fox Soccer/UEFA))

Viktoria Plzen had a chance to get some points on the road in Champions League play this afternoon against CSKA Moscow. The home team couldn't play at home because their stadium was a mess, so they had to move it to St Petersburg.

Didn't seem to matter, but this own goal did in a 3-2 final...

Mourinho Doesn't Like Questions About Those Not Playing...

((HT: Sky Sports))

Chelsea is hip deep in the Champions League and the Premier League and the Cap One Cup...
All at the same time... that's how it is over in Europe when it comes to soccer...

Multi-tasking...

So, over the last few weeks, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been grilled over not playing Juan Mata. And once Mata played, he did well- saying all the right things all the way about making sure he found a way into the starting XI.

Now, that Mata is playing and Kevin De Bruyne isn't...
Mourinho is getting the same line of questioning and still doesn't like it...


So much for being ready for Steaua Bucharest...

Messi Matches Ronaldo Hat Trick With One Himself

((HT: Fox Soccer/UEFA))

When Ronaldo had a hat trick of his own yesterday, the HQ thought that someone would match the effort today...

And, yep, it was Messi...

After a bit of a slow start, Barca took care of Ajax in the first end of their home-and-home...

Here's the highlights...


The only real surprise on Day Two of the Group stage was perpetual pain in the ass Basel as they scored two late to beat Chelsea. Other winners included Arsenal, Napoli, and AC Milan...

Jurgen Klopp is the Scariest Soccer Manager Ever

Whoa!

If you are wondering who Jurgen Klopp is, well, he's the guy in charge of the Dortmund Soccer team in the UEFA Champions League.

And Klopp has a reputation for not losing his mind over a call.

Until now.

Check out his reaction early Wednesday during a Champions League match vs. Napoli. He was less than thrilled the referee's let an injured Napoli player back on the field before a free kick, which they converted for a goal.

Folks, this is kinda scary...and got Mr. Klopp booted from the game:

Ronaldo Goes For A Hat Trick

((HT: Fox Soccer))

It's something the HQ enjoys occasionally...
It's like the All-Star Game for soccer...

UEFA Champions League started again today with not a whole lot of surprises...
Just some dominating performances...

Like Ronaldo against Galatasaray...


Man City and ManU also had dominating performances...
More action tomorrow...

A Beautiful, Fiery, Silly Protest

((HT: wawasportpl/Dirty Tackle))

The HQ understands how, um, fired up soccer fans can get...

The folks at Legia Warsaw got slapped on the wrist as a result of their "ultras" (most vocal fans) racist displays in the pervious round against a Welsh side...

Racism against Welsh...??? Sounds difficult, but the ultras pulled it off and got a fine and an order by UEFA to close their north end- the place where they hang out...

The second leg of their match against Steaua Bucharest yielded this nose-thumbing, tongue-sticking-out en masse...

Here's the display...


UEFA decided that the ultras had engaged in "racist behavior" but did not get into any specifics...

So, yeah, take THAT UEFA...
The HQ can feel the impact from here...

OSG Prem: Chelsea To UCL, Lampard Sets Record

((HT: Sky Sports/BPL))

It took a while but Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard became the leading goal scorer in club history with two markers against Aston Villa in the 2-1 win at Villa Park.

The game, pretty much, featured everything- goals, reds (on both sides with Benteke and Ramires), the reinforcement for goal line technology (on a tap in by Demba Ba that wasn't called- in the end, it didn't matter, but it's the principle of the thing...), injuries to both Eden Hazard (hamstring) and John Terry (ankle) that jeopardize their playing for Chelsea in the Europa League final this week against Benfica, and Lampard setting the new record...

Did we miss anything...???

Here's the 203rd goal of Lampard's Chelsea career...


He goes one clear of Bobby Tambling for the top and now speculation begins as to how many of the old guard in Chelsea's current roster stay at season's end. Terry and Lampard, as well as current caretaker manager Rafa Benitez, are all thought of as gone because of what owner Roman Abramovich thought of as not letting Andres Villas-Boas implement his younger players and style effectively (and soon) enough when he was in charge.

If Mourinho arrives, some think Lampard stays. But he is still linked to a new life with Robbie Keane as an LA Galaxy DP if no one picks him up.

Here's the full highlight run...