UEFA Champions League last-16 race enters decisive phase

Ashley Williams

LONDON, England (TheSportsNEXT) November 19, 2012: With 15 out of 16 qualification spots available, the top European soccer clubs will give it a full go on Tuesday and Wednesday night across the continent as fans lick their lips for a mouthwatering soccer gala.

Manchester United have already booked their last-16 spot in the UEFA Champions League 2012 while FC Porto and Malaga also did enough to get close to qualification on Matchday 4 but Group H still has a massive fight going on for the qualification as Galatasaray, Cluj, and Braga all three have a valid chance of joining Manchester United in the final 16.

Another big match on Matchday 6 is between defending champions Chelsea FC and Juventus in Group E as the English soccer giants will travel to Juventus Stadium in Turin with their last-16 qualification on the line.

The Group E is also presenting a very confused picture as only point separates the top three teams and any of them can qualify for the knock-out stage on the Matchday 6 but as happens in all the major tournaments in the world one of these two European soccer giants will be knocked out this week.

Chelsea FC are relatively better placed than Juventus but they seem to have lost their galore they exhibited early in the season as they have managed only two points in their last four games in the Barclays English Premier League.

Juventus on the other hand will have to defeat the reigning UEFA Champions after they recorded a 2-2 draw in London. If Juventus beat Chelsea FC then they will have to secure a draw in their final fixture to make sure they book their ticket to Shakhtar Donetsk. However, the Italian soccer giants have also struggled for goals dearly this season as the Serie A leaders were held for a goalless draw with Lazio this weekend.

Both the teams will have to find a way of scoring goals as this is where they will have to rise to the occasion. Chelsea FC have a good news as they will have Juan Mata and Oscar both back in the squad after Roberto Di Matteo rested the duo on Saturday’s EPL action while Belgian striker Eden Hazard has found some form as he struck a brilliant goal against West Bromwich Albion.

The other top game in the Group E on November 20, 2012 (Tuesday) is between Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjaelland where the Ukranian side has recently tasted defeat in their local championship after registering 15 victories on the trot. Shakhtar Donetsk are clear favorites against Nordsjaelland who are still looking for their first victory in the UEFA Champions League.

Interestingly enough, Nordsjaelland could still qualify into the last-16 stage if they record their first victory at the UEFA Champions League and then Chelsea FC defeat Juventus.

Group F will have two matches to be played on Tuesday where BATE Borisov will be up against Lille and the tough Valencia will take on the mighty Bayern Munich.

Valencia need a victory over Bayern Munich to book them a place in the last-16 round and even a draw would be enough if BATE Borisov are held by Lille to a draw.

On the other hand, Bayern Munich are in dire need of a victory in Spain and with BATE Borisov becoming the Belarusian soccer champions for seventh straight season on November 11 things are looking positive for the German giants.

Group G is another complicated group where Benfica are pitted against Celtic and Spartak Moscow will be up against FC Barcelona on Tuesday night.

FC Barcelona probably are the best-placed team in the Group G as all they require is a draw to qualify into the next stage of the UEFA Champions League 2012. Even a loss can’t hurt their chances but in that case they will have to rely on the result in the other match. Celtic, who defeated FC Barcelona in their last outing, also are in good position to qualify as a draw would suffice for them to join Barca in the last-16 stage if they score at least a goal and Barca don’t get defeated.

As far as Benfica are concerned, they are trailing the Celtic by three points and they must record a victory to stay in the hunt before their final round-robin clash against FC Barcelona.

Group H has one spot to be filled as Manchester United have already secured their berth in the final-16. The Red Devils will take on Galatasaray while Cluj will take on Braga on Tuesday night with all the three teams staying in the race to the knockouts.

Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League action also promises great thrill and euphoria for the soccer fans across the globe where FC Porto will take on Dinamo Zagreb and Dynamo Kiev will be up against Paris Saint-Germain in the Group A.

In Group B, Arsenal FC will be playing against Montpellier while Schalke 04 and Olympiakos will battle it out in the second game on Wednesday night.

Arsenal FC will have to defeat Montpellier to keep their chances alive in the competition while Schalke 04 are the best-placed side at the moment as they need only a draw to proceed.

The two matches in the Group C are Zenit Saint Petersburg vs Malaga and Anderlecht vs AC Milan where Malaga are almost certain to finish on top of the table but the rest of the three sides will still battle it out to stay in the hunt.

The Group D matches include Ajax vs Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City vs Real Madrid where Borussia Dortmund, who are leading the group, need only a draw to qualify while Real Madrid will join them if they beat Manchester City and Ajax don’t triumph.

It is important to mention here that the Manchester City have won the last three home matches against Real Madrid and it will be a tough task for Cristiano Ronaldo and company to achieve a victory there.

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Celtic stun Barcelona 2-1 in UEFA Champions League

Monitoring Desk

LONDON, England (TheSportsNEXT) November 8, 2012: Celtic sent shockwaves around Europe as they produced a stunning 2-1 win over Barcelona at Parkhead to end the Catalan giants' 100 per cent record in this season's UEFA Champions League, the official FIFA website reported.

Just as they had done in the Nou Camp two weeks ago, Celtic took the lead against the run of play when Victor Wanyama headed them ahead in the 21st minute.

Barcelona, who have made a record breaking start to their domestic campaign and hadn't previously lost in the group stages for over three years, dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge in front of goal with Lionel Messi hitting the crossbar and Alexis Sanchez heading against the post in the first half.

Fraser Forster produced heroics in the Celtic goal to deny Barcelona with the keeper superbly stopping further efforts from Alexis and Messi after the break.

Celtic's chances were few and far between, but they increased their lead in the 83rd minute when teenager Tony Watt, on as a substitute, scored on a breakaway just 11 minutes into his Champions League debut.

They have just beaten the best team in the world and, on the anniversary of the club, it is a very special occasion.

Messi gave Barça hope in stoppage time when he pulled one back, but the Hoops held on for a famous win the day after the club celebrated their 125th birthday.

"It is one of the proudest nights of my career," said Celtic manager Neil Lennon. "It was just a monumental effort from all these players tonight. I wanted them to do themselves justice and they have even surpassed that. They have just beaten the best team in the world and, on the anniversary of the club, it is a very special occasion."

Barcelona counterpart Tito Vilanova praised Celtic in defeat. "Congratulations to Celtic and their fans. The credit is theirs," Vilanova said. "It was an amazing show. If we had scored first it would have been a more open match. We hit the post twice but their goalkeeper did very well."

Celtic, who gained revenge for their stoppage time 2-1 defeat in the Nou Camp, now sit second in Group G on seven points just two behind the Catalan giants and could qualify with a game to spare if they get a scoring draw or better against Benfica in two weeks.

With several first team players already missing, Celtic had been dealt another blow before kick-off when skipper Scott Brown was ruled out with a virus and Gary Hooper failed to recover from injury. Barcelona had their own injury problems to deal with in defence, but Gerard Pique found a place on the bench for the first time since September.

The Catalan giants had dominated possession at the Nou Camp and started in a similar fashion in Glasgow. However, after earning their first corner of the match Charlie Mulgrew fizzed his delivery to the back post where Wanyama rose above Marc Bartra to thump a header past Victor Valdes.

Following that, it was all one-traffic towards the Celtic goal with Messi coming within inches of equalising when he collected a pass from Andres Iniesta in the box before cracking a half-volley off the bar. Alexis then sent an angled header into the turf and cannoning off the base of the post after getting on the end of a Dani Alves cross in another let-off for Celtic.

The Hoops continued to frustrate Spain's league leaders after the break. Forster was keeping Celtic in the match and he showed his worth moments later when he got down smartly to stop a drilled strike from Alexis and then made a second save with his legs to deny the Chilean forward.

There were more heroics from Forster in the 70th minute when he produced a superb one-handed save to stop Messi's strike from ten yards out.

Unbelievably, Celtic then increased their lead in the 83rd minute. Forster saved a Messi free-kick and his long kick out was then missed by Xavi to allow substitute Watt to get behind Javier Mascherano and drill a shot beyond Valdes.

Messi pulled one back in stoppage time after Forster had done well to keep out sub Cesc Fabregas' shot as the Argentine reacted quickest to lift the ball into the net from five yards.

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Barcelona gift victory to papa Lionel Messi

By Meg Anderson

MADRID, Spain (TheSportsNEXT) November 4, 2012: FC Barcelona gifted their son Lionel Messi, who became father on Friday, a comfortable 3-1 La Liga victory over Celta de Vigo here Saturday.

Lionel Messi’s girlfriend Antonella Rocuzzo gave birth to the baby boy named Thiago Messi Roccuzzo on November 3, 2012 at the Hospital USP Dexeus where Messi’s mother Celia María Cuccittini de Messi was also present to celebrate the biggest moment of his son’s life.

Although, Lionel Messi couldn’t magnify his life’s biggest moment by scoring goals for his team, for a change though, but Adriano Correia, David Villa, and Jordi Alba were there to do the job for their most-celebrated player while Celta de Vigo’s only goal came through Mario Bermejo.

Most of the goal-scoring action happened in the first half where three goals were scored in the space of only five minutes after Adriano Correiagave Barcelona a 20^th minute lead but held back by Mario Bermejo before David Villa re-established the advantage in the 25^th minute.

Jordi Alba then sealed the deal for Barca just at the stroke of the hour-mark as Barcelona were delighted by an unexpected appearance by their star striker Lionel Messi who was expected to miss the game to spend time with his newly-born child.

Lionel Messi and his Mother at Hospital USP Dexeus

Lionel Messi outside the Hospital USP Dexeus

Lionel Messi's mother Celia María Cuccittini de Messi

Front view of Hospital USP Dexeus where Thiago Messi came into this world

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Real Madrid snatch Super Cup title from FC Barcelona

By Alexia Krause

MADRID (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid took revenge of their last year’s Super Cup defeat to the hands of FC Barcelona on Wednesday night when they defeated their arch-rivals by 2-1 to claim their first Spanish Super Cup title in four years.

Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo scored the two goals for Real Madrid who enjoyed dominance over FC Barcelona who were clipped to 10 men after Adriano was sent off in the 28^th minute.

FC Barcelona looked far from their best game and missed a number of chances right throughout the match and despite of Lionel Messi pulling one back for them just at the stroke of halftime, they kept wasting seriously intriguing movements to eventually left bitter-mouth.

By winning the second leg of the Super Cup match, Real Madrid equalized the tie 4-4 after the FC Barcelona had won the first leg 3-2 at Nou Camp but Cristiano Ronaldo’s side was declared winner on the basis of away goals rule.

The victory also gave Real Madrid fans something to cheer about after a disappointing start to their La Liga campaign as they have lost all three matches this season which also included a shocking 2-1 defeat at city rivals Getafe on Sunday.

Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo found the net well inside the first 20 minutes with Huguain scoring in the 11^th and Ronaldo in the 19^th minute to send a strong message to the visiting arch-foes.

However, Lionel Messi responded well with a brilliant goal off a free kick from 30 meters as the teams went into the halftime with score of 2-1 in favor of Real Madrid.

Real Madrid fielded strong defensive players in the second half and offered few chances to the Barca as their star goalkeeper Iker Casillas stood firm in the goalpost.

This victory also was mammoth in terms of breaking Barcelona’s seven-match unbeaten streak at the Bernabeu Stadium as it was Real Madrid’s first home victory in a El Clasico encounter since May 2008.

Iker Casillas lifted the Super Cup trophy and thereafter spoke to Spanish television saying, "At the Nou Camp they had a chance for a fourth goal and in the next move we scored the one that kept us in with a chance. We dominated the first half and the match in general, although we had to suffer a bit at the end. We were on a poor run and we owed this to the fans. We haven't started the season well but some days you have good luck and some you don't."

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