There was a mixed bunch of results last night in the UEFA Champions League. Niether of the three British (two of which were at home) teams could come up with a victory. As a result I expect to lose at least two of the British sides before the quarter finals.
I'll start with Arsenal who fought hard against a tight AC Milan side, but could not get that breakthrough goal. The 0-0 result will favour Milan, but as we all know from this season, Arsenal cannot be totally written off.
Milan, like neighbours Inter the night before them, would have come to England looking not to lose and will be perfectly content with their result at the Emirates Stadium.
Manchester United headed to France to take on French Champions Lyonnais. I'd said before the game Untied would be happy with a draw and the 1-1 result, and with that away goal I'm sure Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be relatively pleased.
United left it late though, as Carlos Tevez came off the bench to save United's blushes and put the tie firmly within Man Utd's grasp.
Celtic vs. Barcelona proved to be the tie of the round as Barcelona twice came from behind to beat Celtic 3-2 in Glasgow.
Celtic were nowhere near their best as they tackled the Spanish giants, but surprisingly took an early lead through Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.
The success was short lived though as Lee Naylor's tackle on Lional Messi flicked off the young Argentines shins and into the Celtic net. Celtic were back to square one and Barca were looking menacing.
Celtic could just not string anything together and were looking vulnerable at the back when they scored again with just their second strike. Barry Robson's looping header sent Celtic Park into raptures.
Barcelona were back to their best after the break and with Celtic's Nakamura posted missing, they left Celtic without a hope.
Celtic gifted Barcelona all three goals with sloppy passing and in truth deserved little from their performance. Thierry Henry scored a sublime equalizer that many an Arsenal fan would be familiar with before Messi pounced on another defensive mix up to score the winner.
Special praise for Celtic's Scott McDonald who worked tirelessly along with Aiden McGeady to keep Celtic within striking distance.
So all eight first-leg games have been played with some interesting results.
Truth be told I think Arsenal and Celtic will exit the competition. What do you think?
6 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Sheikh Zakaria about 1 year ago
Celtic will bow out..Arsenal's chancesare also looking dimmer now, but u never knw.
If they cud thrash a poor nevertheless Inter Milan side 1-5 5 yrs back, they can cause serious upsets in away legs..
but i m looking forward to Pato and Kaka doin th damage..
United shud go thorugh, and i hope SAF will not be so ccrazy to field only one striker upfront at OT!!
Liverpool shud also go through and so shud Chelsea..
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Davie Jones about 1 year ago
I strongly believe that arsenal will go through. Although the odds are now againts them they do have what it takes to beat AC Milan. Arsenal have a young side who i am sure would cursing the fact that Adebayor's late strike that hit the top post didn't go in. Old Trafford should see Manchester United go through.
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Matt S about 1 year ago
I still fancy Arsenal to have a chance of getting through, although Milan are now favourites, maybe 60/40 or 65/35. Milan might regret not getting the away goal though as Arsenal are more than capable of scoring in the San Siro and if they get one then Milan will have to get two. I think Arsenal are still very much in this.
United would have taken 1-1 before the game and definately going into the last five minutes! An important psychological blow and a clean sheet at home will see them through, although I expect them to win nonetheless.
Liverpool did great, at 1-0 I thought they'd not made the most of their numerical advantage but Gerrard sealed it brilliantly. Once more, if they score then Inter will need four. Liverpool are masters at the European ties so will see this one out.
Chelsea didn't get an away goal so it could be tricky if Oympiacos nicked one but I see them winning with something to spare, maybe 2-0.
Celtic showed they can score against Barca but they need to score at least two in the Nou Camp which I think is just too much, especially if they would need to keep a clean sheet as well! You never know, but I rate their chances at 5% at best.
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Andrew McNair about 1 year ago
Thanks for your views. We are all basically of the same opinion so I wonder if anyone will prove us all wrong...
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Clement Andreau about 1 year ago
Well for Arsenal, it is still possible to qualified, because a 1-1 draw would be enough. Milan is struggling this season to win at San Siro, They only have few win in Serie A, and had to wait Pato's 18 birthday to get better.
For Celtic well, although they were not that bad at home, Barça is just another level, and a win 0-2 at the Nou Camp, seems almost impossible. With Puyol, Milito, Marquez, and subs like Thuram, Barça also has a defensive Fantastic 4, which gives a lot of choices to Rijkaard. But the Scotts spirit could surprise the Catalans.
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kabelo Sehoana about 1 year ago
arsenal style of play is an advantage to AC milan. Those old ballies have it easy as Arsenal are not ball carriers but rely on short passing. For arsenal to win this one they would need to penetrate the wall of china in nesta but before that someone has to go through Gattuso. I personally think someone in Arsenal should be able to beat a player without having to pass the ball to a teammate. a player like ronaldo would do the job. The experience in AC camp responds well to short passes as they just have to close down the spaces. force them to commit more fowls because DIDA hands are sometimes loose. I MISS Van persie on this one. I remember how AC milan use to struggle against PSV and if arsenal can adapt that style of play next time they will have a chance. Man U I fancy to go through although i believe teves should start this time and its not because he scored.
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