The great pair who demolished United Robben and RiberyPhoto by: Tom Jenkins

Arjen Robben’s fabulous volley  was the decisive goal which made Manchester United crash out of the Champions League making it the first Semi Final without a British team in seven years.

Man Utd had the best start possible with two early goals by the Darron Gibson on the 3rd minute and Nani on the 7th minute. Gibson’s goal came after Wayne Rooney fed the 22-year-old who took a shot to the right of the goal catching Hans-Joerg Butt off balance.

Nani’s class goal came after Valencia dazzles passed Badstuber to take his cross which meets with Nani who cheekily nods the ball in with the back of his foot.

From there on the red devils looked the team in control in the first half with much of the ball possession but it is fear to say Bayern Munich also missed a couple of chances with Robben and Ribery using the wings very effectively.

United were also complaining due to the fouls committed on Wayne Rooney, as most of the blows went to his previously injured right foot for some reason?

Disappointed Rooney - Photo by: AP / Jon Super

Nani scored his second of the game and third for United on the 41st minute after the ball was met by Valencia who sprinted past Demichelis with a clever flick and crossed the ball which went passed Rooney and met with Nani who sent the ball bast Butt with a brilliant shot from just in the area.

Manchester United looked very much in control until just two minutes from the end of the first half when Ivica Olić held off Michael Carrick and shoots passed Van der Sar to make it Manchester United vs Bayern Munich :3-1.

The unnecessary goal conceded from nowhere gave the Bayern Munich side a confidence which was taken away by Manchester United in just the first seven minutes.

The second half of the game started of in a fast pace but was even, as both teams looked very much in it.

However the defiant moment of the game which also sealed Man Utd’s fate was the red card received by Rafael da Silva the 19-year-old right back who had been so influential in the first half.

The irresponsible and inexperienced Rafael was sent off after receiving a second yellow when he grappled Ribery from the back on the 50th minute. The referee who was suddenly surrounded by the German sent the young Brazilian off who looked visibly upset and down.

Rafael walking the long lonely walk after getting his second yellow of the game - Photo by: REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

I say irresponsible as his first foul could have easily been red when he was fouled in the first half by Van Bommel and he kicked out at the Dutchman while the ball was not in the scene.

That was it for Manchester United. The young star who promises great future had been so influential with his long runs and important interceptions but his absence made United drop to defence and thought they could get away with it.

They were wrong. The Germans attacked for 40 minutes of the second half with Robben and Ribery especially getting behind the ball.

The replacement of Muller with Mario Gomez on the 46th minute added more strength to the German side.

Rooney was substituted off to make way for John O’Shea on the 55th minute as he is clearly not fit as clearly seen during the kicks he got on the pitch.

Bayern’s goal came on the 74th minute from a brilliant volley by Robben after a Ribery free-kick which went to the bottom left of the goal.

The last 10 minutes of the game saw the German outfit pass the ball around the field while United just chased the ball. It was a scene I hadn’t seen in a while as the English club looked exhausted and could not hold on to the ball.

When the final whistle went I could clearly say that Manchester United had only themselves to blame as they were in such a good position just until before the first half.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s after match comments was not very well taken by Bayern coach, Louis van Gaal when he said “They got him sent off, there’s no doubt about that and they would have never won if we had 11 men. He (Rafael) is a young boy, inexperienced and there’s a bit of immaturity about what happened but they got him sent off. Typical Germans. He (Rafael) was having a marvellous game and it’s a tragedy for him but the ref wasn’t going to do anything until they forced him to get a card out. But we’ve seen that before from teams like that.”

Ferguson also accused the Germans of deliberately trying to injure Wayne Rooney after the English international received several blows particularly to his injured right foot which made him miss the crucial Premiership clash in the weekend against Chelsea which United lost.

Louis van Gaal’s response to Ferguson was “I don’t share his (Ferguson’s) opinion, Every player must know that, if he picks up a yellow card, a second means a sending-off. I’m certainly happy my players knew that and that those who were booked carried on professionally. I believe it was a yellow-card offence by Rafael and that the player made the foul.”

Bayern Munich will now face Lyon in the Champions League Semi Final with the winners, going to Madrid where they will face Inter Milan or last years champions Barcelona.

The Champions League Semi Final – Bayern Munich Vs Lyon will be played on 21st April with the second leg on 27th April.

Photo by: ACTION IMAGES

Messi scored a hatrick in 20 minutes and a fourth in the later periods of the game to demolish Arsenal in the Champions League Quarter final.

The game had started off in a controlled tempo for Arsenal as the wonder kids were playing weary against the Barcelona outfit. However Messi showed a little of what was coming through shots taken from the outside of the area in the 5th and 11th minutes.

Mikael Silvestre particularly looked overwhelmed during the game as his poor clearance fell right in front of Messi on the 11th minute shot that curled just over the cross bar.

However Arsenal’s controlled game came as an advantage as an unsuspecting Barcelona defence missing the influential Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique could not hold Theo Walcott’s pace and the young Englishman flew to the edge of the area before passing to Bendtner to score on the 18th minute.

Until the young Danish star’s goal Arsenal were firmly in control of the game however the goal gave the inexperienced Arsenal side too much confidence as the side started to play attacking football from there on with much of the team constantly going towards the Barcelona half.

At this point Arsenal desperately missed a leader in the team or more like leaders with the injured Fabregas and Gallas, the game could have ended much differently. Fabregas’s leading ability and Gallas’s experience would have calmed the young Arsenal side.

Arsenal literally were blown away with their own wind. Arsenal’s attacking play after the goal could have worked for most other teams but against a team like Barcelona it was almost as if the gunners had forgotten who they were playing against. Arsenals attacking play gave Barcelona more room too pass the ball around and more room for the 22-year-old Argentinian superstar.

Within 4 minutes of conceding, Barcelona was level 1-1 after Frenchman Silvestre failed to clear the ball which dropped in front of Messi who turned towards the centre of the area before shooting the ball between 3 Arsenal players and beating Manuel Almunia.

Barcelona’s attacking play carried on with Messi twisting and turning Sylvestre into the area before shooting wide on the 31st minute. However the Argentinian was again in devastating form when an Abidal cross was poorly cleared by the Arsenal defence to drop in front of Pedro who backheels it for the sprinting Messi who clears his way and puts the ball in the back of the net on the 37th minute, Barcelona Vs Arsenal: 2-1.

Image by: AP

Just five minutes after scoring his and his team second goal, Messi was again in action when Keita headed a through ball over the sleeping Arsenal defence only to meet with Messi who sprints some 40 metres with the ball as Arsenal defenders chase only for the genius to unsuspectingly lob Almunia, Barcelona Vs Arsenal 3-1.

Messi scores his fourth hattrick of 2010.

The second half started with the Barcelona side controlling the game with Messi as usual troubling Arsenal at the back.

Arsenal did have a few chances of their own with the Barcelona defence drastically weakened with the prime defenders missing, the 59th minute saw Bendtner stay one-on-one with Valdes before a fantastic Milito challenge clears the ball from the slow paced Dane.

Sylvestre was substituted off for Emmanuel Eboué, a change that I think should have came much earlier with the Frenchman performing poorly on Tuesday’s game.

Minutes after coming on Eboué was very lucky not to be sent off as his hand hit Sergio’s face while he was running behind the Arsenal player. Though it was an accident I’v seen players sent off for the same offence.

Tomas Rosicky also missed an important chance and should have done much better on the 68th minute who shot over the bar.

Arsenal players in misery after final whistle - Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The performance of both teams were clearly on the statistics that were shown on the screen with Barcelona having a huge 62% possession over Arsenal’s 32%.

From then on Messi was in action as Barcelona’s influential young star done his usual razzle dazzle twisting and turning players sometimes to shoot himself or to set other players up.

Messi’s scored his and Barcelona’s fourth goal which was also the first time in five years that a single player scored four goals in the Champions League on the 87th minute.

Messi got the ball from 35 meters out ran passed Diaby, Clichy, Vermaelen and shoots on goal from an angel only to be saved by Almunia. The ball drops in front of Messi who shoots again and scores from between Almunia’s legs.

The faces on the Arsenal trio who were humiliated during the fourth goal summed the game up for me as they all looked as they wanted to be off that pitch and never come back to the Nou Camp, Barcelona or even Spain.

When the final whistle blew all eye’s were on a special 22-year-old who literally destroyed 11 men on his own.

Arsenal did too little as year in year out Arsene wenger is always criticised for the lack of inexperienced players within the Arsenal side.

The gunners were through to the Champions League Semi Final for four minutes of the entire game when they went 1-0 up but this could have been possible after the 90th minute if players such as Fabregas, Gallas, Song and Arshavin were on.

However with respect to Barcelona, they too were missing very important players such as Ibrahimovic, Puyol and Pique. But I still believe Arsenal missed a glorious chance to make it to the Champions League Semi Final where they would have faced Inter Milan.

Instead, Barcelona will face Inter Milan in the Champions League Semi Final who they played in the group stages of the 2009-2010 Champions League.

The Barcelona Vs Inter Milan clash will be a real test for Barcelona with Ibrahimovic returning back to the San Siro and Eto’O and mourinho returning to the Nou Camp.

Inter Milan Vs Barcelona Champions League Semi-final 1st leg to be played on 20 April at the San Siro.

NationalTurk – Sports / John Steel
john-steel@nationalturk.com

Theo Walcott celebrating his goal just two minutes after being substituted on: Photo by: GETTY IMAGES

Arsenal were in the brink of humiliation if it were not for Manuel Almunia’s great saves especially in the first half where the goal keeper saved at least three 100% chances by the Barcelona outfit.

However the young gunners were up for the challenge after going 2-0 down by two Zlatan Ibrahimović goals, they came back through a Theo Walcott goal and a Cesc Fàbregas penalty to make it 2-2.

Barcelona was on the attack from the starting whistle with the Catalan fleet showing their dominance. Zlatan Ibrahimović missed a goal on just 5 minutes that was more difficult to miss then score when he shot a Daniel Alves cross over the post from six feet.

Almunia saved another point-blank effort from Ibrahimovic on the 14th minute which he must be kicking himself for. But as a whole Barcelona were very unlucky not to go at least 2-0 up by the end of the first half with clear cut chances missed especially by Swedish International, Zlatan Ibrahimović.

To be fair to Arsenal the first half saw two substitutions due to injury that effected Arsene Wengers plans as Arshavin and Gallas got replaced by Emmanuel Eboue (27) and Denilson(44) respectively.

Cesc Fàbregas’s yellow card he received on the 44th minute summed up Arsenal hopeless first half performance as the Arsenal skipper will miss the Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg clash at the Nou Camp.

What Arsene Wenger told the Arsenal boys in the changing room, I have no idea of, but what ever he said did not work as in just the 46th minute, Zlatan Ibrahimović made it 1-0 with a class lob over Almunia after the Arsenal goalkeeper went off his line which was a mistake in my opinion.

Ibrahimovic scoring second goal of the night - photo by: AP

The beginning of the second half saw Arsenal play a little more stronger with Nicklas Bendtner missing a few chances, but Arsenal’s moral were in taters when Ibrahimović’s second goal came on the 59th minute. Both goals from the swede came through, through-balls over the Arsenal defence which you can expect at the second leg game in the Nou Camp.

The 67th minute saw Sagna being replaced with Theo Walcot, the turning point of the game to the gunners. Just two minutes after the 21-year-old who has prospects of getting into the England team for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, ran through the Barcelona defence with his lighting pace and shoot from the floor to lower the deficit.

Walcott’s entrance levelled the game with both teams showing attacking ability when on the 84th minutes Fàbregas was brought down in the area by Puyol, to get a penalty and for defence mystro to be sent off.

Fàbregas equalised for the gunners from the spot kick to make it 2-2.

How important Arshavin and Gallas’s injury and Fàbregas’s suspension will be for Arsenal is out in the open especially captain Fàbregas the teams most influential player missing the second leg tie with Barcelona is a big blow for the gunners.

Olic scoring the winner on the 92nd minute - Photo by: EPA / TOBIAS HASE

Almost 11 years on since Man Utd’s triumph against Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final of 1999, The German giants at last got their revenge against the red devils by an Olic goal on the 92nd minute.

The Champions League Quarter Final First leg tie between Bayern Munich Vs Manchester United had the perfect start for the English Champions as a free-kick in just the second minute of the game was crossed in by Nani on the edge of the penalty area which deflected of Van Bommel and dropped right in front of Rooney to put utd 1-0 up.

The game was high in momentum as both teams showed attacking play from the start but it is fair to say that Bayern Munich had the upper hand and deserved the win.

The game was also plagued with ball losses from both teams particularly in the midfield area.

Rooney also missed a golden chance to make it 2-0, towards the end of the first half when he went one-on-one with the Bayern goal keeper, Hans-Jorg Butt, from just 8 yards through a marvellous Fletcher cross only to shoot the ball at the goal keeper.

The first half had also seen many twists and turns from Franck Ribéry, one of the players that Man Utd feared most and rightly so as the 26-year-old Frenchman showed his class and constantly aggravated the utd defence.

Evra had his eye's off the ball when his mistake led to the winner for Bayern - Image by: GETTY IMAGES

Bayern Munich started off the second half where they finished in the first as they dominated much of the game. Hamit Altintop, the Turkish international twisted and turned through Fletcher, Evra and Vidic only for his shot to be saved be veteran goal keeper Van Der Sar.

Wayne Rooney at certain points of the game showed sudden bursts of pase when he received the ball but to no success as the Bayern defence were always on spot.

I do not know what Sir Alex Ferguson was thinking of when he took of both Park and Fletcher on the 69th minute to put on Valencia and Berbatov but it defiantly did not go according to plan as both players under performed with Berbatov walking most of the time.

Manchester United just did not look hungry enough to win the game compared to the German giants who were missing their star asset and key player Arjen Robben.

Ivica Olic had impressive shots in the game indicating he will not leave the utd defence at piece when on the 75th minute a silly Garry Neville handball led to Bayern equalising through a Ribery free kick.

The ball which had a huge deflection ironically through Wayne Rooney went to the bottom of the left post leaving Van Der Sar the painful task of watching the ball go to the back of the net.

Man Utd came very close to goal through a cross by substitute Ryan Giggs only for Nemanja Vidic’s head to rattle the crossbar after passing Butt.

Other then the odd Manchester United attack the Germans were very unlucky not to make it 2-1 as Gomez’s shot was saved with the tip of Van Der Sar’s fingers on the 90th minute.

The decisive moment came for Bayern Munich on the 92nd minute just moments from the end of the game when an unforgivable error by Patrice Evra, dropped the ball in the midsts of Olic who did not forgive, and put the ball pass Van Der Sar to make it 2-1.

To add to insult, Rooney landed awkwardly on his right foot while trying to stop Gomez from giving the goal pass which led to Bayern’s second goal and limped of the field.

As a whole, Bayern was the team more hungry and more deserving of the win. The Manchester United team that played tonight was out of character in most parts of the game and it was no surprise when they conceded the second goal.

The Words “Beckham, into Sheringham, and Solskjær has won it!” would ring in any United fans ears as one of the greatest if not greatest moment in the clubs history.

Manchester United will face Bayern Munich tomorrow in the less glamorous but equally important Champions League Quarter Final clash at the Allianz Arena.

While none of the Bayern players of the 1999 final will play tomorrow, United will always be remembered by the Munich fans.

The 69,901 capacity home ground of the “The Bavarians” will almost certainly be filled to the absolute maximum and Manchester United can be sure, they will get the raff of each and everyone of those fans.

So how would Man Utd do against a Bayern Munich which have had better, much better years in the past.

There is no question that English football has dominated Europe’s top competition in recent years but Man Utd can be sure they will be getting their moneys worth in the huge clash that awaits them tomorrow.

Louis van Gaal’s team is currently second in the Bundesliga but are down in moral after their home defeat to VfB Stuttgart in the weekend dropped them from the top spot.

Man Utd however are having a very good time at the top of the Barclays Premiership with the 4-0 hammering of Bolton at the Reebok Stadium at the weekend.

Manchester United are also boosted with the return of inform Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand after missing the weekend clash.

Bayern however are still under pressure due to their two prize assets, Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery.

Both are fighting for fitness with Robben who aggravated a groin injury on Saturday’s defeat by Stuttgart and Ribery with an ankle injury. Both will be huge misses if they do not play for the German giants especially the presence of Robben who showed his class against Italian side Fiorentina in the Champions League Knockout stage second leg.

While the stakes are high for both teams, Man Utd are favourites to win with a stronger more experienced team with the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney.

But this competition has never failed to fool us all as titans can be turned into kittens in the matter of 90 minutes or in the case of Bayern, in 2 injury time minutes as Clive Tyldesley so historically said “Can Manchester United score? They always score!”.

I still believe Sir Alex Ferguson’s side is favourite to win despite the fighting talk by Louis Van Gaal saying his side is not scared of the English champions. I do not see the Germans pulling it off.

Bayern will have to keep it tight at the back with a Manchester United team that have scored 76 goals only in the Premiership this season in which Rooney scored 26 nearly half the amount Bayern have scored in the Bundesliga.

I would like to finish this article with a little bit of nostalgia which I would like to remind readers “Manchester United have reached the Promised Land”, well they will at least reach the Champions League Semi Finals.

Henry after loosing the 2006 Champions League Final to current club Barcelona

Arsenal will face Barcelona in the Champions League Quarter Final where an interesting match awaits football fans from around the world.

Arsenal fans can easily remember the 2006 Champions League Final where Arsenals goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann was sent off in just the 18th minute leaving Arsenal to play with ten men for the majority of the game.

Jens Lehmann became the first player ever to be sent of in the Champions League Final when he fouled Samuel Eto’o.

Arsenal have been performing very well in Europe this season and passed the Champions League Knockout Stage against Porto with a 5-0 victory.

Arsenal’s line up is weaker then Barcelona with the likes of Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic , Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta driving much of the attacking force for last years European Champions.

Arsenal’s main inspiration a fellow Catalan and Barcelona youth player Fabregas will be the main inspiration for the young English side will have to show their worth against Europe’s best at the end of the month.

Another very important aspect to think about is the return of the legendary Arsenal player Thierry Henry who was the clubs most influential individual.

Arsenal’s former captain will return to the club that he played for eight seasons from 1999 to 2007.

Match Predictions who will progress
Arsenals home record this season in the Champions League has been impeccable, conceding only 1 goal from there last four games while scoring 13 including the 5-0 hammering of Portuguese side Porto.

Barcelona’s away form this season has been mediocre with the Spanish giants only managing to pick up six points from their last four champions league away games.

For Arsenal to have any chance against the Spanish giants they must make sure they go to the Nou Camp without conceding any goals at home.

Barcelona have had a brilliant record in Europe this season and will be expected to score a few goals with such talented players as Messi and Ibrahimovic.

Arsene Wenger will have to do his homework very well as Barcelona looks favourites to progress. But be ready for surprises as Arsenal should never be undermined as history tells us, they can always pull the rabbit from the hat.

The mouth watering Champions League Quarter Final game between Arsenal Vs Barcelona will be played on Wednesday, 31st March.

Manchester United has been drawn with Bayern Munich, a tie which is set to bring back dark memories, especially for the German giants.

The epic 1999 champions league final between Manchester United and Beyern Munich saw the English champions lift the cup after two injury time goals by Teddy Sheringham (90+1) and Ole Gunnar Solskjær (90+3)

The final has since been voted as one of the greatest sporting events in history by a channel 4 poll and Alex Ferguson received a knight hood for his achievements in the sport.

At present when compared with each other Manchester United have been the more successful team both in there domestic leagues and Europe.

However the German giants have also got very talented individual players with Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben driving through the wings.

Beyern’s weakness will be it’s defence with Man Utd’s fierce attacking force made up of Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Antonio Valencia , Ryan Giggs, Park Ji Sung, Nani and many more for Ferguson to choose from.

Manchester United also had the upper hand in the draw by playing at home in the second leg which will put Ferguson in the driver’s seat.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich are two titans of European football with both teams going into the game to win.

The Champions League Quarter Final first leg game between Bayern Munich Vs Manchester United will be played on Tuesday, March 30th.

Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League yesterday after the Italian champions Inter Milan won on the night 0-1 (aggregate 1-3).

Inter Milan looked the side in control with much of the team looking like they absorbed mourinho’s experience at the club.

It was like they new exactly what to do against the blues, as if they new what Chelsea were going to do.

Chelsea did make a few chances, but to no prevail as the Inter Milan defence were top notch on the night. All four defenders especially Zanetti and Lucio were both huge successes yesterday.

Another always influential player who happens to be Inter’s superstar Eto’o was again excellent and topped his performance with a beautiful goal (78 Minutes) set up by a perfect pass by Wesley Sneijder who was chosen as man of the match.

Chelsea Vs Inter Milan 0-1 Highlights Video: Inter Milan in Champions League Quarter Finals Video.

The stress and pressure were all visible in the Chelsea side with the game getting much more physical. Inter did play their part the add to Chelsea’s misery, with Inter players doing what ever they can to waste time.

The pressure must of got to bad boy Didier Drogba as he was seen stamping on Thiago Motta foot when the ball was no where near and deservedly received a red card on the 87th minute.

But regardless of a few minor problems Inter deserved to win the game, Mourinho deserved to win the game.

Arsenal Out play Porto to win 5-0 in the Champions League Knockout stage and reach the Quarter Finals.

The Champions League Konckout stage saw a highly entertaining Arsenal Vs Porto game. Nicklas Bendtner had a dream game after scoring a hat-trick which game as a moral boost for the player who was widely criticised for his misses in the premiership game he played in, in the weekend.

Arsene Wenger was very happy with his sides performance but is still aware that his side needs to carry on playing the way they did against Porto in the Champions League Kockout stage if they have any chance of reaching the Champions League Final.

Arsenal outplayed Porto to wipe out the 2-1 deficit in the first leg they lost, to win 5-0 and managed to go through to the Champions League Quarter Finals largely thanks to Nicklas Bendtner.

Watch the Champions League Knockout stage game between Arsenal Vs Porto highlights bellow.

Bendtner scored the opener on the 10 minute and scored the second on the 25th minute. The game got comfortable for Arsenal after Nasri made it 3-0 on the 63rd minute.

Eboue made it 4-0 on the 66th minute which ended all hopes of a comeback by Porto. The night was topped off with a late penalty which was converted by Bendtner.

Arsenal won comfortably against Porto in the Champions League knockout stages but will surely face more difficult openents in the later stages.