║ UEFA Champions League 2013/2014 ║

[BayernMunich]

3rd Qualifying Round

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[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Wrap: Late penalty boosts Fenerbahce
1 August 2013

A 95th-minute penalty put Fenerbahce in control of their UEFA Champions League third-round qualifying clash with Salzburg on Wednesday.

The Turkish club are controversial participants in this year's competition, having gained an emergency ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport which allows them to continue fighting their two-year match-fixing ban.

Their Austrian opponents looked set to make that fact irrelevant, however, as they entered the dying moments of the teams' first-leg tie 1-0 up after Alan had expertly chipped the goalkeeper following fine footwork from Kevin Kampl.

However, Fenerbahce were given a late lifeline when a controversial handball call in the box saw them awarded a penalty, and Cristian Baroni subsequently converted to put his side ahead on away goals.

Celtic were also forced to wait to carve out a 1-0 aggregate lead against Elfsborg, though their goal came with a relatively hefty 14 minutes of normal time remaining.

Kris Commons was the scorer, nodding home an in-swinging cross from Emilio Izaguirre to earn his side a narrow victory ahead of the return leg in Sweden.

Molde's hopes of progressing to the group stages of Europe's premier cup competition for the first time since the 1999-00 season hang by a thread following Wednesday's meeting with Legia Warsaw, which ended 1-1.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men took the lead courtesy of Daniel Chima, but were pegged back by Vladimir Dvalishvili before Fredrik Gulbrandsen's dismissal saw them hanging on in the final 15 minutes.

Partizan also had a man sent off in their first-leg fixture, with Milos Jojic receiving his marching orders as the Serbian club slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Ludogorets in Bulgaria.

Elsewhere, Marcos Tavares grabbed a priceless away goal for Maribor as they drew 1-1 with APOEL.

 

[BayernMunich]

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[BayernMunich]

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Dinamo Zagreb fined following racist chants

By Henry Jackson5
Jul 31, 2013 4:48:00 PM

The Croatian champions have been fined €25,000 after their 1-0 win over CS Fola Esch, and had to close the east section of their stadium in Tuesday's clash against Sheriff

Dinamo Zagreb have been fined €25,000 following racist chanting from their fans.

The chants occurred during the Croatian champions' victory over Luxembourg's CS Fola Esch in a Champions League second round qualifier on July 23.

Dinamo progressed and played Moldova's Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League third qualifying round on Tuesday but were ordered to close the east section of their stadium in a game they went on to win 1-0.

The club were charged by the Uefa Control and Disciplinary Body under the new Article 14 of the Disciplinary Regulations on racism, other discriminatory conduct and propaganda.

Uefa said on its website: "The fight against racism is a high priority for Uefa. Uefa has a policy of zero tolerance towards racism and discrimination on the pitch and in the stands.

"All forms of racist behaviour are considered as serious offences against the disciplinary regulations and are punished with the most severe sanctions."

It is another in a long list of racist incidents affecting European football at the moment, with AC Milan's Kevin Constant leaving the pitch earlier this month following racist chants aimed in his direction.

 

[BayernMunich]

Soldado wants to repay Tottenham faith with Champions League qualification
The Spain international completed his €30 million move to White Hart Lane on Monday and is keen to fire Spurs into the top four and become the club's first choice striker

Gerrard: New signings can push Liverpool into Champions League
Speaking after his testimonial against Olympiacos, the captain feels Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto, Kolo Toure and Simon Mignolet can help secure a top-four finish

Dortmund come before Lewandowski, says Watzke
The club's general manager says he is only interested in putting the club's best interests first after refusing to allow the striker to join Bayern Munich

Aubameyang targets European crown
The striker wants to help Borussia Dortmund bounce back in the Champions League and believes that he suits the side's counterattacking instincts

Real Madrid in Atleti’s shadow, says Godin
Los Rojiblancos have won five titles in the past four years, leading one of the club's defenders to claim they have surpassed their city rivals

Fresh approach makes Bayern difficult to beat, says Ribery
The 30-year-old was a key player in Jupp Heynckes' treble-winning Bayern Munich side last year, and he believes Guardiola's new system will make the team even more successful
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[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Qualifying Preview: Celtic, Lyon travel with leads
4 August 2013

Celtic, Lyon and PSV will take leads into crucial away encounters in the second leg of the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying.

A total of 15 ties will conclude this week, with the winners to enter the play-offs round where places in the group stage for Europe's premier club competition will be up for grabs.

Scottish champions Celtic failed to convert their dominance in a 1-0 win over Swedish outfit Elfsborg at Celtic Park last week.

And they may be made to rue their profligacy in front of goal on Wednesday against a side who have lost just one competitive match at home in 2013.

While Celtic are just one game into their league campaign - a late Anthony Stokes strike gave them a 2-1 win over Ross County on Saturday - Elfsborg have played 18 encounters in the Swedish Allsvenskan and sit sixth in the table.

Lyon will also hit the road with a one-goal advantage, gained in a 1-0 win over Switzerland's Grasshopper last week.

Milan Bisevac headed the winner for the Ligue 1 outfit, but they will also be wary due to their slender advantage as they prepare for the second leg fixture at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich on Tuesday.

Eredivisie side PSV have more breathing space as they visit Zulte-Waregem of the Belgian First Division on Wednesday with a 2-0 lead.

Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce claimed a 1-1 draw at Salzburg and host the Austrian outfit on Tuesday, and Partizan of Serbia will attempt to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Ludogorets of Bulgaria on the same day.

Zenit of Russia won 1-0 at Nordsjaelland in Denmark last week and host the return leg, while Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen lead 4-0 ahead of a home fixture against Estonia's Kalju. Both of those games will take place on Wednesday.

Also this week, Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb and Switzerland's FC Basel travel with 1-0 leads, as they visit Sheriff of Moldova and Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv respectively.

Other fixtures see Romania's Steaua Bucharest take a 2-0 lead into a home game against Georgia's Dinamo Tbilisi, while Ukraine's Metalist also lead by two goals and welcome PAOK Salonika of Greece.

APOEL of Cyprus and Denmark's Molde are both at home against Slovenia's Maribor and Poland's Legia Warsaw, with both legs locked at 1-1.

Iceland's FH will attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Austria Vienna, but Albania's Skenderbeu Force appears even tougher as they trail Kazakhstan's Shakhter Karagandy 3-0.

 

[Montagut]

I am a moron :(

And a retard because ultimately the forum host is the one who allowed the football betting advertisers here. fuck u. lol

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[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Qualifying Wrap: Grenier sends Lyon through, Fenerbache secure easy win
7 August 2013

Lyon booked their place in the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win over Grasshoppers on Tuesday.

A late goal from 22-year-old midfielder Clement Grenier proved to be enough for Remi Garde's men to keep their chances of reaching the group stage alive with a 2-0 aggregate victory in the third qualifying round.

The Swiss side had held on well for much of the encounter as they attempted to overturn their deficit from the first leg, but Grenier's quality told after 82 minutes as he slotted home to ensure triumph for the Ligue 1 club.

Fenerbache are also into the next round following their 3-1 (4-2 agg) success over Red Bull Salzburg.

Jonathan Soriano gave the Austrians a surprise advantage, but Raul Meireles, Moussa Sow and Pierre Webo all found the back of the net as the Turkish Super Lig outfit cruised to victory.

Basel secured their progress by virtue of a thrilling 3-3 draw with Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

The visitors, leading 1-0 from the first leg, seemed sure of their place in the play-off round as a penalty from Fabian Schar, and goals from Mohamed Salah and Marcelo Dias gave them an emphatic lead.

The Israeli outfit stormed back, though, Schar putting through his own net before Eran Zahavi and Maharan Radi tied things up, but they could not find the two further goals they required to qualify.

Steaua Bucharest moved through as they drew 1-1 with Dinamo Tbilisi to secure a 3-1 aggregate win, full-back Iasmin Latovlevici putting them in front before Ustaritz equalised for the visitors.

Maribor knocked out APOEL Nicosia on away goals (1-1 agg) following their 0-0 draw in Slovenia, while Partizan Belgrade fell to a shock exit at the hands of Ludogorets.

Ludogorets led 2-1 from the first game and the Bulgarian side killed off Partizan's hopes two minutes from time as midfielder Hristo Zlatinski stepped up to score from the spot after Nikola Gulan had been dismissed for a rash challenge on Roman Bezjak inside the area.

Shakhter Karandy qualified for the next stage despite a 3-2 defeat to Skenderbeu of Albania.

The Kazakh club led 3-0 from the first leg but saw their advantage disappear as a strike from Zeljko Tomic and a Blendi Shkembi double levelled the tie.

However, Shakhter were not to denied, with goals from Sergei Khizhnichenko and Maksat Bayzhanov denying the hosts a miraculous fightback.

 

[BayernMunich]

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I am a moron :(

And a retard because ultimately the forum host is the one who allowed the football betting advertisers here. fuck u. lol

Banner sponsorship has reached a level where all the monthly overheads are now covered. I would like to thank all those here for helping to make this happen.

 

[BayernMunich]

Champions League round-up: Celtic scrape through to play-off stage

Aug 7, 2013 11:34:00 PM

Neil Lennon's side overcame Elfsborg 1-0 on aggregate after a goalless draw in Sweden, while Andrey Arshavin helped Zenit St Petersburg comfortably past FC Nordsjaelland

Celtic, Zenit St Petersburg and PSV avoided shocks to progress to the Champions League play-offs on Wednesday.

Neil Lennon's side endured an uncomfortable evening, drawing 0-0 with Elfsborg in Sweden.

But the SPL outfit came through their third qualifying round tie thanks to a 1-0 win at home in the first leg.

A Roman Shirokov double allied to goals from Hulk, Danny and Andrey Arshavin helped Zenit complete a 6-0 aggregate victory and 5-0 success on the night over FC Nordsjaelland in Russia, while PSV cruised past 10-man Zulte Waregem courtesy of a 5-0 aggregate win.

A Tim Matavz penalty put PSV on their way to a 3-0 win on Wednesday before Zakaria Bakkali and a Bruno Godeau own goal put the game beyond any doubt.

Austria Wien led 1-0 ahead of their trip to FH and did enough to squeeze through with a goalless draw, while a 1-1 first-leg draw allowed Legia Warsaw to make the next round ahead of 10-man Molde by virtue of away goals, with Emmanuel Ekpo dismissed for two yellow cards for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

Elsewhere in Europe, Viktoria Plzen rounded off a 10-2 aggregate victory over Estonia's Nomme Kalju by thrashing them 6-2 in the Czech Republic thanks to a hat-trick from Pavel Horvath and further goals from Tomas Horava, Tomas Wagner and Stanislav Tecl. Damiano Quintieri netted a brace for Kalju.

Dinamo Zagreb gained an equally comfortable win over Sheriff in Moldova, with Junior Fernandes, El Arbi Hillel Soudani and Duje Cop completing a 4-0 overall win and 3-0 triumph on the night.

And Metalist's 1-1 home draw with PAOK was enough to put them through, having won 2-0 in the reverse fixture. Sebastian Blanco's 72nd-minute opener was duly cancelled out by Tomas Necid 11 minutes later.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Wrap: Zenit, Celtic, PSV through
8 August 2013

Zenit St Petersburg, Celtic and PSV Eindhoven avoided shocks to progress to the UEFA Champions League play-offs on Wednesday.

A Roman Shirokov double allied to goals from Hulk, Danny and Andrey Arshavin helped Zenit complete a 6-0 aggregate victory and 5-0 success on the night over FC Nordsjaelland in Russia, while PSV cruised past 10-man Zulte Waregem courtesy of a 5-0 aggregate win.

A Tim Matavz penalty put PSV on their way to a 3-0 win on Wednesday before Zakaria Bakkali and a Bruno Godeau own goal put the game beyond any doubt.

Things were decidedly less comfortable for Celtic, however, who came through their third qualifying round tie thanks to a goalless draw away against Elfsborg that followed a 1-0 win in Scotland.

Wednesday also saw two further 0-0 draws that proved enough for teams to progress.

Austria Wien led 1-0 ahead of their trip to FH and did enough to squeeze through, while a 1-1 first-leg draw allowed Legia Warsaw to make the next round ahead of 10-man Molde by virtue of away goals, Emmanuel Ekpo dismissed for two yellow cards for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

Elsewhere in Europe, Viktoria Plzen rounded off a 10-2 aggregate victory over Estonia's Nomme Kalju by thrashing them 6-2 in the Czech Republic thanks to a hat-trick from Pavel Horvath and further goals from Tomas Horava, Tomas Wagner and Stanislav Tecl. Damiano Quintieri netted a brace for Kalju.

Dinamo Zagreb gained an equally comfortable win over Sheriff in Moldova, with Junior Fernandes, El Arbi Hillel Soudani and Duje Cop completing a 4-0 overall win and 3-0 triumph on the night.

And Metalist's 1-1 home draw with PAOK was enough to put them through, having won 2-0 in the reverse fixture. Sebastian Blanco's 72nd-minute opener was duly cancelled out by Tomas Necid 11 minutes later.

 

[BayernMunich]

3rd Qualifying Round Match Results

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[BayernMunich]

Dortmund without Piszczek until 2014
The 28-year-old went under the knife on Thursday and is likely to be missing until after the winter break

Sammer: Bayern want five titles
The former Germany international is full of ambition ahead of the 2013-14 season and wants to win each and every competition up for grabs
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[BayernMunich]

Financial Fair Play is working, insists Uefa

By Joe Wright58
Aug 8, 2013 9:37:00 PM

Europe's governing body claims clubs are benefiting from improved financial stability despite the likes of Monaco and Real Madrid splashing out this summer

Financial Fair Play (FFP) is working well despite the enormous sums being spent in the summer transfer window, according to Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino.

The likes of Monaco have spent lavish sums over the past two seasons, with the Ligue 1 newboys investing upwards of €130 million this summer alone on new signings - although their absence from European competition allows them certain leeway.

Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claimed Real Madrid's proposed €115m bid for Gareth Bale "made a joke" of Uefa's regulations, but Infantino has made it clear that such a sum is easily possible for a club which generates sufficient income.

He told the Press Association: "People see these signings and ask how it can happen with Financial Fair Play but it's possible - if you generate €100m you can spend €100m.

"The other thing which must be taken into account is that a club may have an agreement to pay that over five years, so the cost is €20m for the season.

"The problem comes is if a club doesn't generate €100m but spends it - then there will be disciplinary consequences."

The likes of Malaga and Panathinaikos have been hit with sanctions having failed to adhere to FFP guidelines, and, while Infantino acknowledges that banning clubs from competitions is tough for some to take, he insists Uefa's efforts are paying dividends on the whole.

"No one likes to punish clubs but we will do it," he continued. "In the last five years we have excluded 41 clubs from European competition and eight this season have not been admitted.

"It is quite positive. It shows financial fair play is working and that it's happening right now. Overall losses in European club football are down for the first time, and by several hundreds of millions [of euros]."

 

[BayernMunich]

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[BayernMunich]

Cocu excited by Milan Champions League challenge

By Alex Moretto27
Aug 10, 2013 12:58:00 AM

The PSV boss knows they are in for a tough test against the Serie A giants, while Lyon's president is wary of Real Sociedad's threat

PSV will have to beat AC Milan if they are to reach the Champions League - a prospect that excites coach Phillip Cocu.

The Dutch outfit, who finished second in the Eredivisie last term, beat Belgian side Zulte-Waregem in the previous round of qualifying, to set up a meeting with Massimiliano Allegri's men.

Cocu's side will go into the two-legged contest as underdogs, but the 42-year-old is relishing the opportunity to try and knock out one of Europe's biggest clubs.

"It will be a difficult task for sure, but also a nice challenge which will allow us to see how we measure up to them," he told reporters.

"They might be busy reducing the age of their squad, but it is still of a high level."

Elsewhere in Friday's draw, Olympique Lyonnais were paired with Real Sociedad with a spot in the group stage up for grabs and president Jean-Michel Aulas is wary of the Spanish side.

"It's a tough draw because we will face the team that finished fourth in La Liga and the second leg is away," he told reporters.

"You should not expect an easy draw considering the quality of the opposition, but it's possible for us to advance."

Sociedad coach Jagoba Arrasate is expecting a tight encounter with les Gones, who beat Swiss side Grasshoppers 2-0 on aggregate in the previous round.

"This will be an attractive and even tie and one that will be decided by the smallest of details," he commented.

Fenerbahce will host Arsenal in the first leg of their much anticipated tie on August 21, and captain Emre Belozoglu believes their rowdy home supporters could have a significant impact on the end result.

"If we can compete well, I believe we have a chance against them," Emre explained. "We want to gain an advantage by getting a good result in the first match with the support of our fans."

 

[BayernMunich]

Juventus must fight to improve, says Chiellini
The defender has echoed his coach's call for the team to work hard on and off the pitch if they are to defend their Serie A crown and mount a challenge for the Champions League

Balotelli doesn't need special treatment, says Montolivo
The midfielder has made it clear that all players will be treated equally and has warned his team-mates not to underestimate PSV

Milan will be ready for PSV, says Boateng
The 26-year-old has rubbished theories that the club's indifferent pre-season form could have negative implications on their aspirations to qualify for Europe's elite tournament
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[BayernMunich]

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[BayernMunich]

Metalist disqualified from Champions League

Aug 14, 2013 6:33:00 PM

The Ukrainian runners-up had been paired with Schalke during the draw for the pre-group stage play-off, but have now been axed from the competition

Uefa has announced that Metalist Kharkiv will not be permitted to take part in European competition this season after proceedings were opened against the club regarding the admission criteria for participation in competitions.

Metalist finished second in the Ukrainian Premier League last term to book their ticket for the third round of the Champions League qualifiers, where they beat PAOK 3-1 on aggregate.

They were paired with Bundesliga representatives Schalke during Friday's draw for the play-off for the group stages, but have now been banned from taking further part in the Champions League meaning Greek side PAOK have been promoted back into the competition from the Europa League.

Mdetalist's elimination and PAOK's subsequent promotion has seen Maccabi Tel-Aviv be granted automatic entry into the Europa League group stage due to not having an opponent in the play-off round any longer.

"Following the disciplinary proceedings opened against Metalist Kharkiv under Articles 2.04g, 2.05 and 2.10 of the Regulations of the Champions League 2013-14, regarding the admission criteria for participation in Uefa competitions, the Uefa Appeals Body today announced its decision related to the Ukrainian club," an official Uefa statement reads.

"The Uefa Appeals Body carefully analysed the statements and documents submitted by the club, as well as the statements and documents submitted by the Uefa Disciplinary Inspector and reached the following decision: Metalist Kharkiv are disqualified from the 2013-14 Uefa competitions.

"The club has the opportunity to appeal the decision of the Uefa Appeals Body to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

"In the meantime, the Uefa Emergency Panel – which is composed of five members of the Uefa Executive Committee – will hold a meeting later today to consider the consequences of the decision on the competition."

Article 2.04g of Regulations of the Champions League 2013-14 reads as follows:

"A club must not have been directly and/or indirectly involved - since the entry into force of Article 50(3) of the UEFA Statutes, i.e. 27 April 2007 - in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level and must confirm this to the Uefa administration in writing."

Uefa previously banned Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Besiktas from participating in Uefa club competitions in 2013-14, with both clubs opting to appeal to CAS.

Fenerbahce were paired with Arsenal in the Champions League play-offs pending CAS' final decision, while Besiktas meet Tromso in the Europa League play-offs.

 

[Flake]

i am a moron :(

Also a gong cheebye because ultimately the forum host is the one who allowed the football betting advertisers here. fuck u. lol

Banner sponsorship has reached a level where all the monthly overheads are now covered. I would like to thank all those here for helping to make this happen.

Sky Sports News Reporter Nick Collins Falls Over Live On Air From Wembley

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Nick Collins takes a tumble outside Wembley while reporting on Michael Carrick's injury live on Sky Sports News.

It is not clear what caused the fall, though the sound indicates he may have been standing atop a ladder or platform.

Back in the studio, Jim White just about holds things together in lieu of his ailing colleague.