UEFA Champions League Thread

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage (Matchday 1)

Group A

Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Porto
Paris St Germain 4-1 Dynamo Kiev

Group B

Montpellier 1-2 Arsenal
Olympiacos 1-2 Schalke

Group C

Malaga 3-0 Zenit St Petersburg
Milan 0-0 Anderlecht

Group D

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Ajax
Real Madrid 3-2 Manchester City

Group E

Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Nordsjaelland
Chelsea 2-2 Juventus

Group F

Lille 1-3 BATE Borisov
Bayern Munich 2-1 Valencia

Group G

Barcelona 3-2 Spartak Moscow
Celtic 0-0 Benfica

Group H

Manchester United 1-0 Galatasaray
Braga 0-2 Cluj

[RomaShield27]

Latest co-efficient rankings:

Country coefficients 2012/13
1 Spain 13.312 17.928 18.214 20.857 6.142 76.453 7/7
2 England 15.000 17.928 18.357 15.250 5.714 72.249 7/7
3 Germany 12.687 18.083 15.666 15.250 4.928 66.614 7/7
4 Italy 11.375 15.428 11.571 11.357 4.916 54.647 6/6
5 France 11.000 15.000 10.750 10.500 4.916 52.166 6/6
6 Portugal 6.785 10.000 18.800 11.833 4.583 52.001 6/6
7 Ukraine 16.625 5.800 10.083 7.750 5.000 45.258 4/6
8 Netherlands 6.333 9.416 11.166 13.600 2.785 43.300 3/7
9 Russia 9.750 6.166 10.916 9.750 4.083 40.665 4/6
10 Belgium 4.500 8.700 4.600 10.100 4.300 32.200 3/5

Bah. Or see here:

http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/ ... index.html

Also latest Club coefficients here:

http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/ ... index.html

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage (Matchday 2)

Group A

Dynamo Kiev 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb
Porto 1-0 Paris St Germain

Group B

Schalke 2-2 Montpellier
Arsenal 3-1 Olympiacos

Group C

Zenit St Petersburg 2-3 Milan
Anderlecht 0-3 Malaga

Group D

Manchester City 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
Ajax 1-4 Real Madrid

Group E

Juventus 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Nordsjaelland 0-4 Chelsea

Group F

Valencia 2-0 Lille
BATE Borisov 3-1 Bayern Munich

Group G

Spartak Moscow 2-3 Celtic
Benfica 0-2 Barcelona

Group H

Cluj 1-2 Manchester United
Galatasaray 0-2 Braga

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage (Matchday 3)

Group A

Porto 3-2 Dynamo Kiev
Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Paris St Germain

On the next matchday:

*Porto will at least earn a spot in the Champions League round of 16 if they do not lose to Dynamo Kiev.

Group B

Arsenal 0-2 Schalke
Montpellier 1-2 Olympiacos

On the next matchday:

*Schalke will at least earn a spot in the Champions League round of 16 if they defeat Arsenal.

Group C

Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 Anderlecht
Malaga 1-0 Milan

On the next matchday:

*Malaga will win the group if they defeat Milan and Zenit St Petersburg do not defeat Anderlecht.

**Malaga will earn a spot in the Champions League round of 16 if they do not lose to Milan.

Group D

Ajax 3-1 Manchester City
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Madrid

On the next matchday:

*Borussia Dortmund will at least earn a spot in the Champions League round of 16 if they defeat Real Madrid.

Group E

Nordsjaelland 1-1 Juventus
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Chelsea

On the next matchday:

*Shakhtar Donetsk will at least earn a spot in the Champions League round of 16 if they defeat Chelsea.

Group F

BATE Borisov 0-3 Valencia
Lille 0-1 Bayern Munich

Group G

Spartak Moscow 2-1 Benfica
Barcelona 2-1 Celtic

On the next matchday:

*Barcelona will win the group if they defeat Celtic and Spartak Moscow do not defeat Benfica.

**Barcelona will earn a spot in the Champions League round of 16 if they do not lose to Celtic.

Group H

Galatasaray 1-1 CFR Cluj
Manchester United 3-2 Braga

On the next matchday:

*Manchester United will win the group if they defeat Braga and CFR Cluj do not defeat Galatasaray.

**Manchester United will earn a spot in the Champions League round of 16 if they defeat Braga or they draw with Braga and CFR Cluj do not defeat Galatasaray.

[red]

Are certain rules just being quietly written out of the rule book (or at least consistently ignored)?

Braga's penalty against Man Utd was about as clear an example of obstruction as you are likely to see.

Obstruction leads to an indirect freekick - inside or outside the box.

Same goes for freekicks for high feet/dangerous play. That is an indirect freekick, is it not? Or am I missing something?

Can't remember the last time I saw an indirect freekick given in the box for these offence, even though the referee will often signal for an indirect freekick when the offence is outside the box.

[taz]

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage (Matchday 4)

Group A

Dynamo Kiev 0-0 Porto
Paris St Germain 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb

*Porto have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group B

Schalke 2-2 Arsenal
Olympiacos 3-1 Montpellier

Group C

Anderlecht 1-0 Zenit St Petersburg
Milan 1-1 Malaga

*Malaga have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group D

Manchester City 2-2 Ajax
Real Madrid 2-2 Borussia Dortmund

Group E

Juventus 4-0 Nordsjaelland
Chelsea 3-2 Shakhtar Donetsk

Group F

Valencia 4-2 BATE Borisov
Bayern Munich 6-1 Lille

Group G

Benfica 2-0 Spartak Moscow
Celtic 2-1 Barcelona

Group H

CFR Cluj 1-3 Galatasaray
Braga 1-3 Manchester United

*Manchester United have advanced to the Round of 16.

[red]

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage (Matchday 5)

Group A

Porto 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb
Dynamo Kiev 0-2 Paris St Germain

*Porto & Paris St Germain have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group B

Arsenal 2-0 Montpellier
Schalke 1-0 Olympiacos

*Schalke & Arsenal have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group C

Zenit St Petersburg 2-2 Malaga
Anderlecht 1-3 Milan

*Malaga & Milan have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group D

Ajax 1-4 Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid

*Borussia Dortmund & Real Madrid have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group E

Nordsjaelland 2-5 Shakhtar Donetsk
Juventus 3-0 Chelsea

*Shakhtar Donetsk have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group F

BATE Borisov 0-2 Lille
Valencia 1-1 Bayern Munich

*Bayern Munich & Valencia have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group G

Spartak Moscow 0-3 Barcelona
Benfica 2-1 Celtic

*Barcelona have advanced to the Round of 16.

Group H

Galatasaray 1-0 Manchester United
CFR Cluj 3-1 Braga

*Manchester United have advanced to the Round of 16.

[taz]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage (Matchday 6)

Group A

Dinamo Zagreb 1-1 Dynamo Kiev
Paris St Germain 2-1 Porto

*Paris St Germain & Porto have advanced to the round of 16 as group winners and runners up respectively.

**Dynamo Kiev enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

Group B

Montpellier 1-1 Schalke
Olympiacos 2-1 Arsenal

*Schalke & Arsenal have advanced to the round of 16 as group winners and runners up respectively.

**Olympiacos enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

Group C

Malaga 2-2 Anderlecht
Milan 0-1 Zenit St Petersburg

*Malaga & Milan have advanced to the round of 16 as group winners and runners up respectively.

**Zenit St Petersburg enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

Group D

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Manchester City
Real Madrid 4-1 Ajax

*Borussia Dortmund & Real Madrid have advanced to the round of 16 as group winners and runners up respectively.

**Ajax enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

Group E

Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 Juventus
Chelsea 6-1 Nordsjaelland

*Juventus & Shakhtar Donetsk have advanced to the round of 16 as group winners and runners up respectively.

**Chelsea enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

Group F

Lille 0-1 Valencia
Bayern Munich 4-1 BATE Borisov

*Bayern Munich & Valencia have advanced to the round of 16 as group winners and runners up respectively.

**BATE Borisov enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

Group G

Barcelona 0-0 Benfica
Celtic 2-1 Spartak Moscow

*Barcelona & Celtic have advanced to the round of 16 as group winners and runners up respectively.

**Benfica enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

Group H

Manchester United 0-1 CFR Cluj
Braga 1-2 Galatasaray

*Manchester United & Galatasaray have advanced to the round of 16 as group winners and runners up respectively.

**CFR Cluj enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

[Lupa]

Galatasaray (TUR) v Schalke (GER)
Celtic (SCO) v Juventus (ITA)
Arsenal (ENG) v Bayern (GER)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Dortmund(GER)
Milan (ITA) v Barcelona (ESP)
Real Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Valencia (ESP) v PSG (FRA)
Porto (POR) v Málaga (ESP)

Tough draw for Milan (and for the SB).

[taz]

UEFA Champions League - Round of 16 - 1st legs

Celtic 0-3 Juventus
Valencia 1-2 Paris St Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester United
Porto 1-0 Malaga
Arsenal 1-3 Bayern Munich
Galatasaray 1-1 Schalke
Milan 2-0 Barcelona

[red]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog ... away-goals

I'd happily see the away goals rule ditched.

[RomaShield27]

An interesting thought, alright. I'm coming around to the idea that the away goal rule isn't really the best.

Inter's UEFA Cup game with Spurs tonight can be added to the examples in that article. Inter were three up, but then Spurs had 120 mins to score one away goal, while Inter had only the 90.

[juventino_italiano]

[p_maldini_3]

right now, home teams play more cautiously. if the away goal rule is negated, away teams will play more cautiously (in anticipation of home team bravado). nothing changes (besides the technicalities of course).

the away goal indirectly eliminates the advantage of playing at home, which balances the tie out.

i'm not the biggest fan of the away goal rule, but i think it makes sense.

[juventino_italiano]

[red]

Yeah, as the article I posted argued, home/away isn't as big a deal as it was fifty years ago when the rule was created. Not in Europe anyway.

I'd still keep the away goals rule in the Cope Libertadores, for instance. The differences in altitude, if nothing else, mean that there can still be a big difference between playing home or away.

It's not very long since Argentina lost 6-1 away to Bolivia - a result that was largely put down to the Argentinians not being able to cope with the sudden change to playing at high altitude.

There just isn't an equivalent to that in Europe. It gets cold in Russia, but that's about it.