It's a Double Date!

Fascinating matches around Europe this week as we learned the finalists of both the Champions League and the Europa League. In the first competition, Atletico Madrid were victorious over Chelsea by a 3-1 margin despite a 0-0 home fixture! It was a tense second leg with Fernando Torres putting the home side up in the 36th minute. Adrian Lopez equalized for the Spaniards just before the half time interval, while teammates Diego Costa and Arda Turan slotted home in the 60th and 72nd minutes respectively to decisively eliminate the English side from contention in the Final. In the other semi-final, Real Madrid had a 1-0 lead after the first leg at home and were traveling to Germany to face Bayern Munich in what had the opportunity to be a massive battle. Instead, the performance was anticlimactic as Bayern crumbled in the first half. Sergio Ramos struck twice within five minutes - in the 16th and 20th minutes - to put the Germans on the ropes. Cristiano Ronaldo then struck a third in the 34th minute to make it a 4-0 aggregate scoreline. It was clear that Bayern didn't have much to add to the conversation going into the second half, pressing forward somewhat better though never convincingly. Ronaldo's second strike, in the 90th minute, sealed the defending champions' fate: Bayern were out in humiliating fashion and an all-Spanish Final was set for the Champions League. Interestingly, both sides that lost had majorities of possession; Bayern more so with almost 65% of the ball. Just goes to show that it is more important to know what to do with the ball than to sit around holding it!

As for the Europa League, one of the semi-finals lived up to the billing while the other ended with a whimper. Juventus-Benfica was a harsh slog with a 1-2 scoreline from the first leg. The fact that the Italians had almost five times as many opportunities on goal than the Portuguese did not help Juve. Neither did the lion's share of possession, 63% going to the second leg hosts. In fact, by the end nerves were showing and tempers flared with three red cards coming in the last 23 minutes - two of those coming in the 89th minute. There were no goals in Italy, despite Juve's best efforts. Hopefully that is not a foretaste of what is to come in the Final! Turning to the Spanish semi-final now, Sevilla were outplayed in Valencia up until literally the final minute of the match. Sofiane Feghouli scored in the 14th minute for Valencia followed by an own goal by Sevilla's keeper Beto in the 26th minute. Matters were not helped by Jeremy Mathieu's 69th minute strike that gave the hosts an aggregate lead of 3-2. Against the run of play, though, Stephane Mbia headed home in the 4th minute of stoppage time of the second half to make it 3-3 on aggregate, Sevilla going through on away goals.

Just to recap then, the Champions League Final in Lisbon, Portugal will pit Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid while the Europa League will see its conclusion in Turin, Italy with Benfica and Sevilla facing off for glory. Expect a blog post in the near future to examine the respective team's chances. I would love to see Atletico and Benfica winning the respective competitions, but more later! Hope you enjoyed the matches!

Champions League and Europa League Update! 4/11/2014

One step closer to the Final now, with both the Champions League and the Europa League entering their Semi-Final stages. In the former, Atletico Madrid will face Chelsea while Real Madrid take on holders Bayern Munich for the right to compete in the showpiece event in Lisbon. In the face-off between England's remaining representative Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, the sheer depth of the Madrid bench may out-perform the London side. If the Blues can get the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Andre Schurrle, and Marco Van Ginkel back into the side, they will arguably look much the better team. Atletico meanwhile will be set on getting Diego Costa and Arda Turan back into their side ahead of their first leg encounter in Madrid. Much will depend on Atletico's home performance as Chelsea have consistently under-performed away from home. As far as the defenses are concerned, Chelsea's Peter Cech obviously has the most experience at this level of competition between the two - though I would conjecture that Thibaut Courtois may have the better put together defensive front. If Diego Costa isn't at 100% fitness, I would predict Chelsea getting through by the skin of their teeth. Turning now to the Real Madrid-Bayern Munich match-up, it is curious that the Germans have no back-ups for Manuel Neuer since Tom Starke and Lukas Raeder are both out through injury. All the same, the Germans would be my pick to go through if Cristiano Ronaldo is less than 100% fit and the likes of Sami Khedira, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Marcelo are out. Bayern will doubtless continue to miss the talents of Thiago Alcantara and Xherdan Shaqiri though I think Mario Mandzukic, Arjen Robben, and Thomas Muller alone could get the Germans past the Spaniards. Gareth Bale will remain a menacing option for Real; and Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria, or Isco may have a burst of form. Having said that, the defensive stalwarts for Bayern such as Philipp Lahm, Rafinha, Jerome Boateng, and Dante should keep the heat off of Neuer. I'm actually not sure which way the opener in Madrid will go. Bayern have traveled well in the tournament thus far, though Real have been in terrifying home form so they may well earn themselves a hard-fought lead. That'll just mean the second leg will leave everything to play for!

As for the Europa League, we have a mix of Iberian and Southern European contestants this year with Benfica paired with Juventus and Sevilla poised to take on domestic opponents Valencia. I'll start with the all-Spanish bout with Sevilla the team that I am not-so-secretly rooting for. For one thing, they have the depth of bench to let them compete at this level despite injuries to (arguably nonessential) midfielders Denis Cheryshev and Sebastian Cristoforo. Otherwise, Javier Varas has been as fit as a fiddle with Beto a more than adequate stand-in if circumstances require. As for scoring talent, Kevin Gameiro is an obvious target man for the Valencia defense though Carlos Bacca and Vitolo have proved deadly. Unless Sevilla cement at least a two goal lead (for best results, without allowing any away goals) when they greet Valencia in the series opener, I think Valencia's Paco Alcacer and Fede Cartabia may be enough to push them through. Now for bad news on Valencia: Diego Alves, their top keeper, will likely be out due to injury for at least the first game in Sevilla. Vicente Guaita has been a decent stand-in, I do not expect he will have as easy a time as he did against Basel in the second leg. Rather, Sevilla should be disciplined and I wouldn't be surprised to see a scoreline similar to the one we saw in Basel: 3-0 for Sevilla? Let's see if it happens! Between Juve and Benfica, I have mixed emotions. These are two teams that I have greatly enjoyed watching. Defensively, the two sides have opposite problems. Whereas the Portuguese may be missing their goalkeeper Artur for the first leg, the Italians are without three - yes three! - significant defending talents: Andrea Barzagli, Federico Peluso, and Angelo Ogbonna. Having said that, Bonucci, Caceres, and Chiellini are in as is Gianluigi Buffon. Rubin Amorim is also doubtful for Benfica, though Rodrigo and Lima are the great attacking prongs of the Portuguese side. Oscar Cardozo is always a danger man, while Eduardo Salvio, Lazar Markovic, and Nicolas Gaitan may hit a run of form to propel their team into the Final. As well as being fabulous defenders, Luisao and Ezequiel Garay may surprise by adding to their respective goal tallies as well. Over on the Italian side, the incentive to perform is certainly evident as Juve would be playing at home in Turin if they get through the Portuguese. Pablo Osvaldo will probably be shut down by Benfica, though with names such as Sebastian Giovinco, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, and even Paul Pogba on the roster, the Old Ladies can never be written off. With both sides having a phenomenal record thus far in the Europa League, it is honestly a crap-shoot. I might favor Juve to make some magic, but don't expect Benfica to take anything lying down. Jan Oblak has performed admirably in the Eagles' goal, and if he is called to represent the club again, I would expect a performance similar to Benfica's matches against Tottenham Hotspur. Enjoy the games!

Women's World Cup U-17 Finale! 4/5/2014.

The honors went to Japan in their bout with Spain. A master-class performance, the Asians dominated the opportunities tally though Spain had the most of possession with 53%. However, it was the Japanese who found goal, striking in the 5th and 78th minutes through Meika Nishida and Fuka Kono respectively. The Japanese ladies played in the same way they had throughout the tournament, a fair game with limited call for cards and a style of play that was comparable to senior side performances. The Spanish for their part brought their flair and creativity, though it was for naught as Japan's goalkeeper Mamiko Matsumoto and her defenders kept the Spaniards at bay. As for the match for third place, it was as explosive as one might have imagined. Italy and Venezuela threw the shackles of performance behind them, both sides went for glory in a game that was as tense as it was a goals-fest. While the Italians' first goal was unanswered for the longest time, the Latin Americans eventually made a game of things. Valentina Bergamaschi opened the account in the 16th minute with Venezuela's Tahicelis Marcano equalizing in the second minute of stoppage time of the first half. Manuela Giugliano struck in the 55th and 61st minutes, on either side of Gabriela Garcia's 60th minute goal. With the match posed 2-3, Venezuela's Gabriela Garcia struck a second in the 68th minute to tie things up as the last twenty minutes counted down. Flaminia Simonetti put the Europeans back in front with a strike in the 79th minute leaving Sandra Luzardo to draw the Latin Americans level in the fifth minute of stoppage time of the second half. Tied up as the two sides were, there was no way that they would be separated besides on penalties with the Italians' keeper Francesca Durante finally showing the form that she had displayed in the earlier part of the competition. With their goalkeeper on point, the Italians proceeded to win the penalty shoot-out 0-2. Congratulations to all the teams that participated and thank you to Costa Rica for a phenomenal U-17 World Cup!

And we're off to the Final! U-17 Women's World Cup: 4/1/2014.

Dominating performances in both fixtures of the Semi Final stage down in Costa Rica as Japan hammered Venezuela 4-1 with the Asian ladies making it 0-2 by the half. Fuka Nagano and Nana Ichise were the strikers on form early on, scoring in the 13th and 33rd minutes respectively. The South Americans, making it to this stage for the first time in their country's history, were simply outdone as the Japanese controlled possession with 59% of the ball and double the strikes as their opponents. Going into the second half, Rikako Kobayashi won through the defense in the 52nd minute, striking past the demoralized Franyely Rodriguez in the Venezuelan goal. Making it 0-3, Hina Sugita followed up by converting her penalty in the 63rd minute of the game. By way of consolation, Venezuela were able to make it 1-4 in the 2nd minute of stoppage time of the second half through Deyna Castellanos. The Latina Americans should be proud of what they accomplished in Costa Rica in this tournament, making it to the Semi Finals was much more than they would have ever believed possible. Japan were justifiable winners, and they will face Spain in the Final of the World Cup while Italy take on Venezuela for third.

In that other Semi Final fixture, the Italians were able to hold the Spaniards into the second half following a tense first half. While the Italians actually had ever so slender leads as far as shot opportunities and shots on target were concerned, the Spanish held a sliver more possession than their opponents: 51% to 49%. The Italian defense let their side down though, fouling twice in the goal box to provide Spain the two chances they needed to claim victory. The first came in the 48th minute off the foot of Sandra Hernandez while, with nine minutes to play, Nahikari Garcia made it 0-2 in the 81st minute. Francesca Durante was, as always, in terrific form, and the third place match should be just as brilliant as the Final.

Speaking of the final two matches of the U-17 tournament, Japan-Spain in the showpiece game will be an enthralling one. I would love to see the Asian's claim victory, as they should outscore the Spanish if it comes down to it. If the Spaniards begin getting flustered, I wouldn't be surprised if they begin breaking down - both in terms of discipline and defensively - while Japan have a solid head on their shoulders and a good set of feet at the ends of their legs. A great deal will depend on whether or not Spain goalkeeper Elena De Toro can hold up to the firepower of Japan (particularly Hina Sugita and Yui Hasegawa). At the same time, Spain's Nahikari Garcia is the main threat though Pilar Garrote has scored three times in this tournament, though she isn't the most consistent. If Mamiko Matsumoto can keep her amazing form in the Japanese goal, and players such as Shiho Matsubara and Nana Ichise perform at the level they have been, the Europeans may see all their hard work thus far go up in smoke. Between Venezuela and Italy, I would pick the South Americans to win. Essentially replaying their final group stage match-up, I don't think much has changed between then - when the Venezuelans edged their opponents 1-0 - and now. I just hope both sides have spirit remaining to make it as interesting a game as it could be. The Italian defense will give the Latin Americans a headache, but Deyna Castellanos and Gabriela Garcia should be able to get through at least once. It would be great to see Yuleisi Rivero get some pitch time, but I think she'll only come on if the Venezuelans cement a fantastic lead. Expect a post about the Champions League later this week as well!

Wrapping up the Futsal European Championship: 2/8/2014.

Scenes of jubilation were common throughout a tense Final match of the Futsal European Championship. But let's take a step back to the Semi-Finals where Portugal faced Italy and Russia took on Spain. In the first of the two, the Portuguese put up a good fight against the Italians. While Gabriel Lima put the Italians in the lead before the end of the first minute, Ricardinho and Arnaldo Pereira struck once each for the Iberians to make it 2-1. Romano equalized in the 22nd minute for the Italians before Gabriel Lima struck his second and Fortino made it 2-4 by the 34th minute. Despite the Portuguese getting the last goal in the 34th minute, making it 3-4, Joel Queiros' goal made for an exhilarating final few minutes but it was to no avail as the Italians booked their Final ticket leaving Portugal to contest the third place spot with the loser of the Russia-Spain match. Over to the other Semi-Final now, the Spaniards got off to a fine start with the opening goal in the 16th minute through Pola. However, Russia reacted powerfully with Sergeev and Lyskov making it 2-1 in the 22nd and 26th minutes respectively. Rafael Usin brought the Iberians level in the 26th minute though Fukin kept the eastern Europeans in the lead before the 26th minute had run out. Nevertheless, Miguelin brought the sides level 3-3 in the 37th minute. Keeping the sides level for the last three minutes of regulation time, one five minute period of extra time went by without a breakthrough. Finally, in the second period of extra time, Robinho struck the Russians ahead in the 48th minute meaning they just had to hold the line for two minutes. Despite intense pressure, they were able to do just that, pitting them against Italy in the Final while Spain and Portugal faced off in the 3rd Place match. As for that match for third, Portugal and Spain treated the world to a feast of football: Fernandao, Jose Ruiz, and Lozano struck for Spain three times before the 7th minute, making it 0-3 for the Spaniards. Ricardinho and Pedro Cary gave the Portuguese a chance with two goals before the twelfth minute though two more goals - from Miguelin and Rafael Usin - secured Spain's victory. 2-5, Raul Campos struck in the 19th minute for Spain before Pedro Costa and Joel Queiros made it 4-6. To add insult to injury, the defending futsal world champions struck twice more, through Fernandao and Pola, making the third-place match the highest-scoring in the competition's history! As for the Final, Italy and Russia gave us a tremendous contest with Gabriel Lima putting the southern Europeans in the lead for a little over three minutes until Eder Lima equalized in the ninth minute. The match could well have gone either way, but it was the Italians who pushed on to victory, striking twice between the 13th and 18th minutes through Murilo and Giasson to take a firm lead before the halftime break. Despite 42 efforts, 9 more than the Italians, the Russians were unable to crack Italy's defenses and in fact lost Cirilo to a second yellow card in the 33rd minute making the last seven minutes of the game a rubber stamp as the southern Europeans won their first title since 2003. Hope you enjoyed the matches!

U-17 European Championship

Well it has been a long and winding road but it looks as though we are approaching the end. Hosts Slovakia were lucky enough to make it to the Semi-Finals before being bested by the Italians in a 0-2 encounter. Mario Pugliese's 3rd minute opener probably left a bad taste in the host's mouth, however despite several opportunities the Slovakians could never get a hold of the game. Elio Capradossi's 64th minute goal put the last nail in the coffin as Italy progressed to their first ever Euro U-17 Final and the hosts were left wondering about what might have been. As for the other Semi-Final match-up, as I post this Russia and Sweden are presently tied goalless as they approach the end of the 1st half with equal efforts though the closest chance thus far came from Sweden's Erdal Rakip. Check back later for my post on the Final which will take place on May 17th. Enjoy the games!

Last step to the Final(s)

The Final matches of the Champions and Europa Leagues have been decided and we can expect some absolutely golden performances! While it is going to be an all-German affair in the Champions League, Bayern and Dortmund should give us a positively exhilarating match - so long as they stick to the attacking football that has led them this far. While I wouldn't put it past the north-westerners to go for broke, I think the Bavarians will be too much for Dortmund. Having said that, it should be a close match but expect Lewandowski to be pinned down by the Bayern defense: they realize after both domestic and international appearances that he is the attacking linchpin of the Dortmund side.

Then there is the Europa League Final which pits Benfica of Portugal against Chelsea of England. Saying that Chelsea are the favorites in this tie is an understatement as the big-money club have the bigger players, the better pedigree, and the hunger to win at least one piece of silverware this year since they have lost their domestic opportunities. Nevertheless, the Portuguese shouldn't just roll over for the London side. The atmosphere will be a lively one in Amsterdam and the two sides should put on a decent display. While Benfica technically have the better record of the two sides thus far, Chelsea's goal-scoring prowess is slightly better than Benfica's. Despite the fact that Chelsea have had a few more chances than Benfica have doesn't really  play into it as the Portuguese have actually done more with less. Having said that, Benfica will have to close down the opportunities count for the Blues while making a few of their own! Oscar Cardozo will have to be on terrific form - both as goal-scorer and shot-creator - if Benfica hope to have any chance of taking the title. Defensively, the Portuguese side will also have to shutdown the likes of Fernando Torres, Victor Moses, and David Luiz if they are to have any chance of winning the tie. Lima and Rodrigo for Benfica will also have to pitch in as far as chance-creation goes while Juan Mata and Eden Hazard (both of Chelsea) will hope for exceptional games. If Frank Lampard is on form on the night, Chelsea will at least get a goal. One way or the other though, the Blues will be my reluctant pick to win. Hope you enjoy the games!