Champions League 2011/12

[new devil]

You don't agree that united are the 2nd best team in Europe? After getting to 3 of the last 4 finals?

[Carmen Stateside]

Just seen Ajax two goals and both onside.  Commentator saying linesman better hope Lyon dont turn things round!

[Captain Obvious]

I think Man U could send out their catering staff and win that group. Masters of the cushy draw.

[Minder]

You don't agree that united are the 2nd best team in Europe? After getting to 3 of the last 4 finals?

No, no I don't.

[Forever Green]

This is from the Lyon-Zagreb game. Let the conspiracy theories begin 

[rossie mad]

You don't agree that united are the 2nd best team in Europe? After getting to 3 of the last 4 finals?

No i dont actually.ask the basel fans they might give you a more accurate assesment

[Billys Boots]

You don't agree that united were the 2nd best team in Europe? After getting to 3 of the last 4 finals?

There, fixed that for ye.  No problem, happy christmas.

[seafoid]

Ajax on cusp of Champions League last 16 with 0-0 draw at Lyon
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•   Comments (2)
•   Guardian report
•   Match facts
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Champions League 2011-12
Lyon 0    
Ajax 0    
•   Reuters
•   guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 November 2011 22.44 GMT
•   Article history

The Ajax forward Miralem Sulejmani, centre, troubles Lyon's midfielder Cris, right, and their goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Photograph: Philippe Merle/AFP/Getty Images
Ajax moved to the brink of qualification for the Champions League knockout stages with a 0-0 draw at Lyon on Tuesday.
Both sides wasted good chances to earn victory with Lyon going close late on when Yoann Gourcuff's shot shaved the post.
Ajax are second behind Real Madrid in Group D on eight points, three ahead of the French side going into the final round of matches. They have an identical head-to-head record but the Dutch side have a far superior goal difference.
Former European champions Ajax need only one point at home against Real to reach the last 16, while Lyon will look for a huge win at Dinamo Zagreb and hope Ajax lose.
"We were up against a good Ajax side, and it cost us a lot of energy just to dispossess them," the Lyon coach, Rémi Garde, told the French television channel TF1."We lacked sharpness in front of goal.
"I still believe we can go through but it will obviously be complicated." Lyon face the prospect of not making it through the group stage for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
Lyon began brightly with returning forward Lisandro López, making his first start in 12 weeks after an injury layoff, having his curling shot parried away by Kenneth Vermeer in the seventh minute.
Lyon could not build on their good start and the Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen was a constant threat although the visitors failed to create clear-cut chances in a dull first half.
Ajax looked sharper after the restart and it took a timely save by Hugo Lloris to deny Miralem Sulejmani after he had been fed through by Eriksen. Sulejmani's deflected shot on the hour just cleared the crossbar before Lyon got going again after the Brazilian midfielder Ederson replaced Lisandro with 20 minutes left.
Ederson had a volley blocked by Vermeer as Lyon desperately pushed for the winner, and the seven-times French champions went close again when Michel Bastos's angled shot was tipped away by the Ajax keeper. Lyon had a penalty claim turned down with two minutes left when Ederson appeared to be brought down.
French betting authority investigates Lyon's Champions League win
• 7-1 away win over Dinamo Zagreb secured qualification
• Lyon and Dinamo react angrily to suggestions of wrongdoing
• Uefa awaiting report of English referee Mark Clattenburg
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•   Matt Scott
•   guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 December 2011 16.15 GMT
•   Article history
Mark Clattenburg has emerged as the key figure in Uefa's investigations of Dinamo Zagreb's extraordinary 7-1 home defeat to Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday night, amid an inquiry by the French online betting authority.
The French Autorité de Régulation des Jeux en Ligne (Arjel) said on Thursday that it was "currently carrying out checks" to establish if any suspicious betting took place around the match.
Uefa is waiting for the Premier League referee's report into the controversial match, during which his fellow Englishmen Mike Mullarkey and Peter Kirkup were running the lines. Lee Probert, another elite English referee, was fourth official and Kevin Friend and Andre Marriner were Clattenburg's by-line assistants.
The conclusions in Clattenburg's report will influence whether Uefa takes its inquiries into the events any further after the result permitted the French team to progress to the knockout phase of the competition at the expense of Ajax.
Dinamo had been down to 10 men after Clattenburg sent off Jerko Leko 28 minutes into the game. What made the result all the more remarkable was that at the end of normal time in the first half, the Croatian side had been 1-0 up.
Uefa's betting fraud detection system (BFDS), which monitors betting patterns in every match in its competitions, has been consulted for evidence of any irregular betting patterns around the match. However, Uefa indicated on Thursday afternoon that it had found no instances to justify an inquiry on betting grounds. "We look at every match automatically through the BFDS system then it becomes another matter if anything is found," said a spokeswoman for Uefa.
"We always also look at the reports from officials because they are briefed on any issues relating to match fixing. If there's anything suspicious – which is rare – it will be mentioned by them. But we are still waiting on those reports."
Lyon confirmed Arjel is undertaking inquiries in a statement on Thursday, in which it was said: "Olympique Lyonnais are aware of the checks being conducted this morning by Arjel, which are completely in tune with the procedures of the governing body for online betting.
"The club totally approves of this action that is undertaken whenever a sporting result is considered unusual and we regret that comments have not been confined to the sporting aspect of an incredible achievement both for Olympique Lyonnais and French football as a whole."
The Ajax coach, Frank de Boer, claimed Uefa should investigate the Lyon match, if it was suspected anything unusual had gone on. "If there was something unusual, Uefa should investigate what happened in Zagreb," De Boer was quoted as saying by ESPN Soccernet.
Bernard Lacombe, Lyon's sporting director, by contrast, gave a more emotional perspective on the inquiries. "It's total rubbish, people should stop saying such things," he said. "Did they open an investigation at half-time when it was 1-1? I don't give a damn what the Ajax manager says. Apparently we are also responsible for the refereeing of the match in Amsterdam."
Dinamo have parted company with their coach, Krunoslav Jurcic, since the match while also issuing angry denials of any wrongdoing in the game. "It is tendentious, outrageous and malicious to declare the recent Champions League match [between] Dinamo [and] Lyon in Maksimir suspicious," the club said. "Dinamo again strongly condemns all insinuations in the media, both foreign, and domestic, of favouring any results. If the insinuations in the media continue GNK Dinamo will take all legal measures to protect their rights."

[Main Street]

Another Messi goal,
what can one say, one of his 'better' ones?

Traps the ball with his studs while moving at speed, doesn't miss a forward step, one on one with the goalie and chips it over him into the net.

[Square Ball]

Another Messi goal,
what can one say, one of his 'better' ones?

Traps the ball with his studs while moving at speed, doesn't miss a forward step, one on one with the goalie and chips it over him into the net.

third one even better , best player in the world by a street

[randomtask]

Messi is only 24  , by the time he is finished he will easily be recognised as the best in the world ever

[Captain Obvious]

Messi is only 24  , by the time he is finished he will easily be recognised as the best in the world ever

Pele was only 17 in the 1958 World cup most will still recognise him as the best ever.

[Captain Obvious]

The champions league story of the night, Apoel Nicosia into last eight.

[rossie mad]

That barca team have to be the best footballing side ever.
to think people on here reckon english premiership teams could have beaten that team if there was different circumstances.

[dec]

The champions league story of the night, Apoel Nicosia into last eight.

Total population of Cyprus is about a million.