So, the race for the Champions League final at Wembley is heating up now we are at the pointy end of the competition with the first leg of the quarter final rounds just finishing.
So, as it stands, the semi finals will be:
Inter Milan or Schalke 04 v Chelsea or Manchester United
Real Madrid or Tottenham Hotspurs v Barcelona or Shakhtar Donetsk
So, where do things stand now. In reverse order...
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspurs
Real Madrid take a 4 - 0 lead into the second leg in London, after a comprehensive victory in Spain. Made worse for the London side having to play with 10 men for the majority of the game after Peter Crouch got a second yellow and was sent off after just 14 minutes!
Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar did leave Barcelona with an away goal. Only problem is, Barcelona won the game 5-1! Shakhtar are a dangerous side, and Barcelona still have to navigate their away leg in the Ukraine. However, only a fool would lay lots of money on anything other than a Barca progression!
So, it is nicely poised to have the top two teams of Spanish football meeting in the semi finals stage! Tasty!
Inter Milan v Schalke 04
Well, Inter Milan are the reigning Champions League title holders, and Club World Champions. Inter got off to a flying start, bagging the first goal very swiftly, only to get pegged back. Schalke pegged Inter back one more time in the first half after Inter got their second. Schalke then put the tie firmly under their control with 3 unanswered goals, making themselves the favourites with 5 away goals.
Chelsea v Manchester United
This is the tie that I am most interested in.
So, a clash between the top 2 English teams left in the competition. Between 2 of the top teams in England, and 2 of the teams currently duking it out to win the Premier League! This had promise of being a very close affair, with commentators split fairly evenly. Basically it boiled down to how the game goes at Stamford Bridge. If Chelsea lead leaving the Bridge, they would be odds-on. Should United snag an away goal, then things get interesting, should United leave with the victory, well, it would look good for the northerners.
As it stands, United walked out of Stamford Bridge 1-0 to the good, after Rooney slotted home from a centring pass after Carrick took the ball after a wonderful long pass from Giggs, and ran to the goal line. Rooney then stole into the box, and side-footed it home.
We then where witnesses to a very strange flop/roll goal celebration from Rooney...
The game, however, was not without controversy, or was it all one-sided. Chelsea had their own chances, only for Uniteds back line, bolstered by the returning Ferdinand stood firm. also, Van Der Sar belied his years, and looked at his best.
Chelsea where also the victim of some reffing decisions, too. Towards the end of the game, within the last few minutes, Ramirez was tumbled to the floor by Evra inside the penalty area. It really did look like a penalty. Only for the ref to wave it away. Rightly, Chelsea where up in arms, with their coach, Ancelotti, seeming to question the braveness of the referee.
All I can say is "Kharma is a bitch!" We all remember how United where leading in the league game in Stamford Bridge, only for Chelsea to steal it with a dubious penalty, and with David Luiz staying on the field after clobbering Hernandez, and flooring Rooney. Both should have seen him pick up a second yellow. Also, last season, Chelsea enjoyed favourable reffing decisions against United. In a season which saw them clinch the league by 1 point from United. So, turnabout is fair play.
The second penalty call was when Valencia floored Torres in the area. Thing with this is that the ref immediately booked Torres for diving, and the more I see it on YouTube, the more my mind stays the same. He flops to the floor in a most theatrical manner!
So, United walk out and head back to Old Trafford with a 1-0 win. The job is far from done, and this is still THE tie of the round as it is still capable of shocking people and Chelsea is a squad capable of doing something.
We shall see! But at the moment, United have the cards!
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