CL Group A-D Round 6 Results

Group A

Bordeaux 1-0 Maccabi Haifa

Oddly enough, the Group A leaders were only able to score one goal on the pointless Maccabi Haifa. Jussie lent his talents to his team in the 12th minute, providing the only goal of the game. Despite the lack of goals, Bordeaux now has 16 points while Maccabi remains painfully at zero, and in last place.

Bayern Munich 4-1 Juventus

Like I said could happen, Bayern battered Juventus into the ground with a 4-1 beating yesterday. Butt (30'), Olic (52'), Gomez (83') and Tymoschuk (90') provided the goals for Bayern, who actually came from behind to win after Juve's Trezguet scored in the 19th minute. The Germans are now 2 points ahead of the Italians in 2nd place.

Group B

CSKA Moscow 2-1 Besiktas

Moscow pulled off a last minute win after Aldonin scored in the 90th minute, breaking the tie that had lasted since Besiktas' strike in the 86th minute leveled Krasic's in the 41st. Moscow are now 3 points behind Manchester United. Besiktas remains in last place with 4 points.

Manchester United 3-1 VfL Wolfsburg

Michael Owen was the star of yesterday's game, providing all three goals for United (44', 83', 90'). Edin Dzeko gave a short-lived threat when he leveled Owen's first goal in the 56th minute, but the pressure was no trouble for Owen. United sit in 1st place with 13 points, while Wolfsburg are in 3rd with 7.

Group C

FC Zurich 1-1 AC MIlan

Yet again the Italians failed to deliver against Zurich. Their only goal came from a Ronaldinho penalty in the 64th minute, which tied the score. Gajic opened the scoring for Zurich in the 64th minute. Milan is still in 2nd place with 9 points while Zurich only has 4, but I was expecting more from Milan.

Real Madrid 3-1 Marseille

Cristiano Ronaldo graced his side with two goals yesterday (4', 80') while Albiol added a 3rd (60') to clinch the win for Madrid. Marseille leveled briefly thanks to a goal from Gonzalez in the 11th minute, but he was no match for the Spaniards and their new Portuguese toy. Real sits in 1st place with 13 points, 4 points clear of the 2nd place team. Marseille is in 3rd place with 7.

Group D

FC Porto 3-0 Atletico Madrid

Yet another forgettable game from Atletico sees their chances of advancing in the tournament shot to tell. They only have 3 points from 6 games. Alves (2'), Falcao (14') and Hulk (76') netted shots for their side, condemning Atletico early on. Porto are in 2nd place behind Chelsea with 12 points.

Chelsea 2-2 Apoel Nicosia

The scoring went back and forth before Mirosavljevic finally salvaged a point for Apoel in the 87th minute. Zewkalow's 6th minute goal was leveled by Essien's 19th minute one. Then Drogba pulled Chelsea ahead in the 26th. The game stayed in Chelsea's favor until Marolavljevic pulled his side even. The tie keeps Chelsea 2 points clear of 2nd place Porto while Apoel is tied for last with Atletico Madrid

CL Group A-D Round 6 Preview

Group A

Juventus vs Bayern Munich

Bayern, should they clinch the 3 points in today's game, will replace Juventus in 2nd place, as Juventus is only one point ahead of Bayern. Even a tie will place Bayern even.

Bordeaux vs Maccabi Haifa

This match is a proverbial David vs Goliath today. Bordeaux, who has a stranglehold on 1st place in Group A, takes on Maccabi Haifa, who have not won a single game yet in the tournament. Should Maccabi Haifa win, it would be an upset of Barcelona vs Rubin Kazan proportions. While a win for Maccabi today is unlikely, it is always possible.

Group B

CSKA Moscow vs Besiktas

The team who pulled out a stunning win over Manchester United (also their only win) now takes on Moscow, the team right above them in the standings. Another win today for Besiktas would pull them even with Moscow, while Moscow could pull even with Manchester United and Wolfsburg today should United lose to Wolfsburg.

Manchester United vs VfL Wolfsburg

United is hurting today- they have multiple players out, including several a few key defensive players. They will have to work hard to top Wolfsburg and keep their hold on the top of the group.

Group C

FC Zurich vs AC Milan

Milan had better be out for blood today- Zurich pulled off a surprise win over Milan the last time they met in this tournament, keeping them from drawing even with leaders Real Madrid. Topping Milan was Zurich's only win so far, while Milan has 8 points, just 2 shy of Real Madrid.

Marseille vs Real Madrid

If Marseille tops Real today, they will draw even with the leaders, as they'll both have 10 points. However, Real needs to snap back after their loss to Barcelona this weekend, so they will probably be looking for the 3 points with much intensity.

Group D

Atletico Madrid vs FC Porto

While there is little hope for Atletico Madrid to advance in the tournament, defeating Porto would let them go out a bit easier. Porto is 5 points behind group leader Chelsea, and Atletico is 3 points behind Porto.

Chelsea vs Apoel Nicosia

Chelsea, who are guaranteed advancement in the CL, take on Apoel, who have only 2 points to their name from 6 games. A win is almost guaranteed for Chelsea, though I'd love to see them lose.

Balon d'Or Winner 2009: Lionel Messi

Messi is finally reaping the rewards of the historic 2008-2009 season he experienced with Barcelona. Winning the Primera League title, the Spanish Copa del Rey, and the Champions League definitely did not go unnoticed, and the players at Barcelona are being rewarded.

The most prominent of these players, 22-year-old striker Lionel Messi, was named the 2009 Balon d'Or winner, succeeding Real Madrid midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo, who won it when he was playing with Manchester United.

The Balon d'Or is awarded to the soccer player who receives the most votes from sports journalists all across Europe, and is presented by the French soccer magazine "France Football."

Messi, who amassed 473 votes, buried runner-up Ronaldo, who accumulated only 233 votes. Xavi of Barcelona was second runner-up with 170 votes, while Andres Iniesta, also of Barcelona, received 149, placing him in 4th.

Messi is the first Argentinian ever to win the Balon d'Or, and the fifth South American to claim the title.

Barcelona Claims 3rd Straight Clasico!

Both sides had deficiencies- Ronaldo had just returned to the team after a month and a half of injury, and Ibrahimovic was doubtful to play at all for Barcelona. However, there was no excuse for Real's lethargy throughout the game.

They had several point-blank shots blocked by Valdes (more specifically, his feet), and yet failed to capitalize on any of them (not that I'm complaining). Barcelona encountered the same problem for the first half, with several Dani Alves shots going well over or wide of the goal, as well as Thierry Henry and Messi shooting balls straight into Casillas.

Overall, however, Barcelona controlled the possession for the entirety of the game. In fact, when Sergio Busquets was sent off in the 63rd minute after receiving a 2nd yellow card, Real Madrid still was not able to score! Barcelona played a man down for 27 whole minutes before Lassana Diarra was also sent off with two yellow cards. For 27 minutes Real had a 1-man advantage and they could do nothing.

Perhaps their spirits were darkened by the absolutely perfect cross from Dani Alves to Ibrahimovic who volleyed the ball right past the outstretched arms of Casillas. The Swede came on at halftime for a less than mediocre Henry, who failed to make much of an impression during the game.

Real Madrid's only valid excuse for their lack of scores was the fearsome Barcelona defense composed of Puyol, Busquets, Pique, and Abidal. Puyol personally stopped Higuain and Ronaldo at least twice by throwing his legs in front of the ball before the strikers were able to get a shot off. Well done, Puyol.

Nevertheless, Real Madrid was solidly outplayed. All they could do was trip and shove Messi and Dani Alves and the like, conducting cheap plays to try and make up for their inability to overcome the Catalans.

On a side note: during the game was fouled, and apparently it was questionable as to whether or not he "threw" himself or if he was legitimately fouled. Ronaldo decided to say something to either Iniesta or the ref about his thoughts on the subject, claiming Iniesta had made the foul more theatrical than necessary. Iniesta went up to him and literally said "tu callas!" which means, shut up. Iniesta later went on to explain (though I can't find an article now) that the reason he got so heated about Ronaldo commenting on the subject was that Ronaldo himself was in no place to be talking about embellishing fouls. Iniesta is officially my favorite person ever for actually calling Ronaldo out on being the biggest actor ever.

Oh My God, It's Here

There are really only two days out of the year that I ever look forward to. One of them is happening today. It's been called the biggest soccer rivalry in the world, and I believe it. If I discover that someone I know supports Real Madrid, I seriously consider whether their other traits can outweigh that fact.

Today should absolutely live up to my expectations, and remind me yet again why I love soccer so much. To watch both of these teams play is awesome. Both are extremely talented and possess amazing individual talent beyond their team.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid will be the game to watch today. Forget about Sunday football or boring sitcom reruns.

Also, both teams are suffering a minor handicap. Cristiano Ronaldo just returned to action for Real, and did not make a huge impression in their game against FC Zurich on Wednesday. Although he's telling the media he'd like to score 10 or 20 goals against Barcelona, I can't see that happening. He couldn't do it with Manchester United in last year's Champion's League fina (despite being set up with a penalty kick, which he missed horribly), and he couldn't score against FC Zurich. Somehow I can't see him scoring 10 goals against the best team in the world.

Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out for Barcelona, with ankle problems. However, unlike Real, who floundered without their star striker, Barcelona is still undefeated, even winning without both Messi AND Ibrahimovic last week (Pique and Pedro provided the goals).

I'm saying Barcelona wins 3-1. I'll give Ronaldo his goal.

CL Group A-D Round 5 Results

Group A

Bayern Munich 1-0 Maccabi Haifa

A 62nd minute goal by Ivica Olic put Bayern ahead and Maccabi was never able to respond. The Israeli soccer team remains pointless after 5 rounds while Bayern is in 3rd place, behind Juventus and Bordeaux.

Bordeaux 2-0 Juventus

Two second half goals gave Bordeaux the win over Juventus and a stranglehold on 1st place in Group A with 13 points. Menegazzo (54') and Chamakh (90') scored for Bordeaux. Juventus are currently 5 points behind Bordeaux and need to win their last game in the group stages to advance.

Group B

CSKA Moscow 2-1 VfL Wolfsburg

Moscow came from behind to snag the win from Wolfsburg, who pulled ahead when Edin Dzeko scored in the 19th minute. However, Moscow scored two goals in 8 minutes in the second half to clinch the win and 3 points. Tomas Necid (58') and Milos Krasic (66') led Moscow to the win. The two teams are tied in points (7), though Wolfsburg is in 2nd place with more goals scored and less goals against them.

Besiktas 1-0 Manchester United

Much like Barcelona was upset by Rubin Kazan several weeks ago, so Manchester United was soundly defeated by the Turkish team Besiktas. Acutally, United was kind enough to give Besiktas their first win. Rodrigo Tello had the honor of scoring against United in the 20th minute. Personally I'd like to name this man as one of my favorite strikers of the tournament. The English giants are still in 1st place with 10 points with Wolfsburg and Moscow breathing down its neck. Besiktas now has 4 points.

Group C

AC Milan 1-1 Marseille

Although Milan was able to draw ahead 10 minutes in with a goal from Marco Boriello, Marseille responded six minutes later with a goal from Lucho Gonzalez. Milan is still one point behind Marseille in the standings (8 to 7), but Milan has to win their final game in the group stage in they want to advance in the tournament.

Real Madrid 1-0 FC Zurich

This was supposed to be CR9's big return after a month and a half out due to injury, and it was not the comeback the public expected, but at least the striker is fit and healthy again. It was actually Gonzalo Higuain who scored for the Spanish superteam, in the 21st minute. Real is still in 1st place with 10 points, two ahead of AC Milan. There's little hope for Zurich, who only has 3 points from an upset win against AC Milan.

Group D

Apoel Nicosia 1-1 Atletico Madrid

Mirosavljevic pulled off a quick score against Atletico 5 minutes in to pull them ahead. Luckily Simao was able to level in the 62nd to scrape together a draw and a point for Atletico, who will see an early exit from the tournament this year. So will Nicosia, who only have 2 points in 5 games.

Chelsea 1-0 FC Porto

Nicolas Anelka gave Chelsea the win in the 69th minute to clinch 3 points for Chelsea, who remain at the top of Group D. They are a solid 4 points ahead of 2nd place Porto who have 9 points. Both teams are guaranteed to continue in the tournament.

CL Group E-H Round 5 Preview

Group E

Liverpool vs Debrecen

The last time the boys from England played Debrecen, it was a 1-0 result in favor of Liverpool thanks the a goal from Dirk Kuyt. I have no idea what the outcome of today will be. Fernando Torres is out, and Ryan Babel and Daniel Agger exited the field in the early minutes of the first half in Liverpool's game against Manchester City this weekend. Debrecen has yet to win a game and Liverpool is 5 points shy of 2nd place Fiorentina. Hopefully they can pull out a win today and shorten that lead to 2 points.

Fiorentina vs Lyon

Should Fiorentina win, they will leapfrog Lyon into first place with a 2-point lead. If Lyon wins, they will strengthen their lead to 4 points. Lyon topped Fiorentina in their last meeting 1-0 with a 76th minute goal from Pjanic. This is a critical game for both teams- there is always a (small but possible) chance of Liverpool making a late comeback in the group stages to proceed, and both teams have to make sure they get the maximum amount of points out of their remaining games.

Group F

FK Rubin Kazan vs Dynamo Kiev

Kazan's only loss thus far has come from Dynamo, who defeated them 3-1 during their last meeting. That win was also Dynamo's only win in the tournament. Kazan is in 2nd place tied with Barcelona, while Dynamo is in last with 4 points, only one behind Kazan. If Dynamo is able to recreate their success against Kazan, they will replace Kazan in 3rd place, and possibly move higher depending on what Barcelona and Inter Milan do in their match today.

Barcenola vs Inter Milan

The press has yet again been making a huge deal about this match, which ended in a scoreless tie the last time the two titans clashed. Lionel Messi is a doubtful for today after an injury he sustained this weekend, along with Abidal, Toure, and Marquez, who are all ill. Samuel Eto'o will definitely be looking to score this time against his former club after Victor Valdes viciously denied his attempts the last time. Inter leads the group by one point with 6 while Barcelona is in 2nd place with 5 (they beat Kazan head-to-head).

Group G

Rangers vs VfB Stuttgart

The Rangers were able to level with Stuttgart during their last meeting to pull off a tie, but they desperately need a win if they have any hope of progressing in the tournament. With only two points to their name, the Rangers have to hope that Sevilla beats Unirea Urziceni (a likely outcome) so as to at least be tied in points.

Sevilla FC vs Unirea Urziceni

Sevilla currently has a stranglehold on 1st place in Group G, with 10 points to Urziceni's 5. A win for Sevilla is likely- they've already defeated Urziceni once with goals from Renato and Fabiano. They have basically qualified to progress in the tournament.

Group H

Arsenal vs Standard Liege

Two goals in 5 minutes seemed to seal Standard's win against during their last meeting, but three 2nd half goals from Bendtner, Vermaelen, and Eduardo rescued the points for Arsenal. Arsenal has 10 points, first place in the group, while Standard has only 4.

Olympiakos vs AZ Alkmaar

Alkmaar has only accumulated two points in the tournament so far, while Olympiakos has 6. A late strike from Torosidis gave Olympiakos the win when the teams last met, so hopefully the Greek team can recreate their success.