Zero for two
By the way, the offenders of the Russian teams remained on a starvation diet: neither the team from Vigo, nor the “Maccabi” from Haifa, which became the barrier for CSKA, never hit the target.
The Bremen, who put Celta on the shoulder blades, slightly changed their favorite attacking style and played with caution. But all the same, they dictated the conditions, controlled the ball more and threatened the goal more often. Before the intermission, the Junta missed two good chances, in one of the episodes it hit the post. The climax came in the end when the replacement Ugu Almeida took advantage of the canopy of Woma and aimed his head with a aimed shot. The reservist who caught the courage could well have developed success, but the goalkeeper Esteban first hit the ball right on the “ribbon” and then parried the insidious low shot in the fall. After all, the Catalans are the favorites who trumped a seven-match winning streak before traveling to Israel.
She started in the first round, then lasted in four group battles and two fights for the relegation from Livorno. Haifa turned out to be unconquered, although in the middle of the second half the owner’s fortress was close to surrender: El-Yagubi hit the crossbar. Thus, “Maccabi”, never having missed from CSKA Moscow, resisted “Espanyol”.
Penalty Shootout
Unlike the “Celta” and “Espanyol”, “Sevilla” printed the gates of others. However, this was little consolation. “Shakhtar” was hiding only in the opening and did not cope with the pressure of the owner of the trophy. After an attack on the left flank, Kerzhakov took possession of the ball in the free zone, and Shust, who went to intercept, shot down the Russian. The penalty was realized by Louis Marty.
In the future, the Ukrainian champions dropped the chains and liked the good movement, commendable militancy in the absence of any reverence for rivals. Soon, Hubshman brought to mind the supply of Matuzalem from the corner: the defender was quicker than others and hit accurately from an acute angle. In the second half, the audience saw two more eleven meters. First, Matuzalem brought the miners forward, and in the 89th minute Maresca drew the line - 2: 2. The continuation of the dispute in Donetsk promises a cut.
Award for the Forty
Among immigrants from the Intertoto Cup, Newcastle was the farthest climbed, having received the corresponding prize. “This is a nice reward for the guys who had to go on the field on June 26,” - said the mentor “forty” Glenn Raeder. Feeling the taste of victory, his pets do not think to stop. AZ Alkmar fell another victim, swallowing four pills by the 37th minute! In a revelry “Newcastle” Martins soloed (he scored a double and forced Steinsson to send the ball into his own goal) and also Dyer. The intrigue, however, has not died out. Spiky Alkmarians were awarded two scores, which leaves them hope. However, on the side of “Newcastle” there is also statistics: he won all three previous two-match rivals with clubs from the Netherlands.
Paulet without sentiment
The Paris clash of PSG and “Benfica” was also marked by a tumultuous first half, containing all three goals. By the efforts of Simau Sabroza, the Portuguese came forward, but shortly before the break, Paulet and Fro transferred the account to landlord Victoria. The first afflicted compatriots with a tricky blow to the far corner. So Pauleta again proved that he was deprived of any sentiment in relation to his compatriots. After all, there was another precedent. A couple of years ago, PSG played with “Porto” in the Champions League, and thanks to a double, the Parisians took the upper hand - 2-0.
The performance "on the flag"
The starting whistle of the match in Braga sounded much later, at other addresses: at 0.35 Moscow time. This meeting is noteworthy in that it allowed to increase the average performance of the day. She ended up with exactly 3 goals per match. In the city in the north of Portugal, there were five well-aimed hits that occurred in the interval from 57th to 92nd minute. The winner with a minimum margin, “Tottenham Hotspur” was marked by a double Robbie Keane. It was he who in the final seconds used the long longitudinal pass, which was performed by Zokora.
Time for others
Among the Spaniards, the closest to victory was Osasuna, which, under heavy rain, looked more convincing than the Rangers. The team of Jose Siganda for a long time led, pressed, but in the endgame missed a beautiful enveloping shot of Emdani. In Lance, Bayer defender Aggie stood out. At the beginning of the second half, he regained his balance (1: 1), and in the middle of the half, his foul in his penalty area led to a penalty, realized by Cousin. The Tunisian himself got a second “mustard plaster" and was expelled from the field. In Leverkusen, someone else will be noticeable ...
Denis ORLOV