The 2nd leg of the champions’ league quarterfinals is over. The soccer scoreboards show that Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Schalke are in the final four. None of the matches were close. Barcelona defeated Shakhtar with an aggregate score of 6-1, Real Madrid defeated Tottenham with an aggregate score of 5-0, Manchester United defeated Chelsea with an aggregate score of 3-1 and Schalke lit up the soccer scoreboards, defeating Inter Milan by an aggregate score of 7-3.
Barcelona outplayed Shakhtar in both the legs. After the 1st leg result it was clear that Barcelona would emerge as the winner of this quarterfinal but everything is possible in football. Shakhtar knew that they had to do something extraordinary to outclass Barcelona and they started the second game with the clear intent to score goals. Even though they started brilliantly, they could not put away their chances and they ended up tasting defeat for the first time on their home ground. Messi was the man who scored the only goal of the match. No surprise there!
Manchester United has reached the semi-finals for the fourth time in a row. A couple of United players, Hernandez and Ji-Sung paved the way for Man U’s success. After the 1st leg, the game was wide open for both teams, however Chelsea could not make use of their home advantage. Chelsea’s hopes went down the drain when Ramires’ was handed a second yellow card when he fouled Nani with just 20 minutes remaining in the match. In the end it was Manchester United who was victorious and who booked a place in the semi-finals.
Schalke did a marvelous job by eliminating the defending champions, and star studded team Inter Milan. They have qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions league for the first time ever and they truly deserved this win. With this kind of performance over the two legs of the quarterfinals, they can be a threat to every team and are without doubt contenders for the title, even though they would be an unfashionable choice. Goals from Raul Gonzalez and Benedikt Höwedes set the way for Schalke into the semi-finals. After scoring 5 goals in the 1st leg, Schalke were not ready to sit back. They eagerly wanted to make it to the semi-finals for the first time and they did it!
Real Madrid did not give Tottenham a chance, and the London team were not able to score a single goal in the quarterfinals. Real Madrid completely outplayed Tottenham and defeated them 5-0. Ronaldo scored the only goal of the match in the 2nd leg of this quarterfinal. Tottenham, although considered a strong team themselves, were no match for the brilliant individual flair and teamwork of Real Madrid and it was a very easy win for them in the end.
There’s a mouth watering semi-final lined up for all the football fans: Barcelona vs Real Madrid. The second semi-final will be played between Manchester United and Schalke. Can Shalke confound all pundits can make it to the final?!
For more information, go to:
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/index.html