What a Beauty!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Quarterfinals of the
Champions league
These
past two weeks of the UEFA champions league have been filled with excitement,
heart brokenness and controversy. The first leg of the quarterfinals ended up
leaving Real Madrid and Bayern Munich with cushy aggregate goal advantage
leaving their opponents, Apoel and FC Marseille, at a big disadvantage. It took
Real Madrid about 20 minutes into the 2nd half before Benzema was
finally able to put away one of the many chances he had. This goal ignited a
spark in fellow teammates as their seemingly disappointing performance against
the underdogs APOEL, turned into a slaughter. Real Madrid was then quickly able
to convert a goal from substitute Ricardo Kaka and another from Karim Benzema.
APOEL who were the first team from their country, Cyprus, to make it this far
in the competition were left heart broken when the final whistle blew. This result
was not much different for Marseille who were paired against Bayern Munich.
Bayern’s superior offensive side ended up crushing Marseille’s defense leaving
the French team with a 2-0 disadvantage heading into the second leg. Chelsea was also able to secure a 1-0 victory
against Benfica in Portugal. This was a big deal for Chelsea fans as that away
goal gave them a newfound hope for their team’s progression in the knockout
stages; the reason why the away goals are so big is that in case of a draw, the
away goals are the deciding factor between progressing to the next round or
elimination. However, fan favorite Barcelona was unable to defeat AC Milan.
Between the combination of a controversial pitch and defiant Italian side, the
current champions were held at bay with 0-0 scoreline.
The second leg was not much different than the first. Real
Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea were all able to hold onto their aggregate
advantages and secure a spot in the semi-finals leaving heartbroken Marseille,
APOEL and Benfica fans with nothing other than hope for next year’s
competition. The only thing that changed was the Barcelona VS. AC Milan game.
Plagued with controversy and anger, the Italian side was defeated 3-1 in Spain.
As I mentioned earlier, this year’s quarterfinals were filled
with controversy. First, Benfica was in an uproar over their 1-0 defeat at home
because of some bad calls. Not only did the referee fail to give the home side
a penalty kick over a handball, he also handed out numerous yellow cards which
left Benfica’s defense in a sad state as both their captain and central
defenders were deemed ineligible for the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Benfica’s luck was not changed as midfielder Maxi Pereira was controversially
sent off for a second yellow card in England. Because of this extremely
controversial call, the Portuguese side has decided to claim numerous
complaints against the Skomina, the referee of the games. The AC Milan vs. Barcelona was not much
different. After handing out two penalties and eight yellow cards, the Italian
side was left livid with a 3-1 defeat in Spain. It was quite clear that Bjorn
Kuipers favored, and some believe gave the game, to the defending Champions.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The
State of the Brazil International Soccer Team
Brazil has been
and continues to be the country with the greatest soccer history of all time,
and their current squad’s potential is certainly one of the biggest in the
entire world. However lately, Brazil has been little more than an overhyped
disappointment in the eyes of many of the fans of the side. With so many good
soccer squads on the international level nowadays, a team certainly can’t win
them all. But much like the Los Angeles Lakers of basketball or the New York
Yankees of baseball, every game, tournament, and trophy not won is a major
letdown for the country of Brazil.
Current manager
Mano Menezes has almost completely refreshed the side after disappointments in
the World Cup and in World Cup Qualifying, attributed to the stubborn, strict
managing style of former director Dunga. Former members of the team who
contributed a lot but were dismissed from the side for off the field issues,
most notably Ronaldinho and Robinho, have made their return. It is interesting
to note that the squad is now dominated by new, young and fresh talent, which
brings a huge level of excitement to the prospect of the 2014 World Cup, set to
be held in Brazil itself.
Captain Thiago
Silva, David Luiz, and Marcelo are three young guns looking to help legend
Maicon on the defensive line. These new players replace those who seemed to be
irreplaceable in the recent past, including former captain Lucio, Juan, and
Gilberto. Former defender and Barcelona star Dani Alves has now made his way to
the midfield to aid Ronaldinho and Robinho in trying to replace the production
of former standouts Kakà and Elano. The strikers now include the likes of
prodigy Neymar Jr., Ramires, Hulk, and Adriano, who make up for the loss of a
great striker in Ronaldo.
Overall,
Brazil’s people have a lot to be excited over when it comes to the new look of
their soccer team. It seems that the squad has really found their niche after a
horrific performance at the Copa America 2011. The team, currently ranked #5 in
the world by FIFA, looks to climb the ladder all the way to World Cup gold in
2014.
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