Chelsea draws United in revenge tie
Source: Agencies |
March 19, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHELSEA has the chance to avenge its shattering penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United in the 2008 final after being drawn to play them in the quarterfinals of the Champions League yesterday.
Chelsea's pairing with United means England's two most successful clubs in recent years will play three times in the space of a month, as they also meet in the Premier League on May 7.
Favorites Barcelona will face Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine which beat the Catalans 3-2 in the Nou Camp in a group stage match two years ago. Nine-time winner Real Madrid will play Tottenham Hotspur, meaning a return to London for former Chelsea manager and current Madrid coach Jose Mourinho while holder Inter Milan will meet Schalke 04.
The winners of the Inter vs Schalke match will play Chelsea or United in one semifinal, while Real Madrid will face Barcelona in the semis if both win their quarterfinal games ruling out the chance of an all-Spanish final.
The Spanish clubs will play each other twice next month, first in the league and then in the Copa del Rey final.
The quarterfinal matches will be played on April 5-6 and 12-13 with the semis on April 26-27 and May 3-4 with the final at Wembley Stadium on May 28.
In the Europa League draw, former European champion Benfica and PSV Eindhoven have been drawn together in the quarterfinals.
FC Porto was paired with Spartak Moscow and Braga will face Dynamo Kiev, meaning Portugal's three qualifiers for the last eight of Europe's second-tier club competition were kept apart.
In the other quarterfinal, Spanish side Villarreal will take on Dutch champion FC Twente, which eliminated 2008 winner Zenit St. Petersburg in the last 16.
The first legs will be played on April 7, with the return matches on April 14.
On Thursday, Liverpool and Ajax Amsterdam, who have won the European Cup nine times between them, failed to reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League after making embarrassing exits from the competition.
Liverpool was held to a goalless draw at home by Braga, which has never even won a domestic league title, and went out 0-1 on aggregate. Ajax, knocked out of the Champions League earlier this season, was outclassed 0-3 at Spartak Moscow for a 0-4 aggregate defeat.
Manchester City beat Dynamo Kiev 1-0 despite having Mario Balotelli sent off in the first half but still lost 1-2 on aggregate while a 0-1 home defeat for Rangers against PSV Eindhoven ended British interest.
City manager Roberto Mancini said he hoped Balotelli was "frustrated" at being sent off. The 20-year-old Italian received his marching orders for a high-footed lunge which caught Goran Popov on the thigh in the 36th minute of the last 16, second leg tie.
The score was 0-0 at the time with City needing to overturn a 0-2 deficit from the first match in Kiev.
"I'm frustrated for the other 10 players.... I hope (Mario is frustrated) because I think that with 11 players we would have won this game and gone to the quarterfinal," said Mancini.
Balotelli, whose season has been disrupted by injury and suspension, has now been sent off twice since signing for big-spending City from Inter Milan in August.
Liverpool is facing the prospect of not playing in Europe next season. Manager Kenny Dalglish could not hide his frustration after his team struggled to break down the visitors on a night of few chances and paid the price.
"Over the two legs it was a penalty kick that decided it (in the first leg). That's about right. There was not much between either side," Dalglish said.
Its exit means Liverpool's only route back into Europe is a fifth-place finish in the Premier League but it is six points behind Tottenham Hotspur, which also has a game in hand.
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, making his first start since a 35 million pounds (US$56.46 million) move from Newcastle United in January due to injury, failed to open his account.
Chelsea's pairing with United means England's two most successful clubs in recent years will play three times in the space of a month, as they also meet in the Premier League on May 7.
Favorites Barcelona will face Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine which beat the Catalans 3-2 in the Nou Camp in a group stage match two years ago. Nine-time winner Real Madrid will play Tottenham Hotspur, meaning a return to London for former Chelsea manager and current Madrid coach Jose Mourinho while holder Inter Milan will meet Schalke 04.
The winners of the Inter vs Schalke match will play Chelsea or United in one semifinal, while Real Madrid will face Barcelona in the semis if both win their quarterfinal games ruling out the chance of an all-Spanish final.
The Spanish clubs will play each other twice next month, first in the league and then in the Copa del Rey final.
The quarterfinal matches will be played on April 5-6 and 12-13 with the semis on April 26-27 and May 3-4 with the final at Wembley Stadium on May 28.
In the Europa League draw, former European champion Benfica and PSV Eindhoven have been drawn together in the quarterfinals.
FC Porto was paired with Spartak Moscow and Braga will face Dynamo Kiev, meaning Portugal's three qualifiers for the last eight of Europe's second-tier club competition were kept apart.
In the other quarterfinal, Spanish side Villarreal will take on Dutch champion FC Twente, which eliminated 2008 winner Zenit St. Petersburg in the last 16.
The first legs will be played on April 7, with the return matches on April 14.
On Thursday, Liverpool and Ajax Amsterdam, who have won the European Cup nine times between them, failed to reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League after making embarrassing exits from the competition.
Liverpool was held to a goalless draw at home by Braga, which has never even won a domestic league title, and went out 0-1 on aggregate. Ajax, knocked out of the Champions League earlier this season, was outclassed 0-3 at Spartak Moscow for a 0-4 aggregate defeat.
Manchester City beat Dynamo Kiev 1-0 despite having Mario Balotelli sent off in the first half but still lost 1-2 on aggregate while a 0-1 home defeat for Rangers against PSV Eindhoven ended British interest.
City manager Roberto Mancini said he hoped Balotelli was "frustrated" at being sent off. The 20-year-old Italian received his marching orders for a high-footed lunge which caught Goran Popov on the thigh in the 36th minute of the last 16, second leg tie.
The score was 0-0 at the time with City needing to overturn a 0-2 deficit from the first match in Kiev.
"I'm frustrated for the other 10 players.... I hope (Mario is frustrated) because I think that with 11 players we would have won this game and gone to the quarterfinal," said Mancini.
Balotelli, whose season has been disrupted by injury and suspension, has now been sent off twice since signing for big-spending City from Inter Milan in August.
Liverpool is facing the prospect of not playing in Europe next season. Manager Kenny Dalglish could not hide his frustration after his team struggled to break down the visitors on a night of few chances and paid the price.
"Over the two legs it was a penalty kick that decided it (in the first leg). That's about right. There was not much between either side," Dalglish said.
Its exit means Liverpool's only route back into Europe is a fifth-place finish in the Premier League but it is six points behind Tottenham Hotspur, which also has a game in hand.
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, making his first start since a 35 million pounds (US$56.46 million) move from Newcastle United in January due to injury, failed to open his account.
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