Arsenal Come Short, AGAIN, in Champions League Last 16

Will Arsenal be in the UEFA Champions League next season? That is the question most Arsenal followers were and are asking themselves after the Gunners were ousted from the competition on Wednesday night in spite of a 2-0 win over Bavarians Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

With their domestic form wanting and the Gunners involved in a top four scrap with Tottenham, Chelsea and to some extent Merseyside duo Liverpool and Everton, Arsene Wenger’s team are facing the prospect of missing out on Europe’s premier club football competition for the first time in 13 years.

For the second year in a row, Arsenal were asleep for 90 minutes of football and awake for 90 minutes, perhaps oblivious that Champions League matches are won in 180 minutes. The Gunners lost 3-1 at the Emirates and overturning that loss, let alone a 3-gap away goal deficit was always going to be a herculean task.

Arsenal needed an early goal to set the tone for an unlikely (but possible if Barca’s against Milan is anything to go by) comeback. And an early goal they got inside two minutes when Olivier Giroud tapped in Theo Walcott’s cross-cum shot past Manuel Neuer in Bayern’s goal.  

The goal stunned the capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena and a cloud of silence coated the stadium at least until Bayern started starving the traveling team of possession. Thomas Muller, Luis Gustavo and Javi Martinez both came close to restoring parity but while they failed to, at least the intention served to get the crowd singing again.

The rest of the half was evenly played out. Arsenal continued to go at Jupp Heynckes’ side who looked quite cagey and lacking the spark of Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger’s grit. Robben troubled from the flanks but nothing materialized. Girourd had chances to extend the lead but he fluffed his lines at the nick of time. Bayern capitalized on the holes left by an attacking Arsenal but Fabianski kept them at bay.

Substitute Gervinho had a clear-cut chance to make it 2-0 after he was allowed to turn in the box but saw his weak effort agonizingly crawl across the post. Fabianski was again called into action and saved brilliantly from Thomas Muller.

Bayern looked nervous and they must have been shaking on their boots when Frenchman Laurent Koscielny headed in in the 86^th minute but the Bavarians held on to progress 3-3 on aggregate but with superior away goals.

And so just like last season when Wenger’s charges lost 4-0 to AC Milan in the first leg before mustering a 3-0 win in the return leg, the Gunners fell short yet again. They simply can’t pull off a miracle but they make you get close to believing they can. But then again Arsenal are neither Barcelona nor the Arsenal of past. Come end of the season, it will be 8 years since the Emirates club lifted a trophy, any trophy.

However, Arsenal’s failure to qualify was not only their own but a loss to English Premier League as well. For the first time in 17 years, England have no representative in the last 8. Chelsea and Manchester City were bundled out at the group stages while Manchester United couldn’t go past Real Madrid in the knockout stages. Indeed, a food for thought indeed for the Football Association and ardent followers of the “best club league in the world.”

England's loss was Spain's gain after Malaga outsmarted Porto to qualify for the quarters making it three La Liga clubs after Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Champions League debutants scored either side of the half through Isco and Roque Santa Cruz to send Porto crushing out on a 2-1 aggregate. The quarterfinals draw will be done on Friday.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

Impossible is Nothing for Barcelona as They Claim Historic Win over AC Milan

Most people had billed it mission impossible. A few were a bit more conservative rather calling it a tall order. And even a few more believed it would happen. But at the end of 90 minutes of football, the latter group couldn’t believe just how right they were. The first group saw just how wrong they were.

Barcelona made Champions League history Tuesday night after they overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit to record a memorable 4-0 win over AC Milan as they leaped into the Champions League quarterfinals with a 4-2 aggregate win.

The Catalans needed to get things going early and so they did with only five minutes on the clock. Xavi Hernandez, making his return from a thigh injury, played a one-two with Lionel Messi with the Argentine curling in a brilliant strike from the age of the area.

Milan were on the backfoot for large parts of the first half and their resistance against Barca’s second was broken five minutes before the interval. Massimo Ambrosini lost possession in midfield and the Blaugrana duly capitalized with Iniesta slipping the ball to Messi. The mercurial Argentine created some space for himself before drilling low into the far post past Abbiati to make it 2-0 and draw the teams level on aggregate.

Barca picked from where they left in the second half with Messi testing Abbiati immediately after the restart. The Nou Camp would turn into a delirium in the 55^th minute. Xavi’s pass found David Villa on the right and the former Valencia man shifted the ball onto his favoured left foot before finishing emphatically to put Barca ahead in the tie. The importance of the goal was emphasized with Villa’s celebration.

Gerard Pique cut off a goal bound effort from Mathieu Flamini and Jordi Alba also blocked Robinho as Milan looked for the all important goal. Barca killed off the tie in added time when Alba ran the length of the pitch to slot in Alexis Sanche’z cross and finish a memorable comeback for Barcelona.

Barcelona were joined into the last eight by Galatasaray who beat Schalke 3-2 at the Veltins Arena in Germany. Roman Neustadter gave the Germans the lead in the 18^th minute but two goals before the interval from Hamit Altintop and Burak Yilmaz put the Turks in the driving seat. Michel Fernandez Bastos drew level for Schalke in the 63^rd minute but the Bundesliga side were still short having let Galatasaray score two away goals. Umut Bulut put the final nail on Schalke’s Champions League hopes in injury time as the Istanbul outfit’s sealed qualification into the quarters for the first time in 12 years.

Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Malaga and Porto will fight for the remaining two slots on Wednesday night fixtures. Bayern host Arsenal at the Allianz Arena holding a 3-1 lead. The Gunners’ hopes of pulling their own comeback suffered a major blow with news that both Jack Wilshere and Lukas Podolski will miss out due to injuries.

Bayern on the other hand will miss the services of Franck Ribery who is injured while Bastian Schweinsteiger  and Jerome Boaten are suspended. Arsenal have failed to beat the Bundesliga Champions-elect in the last five encounters.

Porto carry a narrow one goal lead to Spain to face Malaga.

The teams that have already qualified for the quarters include Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Galatasaray.The quarterfinals draw will be made on Friday.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!

Champion League Preview - Barca’s Face Gut Test against Milan at Camp Nou

Spanish La Liga Champions elect, Barcelona, will be aiming to become the first team in the UEFA Champions League history to overturn a 2-0 deficit when they welcome AC Milan at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night.

The Catalan side lost the first leg in Milan three weeks ago with goals from Ghanaian duo Kevin Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari putting the San Siro giants on the driving seat. Since that meeting, Barca have lost two and won two matches with the losses coming from their archenemies Real Madrid who beat them 3-1 and 2-1 in the Copa Del Rey and La Liga respectively.

Their Italian counterparts on the other hand are unbeaten in the Serie A in 2013. Playmaker Xavi Hernandez and goalkeeper Victor Valdes both make a return to the Barca line up after the former recovered from a thigh injury while the latter returns from a domestic ban. Milan’s worries will be on attack with Mario Balotelli cup tied and Giampaolo Pazzini nursing a leg injury.

The Blaugrana have not lost a Champions League fixture at the Nou Camp since their 2-1 defeat to Rubin Kazan in October 2009.

Meanwhile Schalke 04 welcome Galatasaray at the Viltens Arena in the other encounter. The two teams shared a 1-1 draw in Turkey. The Germans will be without the services of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who suffered a leg injury in The Miner’s 2-1 Revierderby win over Borussia Dortmund at the weekend while Galatasaray will be boosted by the return of Didier Drogba to their ranks. 

And That's thesteifmastertake!!