How many of you watched the Porto-Benfica battle which would effectively decide the champion of the Portuguese league on Saturday? If you didn't, I genuinely feel bad for you. It was an absolute cracking match. As they had the advantage, and a win or draw would essentially see them winning the league, I expected Benfica to sit back, try to snag a goal, and park the bus.
All four goals scored in O Classico between Benfica and Porto on Sunday occurred in the first 17 minutes of the match. And everyone in attendance could have gone home after Nemanja Matic's 10th minute volley and gotten their money's worth.
Shortly after Eliaquim Mangala scored in the 8th minute to put Porto up 1-0, a Benfica corner kick started a series of passes that finished with Matic launching a volley from the edge of the box into the top of the net off of a headed pass from a teammate.
Benfica vs Porto 2-2 Highlights Matic Mangala Martinez Gaitan Goals Video 2013 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Benfica vs Porto 2-2 Highlights Matic Mangala Martinez Gaitan Goals Video 2013 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter SL Benfica vs FC Porto 2013 ( Benfica Porto VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Benfica vs Porto 2-2 ( Matic, Gaitan/ Mangala, Martinez) Stadium of Light, Benfica, Lisbon- 20.
Champions League: The most successful countries and cities - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
This year's Champions League will obviously go to Germany and it will be the seventh time a German club will be crowned the champions of Europe. Which makes one wonder, how many Champions League trophies have gone to the other top European football nations.
Europa League: 6 greatest knockout ties so far - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
It is only the fourth season of the Europa League but already it has provided us with many sensational matches where teams battled right to the final whistle.
As the participants of the 2012/13 Europa League prepare for the return leg of the Round of 32, lets take a look at six of the greatest Europa League knockout ties so far:
SV Werder Bremen 5-5 Valencia CF (09/10)
A 1-1 draw in the first leg as the Mestalla offered little indication of what was to follow as this Round of 16 tie concluded with Valencia winning on away goals in Germany.
Champions League Round of 16: First leg report - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The dust has settled after the first legs of the last 16 ties in the Champions League with several ties still in the balance and others looking dead in the water.
Juventus v Celtic
Juventus hold a 3-0 lead going into the second leg in Italy which effectively puts them through to the quarterfinal stage.
Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United is helped off during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Sir Alex Ferguson has been fairly adamant that he is content with his current squad make-up thus far. However, with recent injuries suffered to both Ashley Young and captain, Nemanja Vidic in Manchester United's recent 2-1 triumph over Liverpool in the Premier League, Fergie may be forced to dip into the transfer window.
Via The Guardian Manchester United have been drawn against Real Madrid in the stand-out tie of the Champions League last 16. Cristiano Ronaldo will return to Old Trafford for the first time since his 2009 move to Madrid in a meeting that also pits Sir Alex Ferguson against José Mourinho.
Britain's two other representatives, Arsenal and Celtic, have also been handed tough draws.
Six teams battle for three places in the Champions League - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Six teams have a chance to make it through to the last 16 of the Champions League with three slots still up for grabs.
With the final round of group games taking place this week, 13 of the 16 positions for the first knock out round have already been filled with Chelsea, Juventus, Benfica, Celtic, Galatasaray and FC Cluj competing for the final three places.
AVB All Past, No Future? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
When Andre Villas-Boas first took over at Chelsea, if you had played spot the difference between him and the previous Portuguese incumbent of the Stamford Bridge hot seat, you'd have been hard-pressed to find even one.
Porto's James Rodriguez has caught the eye of Manchester United coach Alex Fergusen. Fergusen is determined to bring Rodriguez to United when the transfer window opens again in January and feels that Rodriguez would be the ideal replacement for Nani and to convince Porto to let Rodriguez go, Fergusen is offering Mexican Chicharito to any deal for the Porto star.
According to BBC Sport, Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid have their sights set on lifting the Champions League trophy at the conclusion of the competition and indicated that "It is not the same winning the Champions League with any other club as it is with Real Madrid."
Jose Mourinho (Google Creative Commons)
Winning the Champions League with Real Madrid would be quite a special feat for one of the best managers in the world.
When Arsenal swooped on the financially struggling La Liga side Malaga last summer, they came away with a real treasure in Santi Cazorla. The Spanish international midfielder has lit up the Premier League this season and is by far the most effective of Arsene Wenger's three summer signings. Cazorla may also have helped Arsenal to get Nacho Monreal from Malaga in January, and he could make it three times lucky if he can influence another former team mate to join the Gunners this summer.
Last season's World Young Player of the Year Isco scores this brilliant equaliser which draws Malaga level with Porto in their Champions League last 16 tie in Spain.
Joao Moutinho of FC Porto (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Porto edged a resilient Malaga side in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie thanks to a second-half strike from playmaker Joao Moutinho.
The Portuguese leaders put in a dominant display, limiting the opposition to only 38% of possession with one shot on goal.
Champions League 2012: Complete Guide to Wednesday's Group-Stage Matches Grupo C Zenit Málaga streaming en directo | móvil Grupo A Dynamo Kyiv PSG streaming en directo | móvil Grupo A Porto Dinamo Zagreb streaming en directo | móvil Grupo B Arsenal Montpellier streaming en directo | móvil Grupo D Man.
This Dynamo Kiev fan might want to keep a low profile for their next few home games. With his team on the attack in the 92nd minute of last night's 0-0 draw with Porto, the supporter decided to embark on a pitch invasion. His run through the penalty box thwarted Niko Kranjcar's attempts to create [..
With the score at 0-0, injury time slowly wicking away and Porto pressing for a breakthrough goal, a kindly Dynamo Kiev fan gave his side a huge assist by breaking out onto the pitch and relieving the pressure, stubbing out the Porto attack with a superbly-timed stumbling belly slide.
Málaga and Porto became the first teams to confirm their qualification into the knockout stages, but another draw for Manchester City all but ends their Champions League dreams for another season.
One of the big surprises in the Champions League this season has been the performance of La Liga's Malaga.
Porto kept their 100% Champions League record intact as they beat Dynamo Kiev 3-2 to take control at the top of Group A mid-way through the league stages.
22.10.2012 - Acaso a falta de noticias (buenos son los fantasmas), la foto tomada el 3 de de octubre de 2012 en el Oporto 1 PSG 0 (Champions League) bien llega para ocupar algún espacio viral que ningún portal dejó de lado. James Rodríguez festeja su gol ante la tribuna donde, a la altura de su mano izquierda, se ve una (extraña) figura humana que se multiplicó vía twitter.
There's nothing like a little bitchy comment to brighten up one's day, and ahead of this weekend's London derby between Chelsea and Spurs, former Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas has had a pop at Chelsea and their Champions League success last season.
When asked about his former club's Euro glory last May, the quirky Portuguese tactician pointed to his own unbeaten title-winning success with Porto in 2010/11, saying:
"Winning any league is extremely difficult but going through it unbeaten is also extremely difficult.
Oliver Giroud is a good player, but he is not the world class striker Arsenal need, he misses a large amount of chances, he has one of the worst goal conversion rates for a striker in the premier league, and what really irritates me in particular is how he whines if he loses the ball or misses a shot, rather than just getting on with the game.
What is the difference between Arsenal and Real Madrid? No it is not the first line of a joke, but something I have been considering recently, because there are a great many similarities in our situations this season. I have come up with a theory that it might be better for both clubs if we just swapped managers at the end of the season, Arsene Wenger for Jose Mourinho.
I have just seen a report with this headline "Agent says Arsenal are in for Europe's hottest property." This article says that an agent of Radamel Falcao has admitted that both Arsenal and Tottenham are interested in signing one of Europe's most accomplished strikers right now.
Falcao has been scoring goals for fun in Spain and single-handedly destroyed Chelsea in the European Super Cup, and we all know how hard that is to do!
Malaga vs Porto 2013 Highlights Champions League 2-0 Isco Santa Cruz Defour Red Card Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Malaga vs Porto 2013 Highlights Champions League 2-0 Isco Santa Cruz Defour Red Card Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Malaga vs Porto 2013 ( Malaga FCP VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Malaga vs Porto 2-0 ( Isco, Santa Cruz) Agg Malaga 2 FCP 1 Estadio Rosaleda, Malaga- [.
Isco of Malaga CF (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Much of the discussion around the Champions League Round of 16 fixtures has focused on Manchester United vs. Real Madrid and Barcelona vs. AC Milan. While both of those fixtures featured tremendous storylines involving some of the world's biggest clubs, and neither FC Porto nor Malaga have as much worldwide support as the aforementioned, both sides are capable of producing world-class football.
The Emirates cup will be back at Arsenal this summer after missing last year because of the London Olympics. It will be played at the start of August and, along with Arsenal, will feature Napoli from Serie A, FC Porto of the Primeira Liga in Portugal and Galatasaray from the Super Lig in Turkey.
These are all good teams and will provide a useful test for the Gunners.
Liverpool are thought to be interested in Porto goalscorer Jackson Martinez, but are expected to be rivalled by Borussia Dortmund. Martinez has been in fine form this season scoring 28 goals in 36 appearances which has led to interest from the Reds according to the Express. However, with Dortmund close to losing star Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich they are preparing to secure his replacement in the shape of Martinez.
Jose Mourinho's former Porto youth team coach has 'broken the news' that the Special One will return to Chelsea next season. Rui Sa Lemos posted a photo of Stamford Bridge on Twitter accompanied by the message: "Mourinho's home next year." He also said: "I'm not guessing, I'm giving news." His Twitter account was shutdown shortly [.
Si tienen la oportunidad de seguir noticias del fútbol europeo, se podrán dar cuenta que Jackson Martínez está rompiendo la liga portuguesa. Incluso el domingo llegó a 22 goles cuando le anotó 2 al Rio Ave. 22 goles en 20 partidos. Y todo eso, a 4 millones de nosotros.
Martínez es el máximo rompe redes de la liga gitana, incluso las estadísticas muestran que está siendo mucho mejor ahora que lo que en su momento fue Falcao.
In which Porto B's Brazilian centre-back Maicon Periera Roque (plain old 'Maicon' to his mates) honks in an almighty free-kick over the 'keeper and in without bouncing from well within his own half against UD Oliveirense in Portugal's second tier at the weekend.
Andrés Fassi, vicepresidente de los Tuzos del Pachuca, confirmó que el mediocampista Héctor Herrera dejará el futbol mexicano para comenzar su aventura en Portugal a partir de la próxima temporada, luego de llegar a un acuerdo con un equipo de aquel país.
Some reports suggest that Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho remains as Spurs' number one priority in January but could the failure to secure the player's signature in August see the club miss out?
Tottenham had reportedly made a £22 million pound bid which was accepted by Porto but time simply ran out on the transfer as the clock ticked past the window.
Mais um jogo da Copa do Caribe 2012, foi realizado no dia 11/09/2012, na cidade de Port au Prince-HAI, onde jogaram as seleções do Haiti (77º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção de Porto Rico (137º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram: Eliminatórias copa do Mundo
