Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund Review

Bayern Munich finally achieved what they have been trying to for the past 4 years; win the Champions League. They were in the final in the 09/10 season, 11/12 season and now in the 12/13 season. Back in 09/10, Bayern lost to Murinho's Inter. 2 seasons later, probably the most painful defeat of all, they lost Chelsea on penalties in their own stadium, Allianz Arena. This final Jupp Heynckes's Bayern beat rivals Borussia Dortmund. Summer signing Mario Mandzukic open the scoring with a tap-in. Robben dribbled past 2 Dortmund players and crossed it to Mandzukic who the easy job of finishing. 7 minutes later Dante fouled Marco Reus in the area and awarded Dortmund a penalty. Ilkay Gundogan stepped up and, like Drogba, put it past Neuer. The game was decided when Robben picked up the ball at the edge of the area and with one touch beat 2 Dortmund players and slotted home past Roman Weidenfeller. Robben scored in the dying moments which made sure Bayern won the Champions League.

Bor. Dortmund dominated the game for the first half but couldn't capitalize. Neuer had to save 5 shots in the first 20 minutes with Bayern not even having a shot or attempting a dribble. Neuer saved shots from Kuba, Lewandowski, Bender and Reus. Bayern also had their chances when Mandzukic headed the ball and Weidenfeller touched it onto the post. With the absence of Gotze for Dortmund, Reus shouldered Lewandowski and Grobskreutz filled in on the left. Grobskreutz was fairly quite in the game but did make one key pass. Overall Dortmund's whole left flank was quiet. Marcel Schmelzer only completed 21 passes in the whole game while opposite left back, Davide Alaba, completed 63 passes, Almost 3 times more than Schmelzer. Bayern also played in their new 13/14 season home kit. Lewandowski did score but it didn't count because he handled the ball when he controlled the ball. If his goal was counted, then it would have been best goal in Champions League final because he had volleyed the ball from around 40 yards and the ball had entered the net.

 Overall, it was Bayern who made most of their chances. Mario Gotze watched from the crowd and celebrated when Dortmund scored although he would be in Bayern next year. This was Jupp Heynckes's last Champions League game fro Bayern because he announced his retirement months ago. Now he has the chance to win the treble if his side beat Stuttgart in the Final of the German cup. This win means the fans have high expectations for Guardiola when he arrive this summer. But in the end it was deserved win for Bayern . Congratulations to Bayern fans.

Bayern celebrations:

If you missed the game, here are the highlights.

Europa League Final: Chelsea v Benfica

Rafael Benitez's Chelsea won the Europa League in a thrilling match. Branislav Ivanovic scored in the 93rd minute to secure Chelsea's second European title. Torres opened the scoring with a great goal which showed us his true strength. Cech cleared the ball down the field and Mata flicked the ball for Torres who dribbled past one defender and used his strength to beat Lusiao and ran past the keeper to score from a very tight angle. The lead only lasted for 8 minutes when Cardozo scored from the spot. The penalty was given when Azpilicueta blocked a shot with his hand in the penalty area. Then in the dying moments, just like in Munich, Mata crossed in from a corner and Ivanovic scored a very difficult header which left the keeper stunned. Chelsea legend, Lampard, made 2 amazing shots from midfield. One shot almost went but hit the bar. The other shot was saved by Artur, Benfica Keeper. This is the first piece of silverware for Chelsea under Benitez. Now Chelsea have won back to back European titles. A great win for Rafa's squad. Hopefully next year they can win the Europa League. Benfica dominated most of the game and had a lot of chances but couldn't finish. Chelsea on the other hand had fewer chances but finished theirs. Terry and Lampard lifted the trophy although Terry didn't play because of injury. A great win for Chelsea and for Benitez. This also means more jobs for Benitez.

Liverpool vs. Chelsea review

A very controversial game for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. He scored the equalizer in the last minute of stoppage tame. His goal was overshadowed when he bit Branislav Ivanovic in the arm. This is the second time has done this. First time it was against PSV Edinhoven when he was playing for Ajax. A game in which needed a must win because Tottenham had recently come-back against Man City. The final scoreline was
2-2. The scoring was opened by Oscar who headed the ball after losing his marker, Jamie Carregher. Liverpool had their fair share of chances in the first half. In the second half, Rodgers brought in ex-Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge.

He changed the whole game around. When he came on, for the first 10 minutes, Liverpool dominated and had loads of chances with Sturridge being the middle of them all. He also hit the post from long range after turning Mikel. He equalized for Liverpool with a neat finish from a cross, and as usual he didn't celebrate. 6 minutes later, Chelsea won a penalty because of a Suarez handball from a cross. Eden Hazard steeped and coolly finished. It was like this for the rest of the game until the 96th minute. Kevin Friend decided to give Liverpool one last attack when he was supposed to blow the whistle. This last attacked finished with Suarez scoring a header. Cech parried it into his own net. This is how the game ended and this means Chelsea are 1 point behind Arsenal with a game in hand and 1 point ahead of Spurs with a game in hand.

More to follow on Suarez incident.....

  

Andre Schurrle to join Chelsea in the summer.

The German forward is set to join Chelsea for a reported $30M. He is set to be the second German player at the club after Marko Marin. He originally joined Bayer Leverkusen from 1.FSV Mainz 05. Schurrle, 22, can play as a winger or as an upfront striker. His first season with Mainz 05 finished with him scoring 5 goals and giving 3 assists and Mainz finishing 9th. In the same season he only missed 1 match. His second season he scored 15 goals in 34 games and helped Mainz qualify for the Europa League. At the end of the 2010-11 season Schurrle joined Leverkusen on a 5-year-deal. Schurrle cost Leverkusen around $10M. Chelsea had been courting Chelsea since May 2011. On April 18th it was official the the clubs director traveled to London to hold talks with Chelsea about Schurrle. He made his International debut in a friendly against Sweden and scored his first goal for the senior team against Uruguay. He was also chosen for the Euro 2012.

I think he will do great in his first season at Stamford Bridge (IF he joins). He will fit well into the style of football that Chelsea play. Chelsea play a free-flowing quick attacking football. He can also rotate, during the game, with the striker (Hopefully the striker will be Torres). He has shown great potential and can improve in the future. He wont be a regular in the first season but in the second season he will be a regular. This all depends on who the manager is. The next manager will have Schurrle at their disposal. I think this is a great signing for Abrahamovic. Also part of the deal is that Chelsea winger, Kevin De Bruyne, will be loaned to Leverkusen next season. He already made his name in Werder Bremen with some good performances. An well done deal. Hopefully he can perform for Chelsea.




Schurrle-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4eKjvUTISo

Game Review April 17th

Probably the most surprising result of the day was West Ham 2-2 Man Utd. An entertaining game in which there were some standout players from both team. Ricardo Vaz Te and Diame scored for West Ham while Valencia and RVP scored for Man Utd. Andy Carroll put in a performance which gave him the honour of being Man of the match. On the other hand, Kagawa and RVP put in some solid performances. This game reduces Man Utd's lead at the top of the table to 13 points because of Man City's win against Wigan. Carroll was all over the pitch terrorizing United's defense with his strength and Ariel ability. He also had good passing and was a team player. RVP scored the equalizer from a tap-in. West Ham's second goal came after Diame curled a beautiful shot past De Gea. United's first equalizer came after Kagawa beat 3 West Ham players and squared across the goal Valencia. A good game for the Hammers in which the 1 point will clear them higher from relegation.

A game in which Wigan almost got their crucial 1 point to avoid relegation. Carlos Tevez denied them of this.  He scored in the 83rd min to see off Wigan. Wigan looked the better side for most of the game with good defending and dangerous counter-attacks. It seemed almost that City didn't want the 3 points. They didn't play like champions. Tevez scored after some neat dribbling to beat 2 defenders and finesse it into the top corner. If Tevez hadn't scored City would have drawn or maybe even lost. Man City made a bold move by replacing Augero at half-time to bring on Super-sub Dezko. Augero who scored against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final wasn't up to his usual standards. A game which City fans hoped to win comfortably came down right to the wire. Wigan seems unstoppable in these recent games pulling away some good results to avoid relegation.

  An easy win for Chelsea who were recently knocked out of the FA Cup by rivals Man City. The let out their frustration by beating Fulham. The 2 central defenders got on the score sheet to beat Fulham 3-0. David Luiz scored an amazing goal from 40 yards ending his run of 22 goalless games. An amazing shot which caught the keeper off guard. The ball flew into the top corner. Then 2 goals from Captain John Terry sealed the deal. The first one came from a Mata cross and the second one came off a cross from Torres. Torres crossed with his head. A game Chelsea should have won and won. This game means they go above Arsenal by 1 point with a game in hand on Spurs and Arsenal. So a possible 4 point lead on Arsenal. A good win for Rafa Benitez

Arsenal vs. Everton Review

A tense game at the Emirates as Arsenal took on Everton. Their previous encounter finished 1-1 at Goodison Park with Theo Walcott and Fellani scoring. Both team were looking enviously at the Champions League spot. Arsenal currently sit 3rd with having played 2 more games than rivals Chelsea and 1 more game the north-London rivals Tottenham. With this draw Arsenal continue their 12 game unbeaten run. Everton sit 6th, 6 points ahead of Meyerside-rivals Liverpool. Everton manager, David Moyes, stated in the pre-match press conference that Everton need to win to qualify for the Champions League. The game finished in a bore 0-0 draw. The best chance fell to Arsenal's Olivier Giroud when a curling cross from Ramsey found the feet of the sliding Giroud. He missed the goal. Everton also had their fair share of chances through Anichibe. Giroud was the main attacking force for Arsenal. He had a lot of chances but failed to convert any of them. This point still keeps Arsenal in third and Everton in 6th. Nobody deserved to win because it didn't seem like any of them wanted the 3 points or the Champions League spot.

MAN OF THE MATCH:

He was man of the match for me. He played very well and was all over the pitch. The welsh wizard gave some key passes and was central part of the team. He ran with endless energy and also defended for his team. Another player challenging for his position was Fellani. He was also very hard-working but Ramsey played better overall. I think we might have the next Ryan Giggs here. His future is at Arsenal.

My Favorite team (Part 3of 3) ft. Leo Messi

For the last week or so I haven't been able to post anything because I had to go to a school trip which lasted for 4 days. Then when I came back I was sick because of the trip of Venice. 2 days later my family and I traveled to Sicily for 5 days. And now I am back so I can finally post again.
Moving on...
Here are my forwards.

LW: Stephan el Shaarawy.

An exceptional talent. He currently plays for Italian Club AC Milan. He also plays for the Italian national team but he is originally Egyptian. He has been nicknamed "the Pharaoh" because of his hairstyle and because of his origin. He is a very hardworking player. He has great technique and skill. He is also very quick. In Italy I am an Inter fan. He is a Milan player. He should be a great player for the future. He is very entertaining to watch because of his great dribbling skills.

RW: Lionel Messi

The little magician has to be here. I am not a fan of Barcelona but I still enjoy watching Messi. He, in my opinion, is the world's best player. Better than Ronaldo. He has broken millions of records for club and country. When he plays he shows all of his qualities. He is quick, agile, able to finish and dribble. He is the perfect forward. An amazing talent he has. I don't there will be anybody as good as him anytime soon.

ST: Fernando Torres

 He is my favorite player, ever since he moved to Chelsea. Although he doesn't score he still is. Many people make fun of him because he doesn't score but on the pitch he is a great player. He can dribble, pass and shoot. He has provided many assists, most to Mata, and has scored some himself. Overall, to me, he is a great player. He might not be as good as he was at Liverpool but he can still change a game.




MY TEAM OVERALL:

 That is my team.
Who are your favorite players.
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