[kokobombon]

Anyone´s watching?
I noticed that there never was a thread about this competition but the World Cup thread was always full of fans, so maybe someone would like to comment...

I was just watching Ajax-Real Madrid. Final Score 0-4
Hala Madrid!

[Empress Merel]

I watched with a half eye. I loathe Ajax and I hate Madrid so not much of an exciting match. More interested in seeing Twente and Inter.

[kokobombon]

^Ronaldo was an a$$, as usual...
Ramos and Alonso got red cards (so on purpose) and left the team with 9 players @ the end...

[Empress Merel]

Ronaldo is always a douchebag. If I were a defender, I would make him eat from the ground. Dumb and conceited person with a lot of talent. Fatal combination.

Buuuuut.. Douchebag of the week goes to Suarez of Ajax after biting Bakkal of PSV in his neck. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Zbk0gHwtM

[CharmingNicky]

Hala Madrid but booo Sergio for the red.

[kokobombon]

^^"Say it... out loud"
no more vampire movies for Suarez lol

[Empress Merel]

^^

The things you could say with that line....

[kokobombon]

Quote:

Mourinho plays dumb over red cards Jose Mourinho refused to be drawn on the red cards that seemed to be intentionally picked up by Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos in Real Madrid's Champions League win over Ajax, while Ramos denied they tried to get sent off. Alonso and Ramos both picked up second yellows for time-wasting late in Madrid's impressive 4-0 away triumph, meaning they will be suspended for what is now a meaningless game against Auxerre and start the knock-out phase with a clean slate on the bookings front. The farcical nature of the second bookings, where each player repeatedly stuttered when taking set pieces until referee Craig Thompson had no choice but to act, clearly indicated a ploy by the Spanish World Cup winners to make early exits once the result - and Madrid's top spot in Group G - was certain. But Mourinho was not letting on as to whether the instruction had come from the bench, instead deciding to criticise Thompson for handing out soft yellow cards earlier in the match. When he was asked about the red cards, Mourinho said: "I spoke with many players throughout the game, not only with Ramos and Alonso. Stories sell, but the important thing is the 4-0 win and the fantastic game we had. Let's talk about that and not other things.'' When quizzed on the subject again, Mourinho said: "The sendings-off came after an easy game where the referee has shown some strange yellows. They are cards that I don't like. It was an easy game to control. Ajax made a lot of fouls and in the first from Ramos he was shown a yellow card. "The red cards we picked up don't matter hugely as we have already qualified ahead of the next game against Auxerre. If Ramos and Alonso can't play against Auxerre then there will be others, but we are not going to gift the game to the French. We want to win them all.'' Ramos insisted Madrid did not deliberately seek the cautions to get suspensions out of the way before the knock-out stages. Ramos said in AS: "We haven't gone looking for the cards. Seeing what the scoreline was, the referee could have spared them. But he sent me off and that's it.'' Mourinho, still unbeaten in his new job, was delighted with the performances of his side's fringe players as Karim Benzema and Alvaro Arbeloa put Madrid 2-0 up at half-time before Cristiano Ronaldo netted a second-half double to complete the scoring. Mourinho, who was without several first-team regulars for the match, said of the victory: "I'm very happy, because we're first in our group, which is good bearing in mind practically all the best teams will finish first and we can gain a small advantage in the draw for the last 16. "I'm very happy with players such as Arbeloa, Benzema, (Raul) Albiol and Lass (Diarra), who don't normally play and have responded magnificently. For me all the players are fundamental. Everyone is going to have their opportunity. The responses that they have given today have been very good. The players are ready for everything, and that makes me happy.''

what can UEFA do now anyway? fine them? are there rules about stuff like this?

[kokobombon]

Quote:

FC Internazionale Milano, FC Barcelona, Manchester United FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC, FC Schalke 04, Olympique Lyonnais and Valencia CF all went through on Wednesday night. -Inter had Esteban Cambiasso to thank for the 1-0 victory against FC Twente -FC Schalke 04 went top of Group B with a 3-0 win against Olympique Lyonnais, but both teams are through after SL Benfica fell to a 3-0 loss at Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC. -Group C leaders Manchester United FC defeated Rangers FC 1-0 to go through and the Scottish champions will finish third after Valencia CF stormed into the last 16 in style by defeating Bursaspor 6-1. -Barcelona were the only team to guarantee first place in their section tonight, winning Group D with a 3-0 victory at Panathinaikos FC. That leaves the Greek side out of Europe following Rubin's 1-0 win against København in the early game

uefa.com

[Ziegfeld Girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kokobombon what can UEFA do now anyway? fine them? are there rules about stuff like this?

They didn't really break any rules. At most you could say Xabi and Sergio Ramos engaged in "unsporting conduct". I don't like what they did but I can understand why Mourinho asked them to do it. I think the best response would be for UEFA to change the rules so that yellow cards don't carry over into the knock out stages. I know this would mean Real Madrid goes unpunished but I think you need to examine why they did it in the first place. I think they've only come under such fire because they were so obvious about it. At least they didn't try to get the yellow by making a dangerous tackle.

As for the rest of the group stage matches I think there have been some really exciting matches. I would love to see Arsenal get to the final but they've been disappointing during their last few matches. Fingers crossed they top the group.

I think match between Manchester United and Valencia match will be one of the most exciting of the remaining group stage matches. I'm really looking forward to the knock out phase.

[Ziegfeld Girl]

Which team(s) do you all support/want to win the Champions League/think will win the Champions League?

I'm an Arsenal and Barcelona supporter. While I'd be happy to see either team win Arsenal is my #1 team and I'd LOVE to see them win. However, I think Barcelona and Real Madrid look to be the strongest teams at the moment and have the best chance of winning.

[CharmingNicky]

This year must be Real Madrid's year! We've had the worst CL seasons for ages. Crossing my fingers for RM

[dorien]

love the champions league.
probably more than the world cup because i dont have to wait 4 years

always more interesting in the knock out stages.
who will win it this year. not inter, sorry no repeat. Rafa is really screwing up that team. Hate to say it but it was better under Mou

speaking of Mou. with all the money they spent, they can't go without silverware again this year. but i don't think they can take both la liga and the champions. how long will his players keep up this pace without rotation? that's what will affect madrid. it's a long season, he can't keep using the same 11 every game. we will see.

the team that has surprised me so far has been Tottenham. huh, gareth bale, where did this kid come from!

[kokobombon]

^I like RM´s Higuain-Benzema rotation, at times they´re more effective than Ronaldo... and there´s a new kid -I always forget his name- that´s playing really well in the defense

[dorien]

are you talking about Carvalho...?
not a kid but whatever. he is 32.
he used to be at Chelsea with Mou, and yes, he is good.

Mou only uses Benzema for Copa del Rey, otherwise he is a sub.
his starting 11 has been consistent for la Liga and the Champions.
i don't think they can keep it up for long. it wears down the players as the season progresses.

so far i've really liked Ozil. consistent. really talented.
i wish they would give Canales more play time, he was soooo good at Racing.