Toronto, Canada – On October 3, Rogers Communications announced that customers can score premium soccer on their TVs, computers and smartphones. For the first time in Canada, Rogers brings exclusive live access to non-televised or tape-delayed matches through Sportsnet World Plus and Rogers Anyplace TV.

“At Rogers we are passionate about world-class sports and along with millions of Canadians, we love to take in the action in real-time, wherever we are,” said Anthony Antonelli, senior director, sports and on demand services, Rogers Communications. “Soccer is one of the most thrilling sports to watch live, and now our customers can catch multiple international league matches live at one time, on the device of their choice.”

Ultimate soccer fans can catch every single UEFA Champions League match and hundreds of UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa League matches this season.  Here’s how:

On your TV- Rogers digital TV customers can tune into 12 channels for all the action from Sportsnet, Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet World. Sportsnet World subscribers have access to the new Sportsnet World Plus channels.

On your computer: Rogers digital television customers in Canada with an Internet connection who subscribe to Sportsnet World can live stream the matches on their computers via RogersAnyplaceTV.com.

On your smartphone: Rogers wireless customers can live stream the games on their smartphones with the Rogers Anyplace TV Live mobile app, available through the Apple App Store, Google Play and BlackBerry App World. For $5/month, the app provides 5 hours of viewing with overage charges of $1 per additional hour. Until April 30, 2013 overage charges are waived providing unlimited viewing.

The Rogers Anyplace TV Live app live streams Sportsnet channels and sporting events like Blue Jays games, basketball, hockey, tennis and music concerts, news such as CityNews, and kids programming like YTV and Treehouse. For more info on Rogers Anyplace TV and details on the live-stream, check out:www.RogersAnyplaceTV.com/sports.

About Rogers Communications

Rogers is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are a provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada’s leading providers of cable television, high speed internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, sports entertainment, magazines and trade publications, and digital media. For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit www.rogers.com.

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The key for Chelsea at the end of the day is Didier Drogba. Can he give Chelsea an out-ball? Can he occupy the Bayern last third, like only he can? And, can he score? Drogba is back to his beastly best because he has once again found a Chelsea manager that totally believes in him. At his best, Drogba offers so much flexibility because of his unique ability to establish a point of attack from virtually any situation, and his selfless work on the defensive side of the ball-game.

Like Messi and Cristiano, Drogba on his day in unplayable. He is a devastating physical phenomenon. He is Chelsea’s man for the big occasion. Starting with that final group game against Valencia through to the last 16 second leg tie against Napoli and to the semis against Barcelona, Drogba has been Chelsea’s match-decider.

Although Bayern have inconvenient selection posers of their own, they still are the favourites.

The absences of Basdtubber and Alaba do mean Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes will have to rejig his defence.

Experienced Ukrainian utility-man Anatoliy Tymoshchuk seems the first choice to step into defence, though Daniel Van Buyten, who recently played in a reserve match, could make a surprise return. The return of Van Buyten in place of Badstuber, in fact, wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for Bayern. He is a big, rugged defender and doesn’t mind the physical stuff while Badstubber is a more refined defender, the type which Drogba thrives against in his close-quarter battles.

Heynckes, bidding to become only the fourth man to win Europe’s top club crown with two different clubs – joining Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfield and Jose Mourinho – also has the option of playing Diego Contento in Alaba’s place or switching skipper Philipp Lahm to the left and starting Rafinha at rightback.

In midfield, the absence of Gustavo will likely mean a midfield base of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos, with Thomas Mueller in behind top-scorer Mario Gomez, and Franck Ribery and Robben on either flank.

That “front four” of Gomez, Mueller, Ribery and Robben are on their day is as potent as any in world football. They are the munitions room where slow, methodical moves crescendo in football explosions. Bayern love to work triangles in attacking areas and put in crosses for their big man Gomez, and with so much uncertainty over Chelsea’s line-up this cohesion alone gives Bayern a big edge.

Gomez by the way has an amazing scoring record, with 80 goals in 90 appearances for club and country over the past two years and 12 goals in the Champions League this season. Those stats would frighten even a fully fit defence.

Finally, who will win?

The match is almost impossible to call, especially in what has been one of most unpredictable European season in recent memory. There are so many intangibles at play that it really would take a brave soul to call a winner.

It really will come down to who take their chances. The first goal will be vitally important. History tells us that the scorer of the opening goal on such occasions more often than not wins.

It needs no reminding too that discipline and composure are imperative on occasions such as this. The last team to score first and fail to win was Arsenal, but they were down to ten-men. Chelsea, as the away team certainly can’t afford that on Saturday.

Bayern will have more of the ball, it has become their way. The German side have evolved into a cultured team that perhaps is only behind Barcelona in terms of their strategic and meticulous use of the ball. The orchestrator of this symphony is Schweinsteiger and it may be down to Lampard, or whoever is the furthest forward of Chelsea’s midfield three, to disrupt him. Mikel similarly will have on put the brakes the slippery Mueller.

This is a theme you may have noticed. Chelsea no doubt will have to be the disruptors. They have to diffuse the emotion from game and frustrate Bayern. They have to plant the seed of doubt in Bayern, who can be rampant once they are in the groove, as their 7-0 demolition of Basel in the last 16 stage demonstrated, but vulnerable when the script turns, as their 5-2 German Cup final defeat to Borussia Dortmund illustrated.

All the cards, though, seem to be in the hands of Bayern Munich. They are at home and have a more settled feel. They are young, hungry and talented and will be looking to write Bayern’s name into football history by winning a fifth Champions League title.

But, if there is one team that can do the impossible it is Chelsea.

This is a Hollywood movie script – the last chance for this wonderful group of Chelsea lion-hearts to win the Holy Grail.

Yes, it’s game time.

Champions League Final Preview – Part 1

Image Courtesy of   FC Bayern München

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The Uefa Champions League final is the biggest stage of them all in club football – the “Grand Theatre” where a player can forge immortality.

Few ever get this opportunity, and this year the privilege goes to the players of Bayern Munich – the hosts, coincidentally, for this year’s championship game – and English survivors Chelsea, who few would have expected to get this far.

As is always the case on such occasions, it’s the want of those in the know to predict who the favourites are. In this regard the German hosts have to be favoured, even with Chelsea’s heroics this season.

Both sides, though, go into Saturday’s grand finale substantially hamstrung by suspensions to key players.

In all, seven players will miss the final. Bayern are missing exciting leftback David Alaba, German international centreback Holger Badstuber and midfield workhorse Luis Gustavo. Chelsea, on the other hand, will be without inspirational captain John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires as well as Raul Meireles – all of whom have been critical in the Blues’ unlikely run to the Allianz Arena showpiece.

For Chelsea, Saturday’s showdown – with its accompanying suspensions – is fraught with strategic riddles in the chess-match that is always a Champions League final.

Chelsea simultaneously not only have to employ a form of counterattack, but also have to somehow impose their style if they are to have any hopes of claiming victory.

As former Chelsea boss Avram Grant said in the build-up, this final will come down to who takes their chances and this truer for Roberto Di Matteo’s side, as most question marks surround them.

With so many suspensions and injuries doubts it has, for example, become a point of interest whether Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres will start up-front together. It has been mooted that Di Matteo has tried this in training. For the record, Drogba and Torres haven’t started together in the 19 games since Di Matteo took over at Stamford Bridge. In total the two have been on the pitch simultaneously on only seven occasions – for a total of 132 minutes.

That stat aside, it would represent a significant risk on the part of Di Matteo to experiment with two out-and-out strikers, especially in what is essentially an away match.

It is more likely he will go with a variant of Chelsea’s tested 4-3-3.

With both Ramires and Meireles out it’s intriguing how Chelsea’s midfield, where the game could be won or lost, will shape up. One would suspect Michael Essien will return to the fold, with Mikel sitting in front of the back four and Frank Lampard the furthest forward of the central midfield trio.

Mikel has been outstanding since his reintroduction into the team by Di Matteo and Chelsea’s rise can quite reasonably be linked to his commanding form. Teams have cultures, and Chelsea is the team of Claude Makelele fame. In his time Jose Mourinho established a blueprint that this current group of players are most comfortable with – that is, a midfield three with an anchorman at its defensive base.

This is always Chelsea’s most prudent option.

Having Essien in there as part of this trio will also assist leftback Ashley Cole.

The right flank is probably Bayern’s most productive channel with Philipp Lahm and Arjen Robben forming a world-class wing combination. If Juan Mata is, as expected, posted out on the left, consistently reliable protection for Cole will have to be sourced from somewhere within Chelsea’s setup. Mata is a responsible footballer but he doesn’t enjoy defending. When he does he isn’t a natural defender and could give away fouls in dangerous areas.

Mikel and Essien in tandem would also, crucially, allow Lampard to enjoy a less restricted role, a role that requires a little less defensive responsibility. Let’s face it, the deeper pair of Chelsea midfielders is unlikely to venture much, and if Lampard is one of the two it will diminish his strengths.

The defence is the real crisis area for Di Matteo.

All logic says David Luiz and Gary Cahill will start in central defence, even if they’ve both been struggling with hamstring injuries. There are simply no other viable options for a game of this magnitude. Of course, a worst case scenario would be starting both Luiz and Cahill and then 30 minutes into the game being forced into substitutions, a makeshift defence – with only one more change available over possibly 120 minutes.

But it’s a risk Di Matteo has to take such is the offensive power and mobility Bayern possess. Makeshift centrebacks are not an option.

Champions League Final Preview – Part 2

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Chelsea secured a famous victory on a cold, wet and windy night in London, as Barcelona hit everything but the back of the net in a frustrating evening for the reigning champions. Didier Drogba’s goal during half-time was enough for a slender 1-0 win to take Spain, but they rode their luck as both Alexis Sanchez and Pedro hit the woodwork, and a hatful more chances were missed during the 90 minutes.

There has never been a dull encounter between Barcelona and Chelsea, and this one set a similar tone early on, as Barcelona dominated possession, but Drogba caused considerable problems for the current winners. Barcelona threatened to cut Chelsea open, inside the first ten minutes, when Andres Iniesta found Alexis Sanchez onside, but the Chilean’s loop over Petr Cech came back off the crossbar.

The rhythm of the game was disrupted by a few small injuries, but Barcelona was still in control and Cesc Fabregas should have scored, when he sliced his shot off Sanchez just six yards from goal. As the game progressed past its half hour mark, Carles Puyol and Didier Drogba in particular were in war, Drogba being bundled to the ground consistently, whilst the 34-year-old Spaniard seemed to be struggling with a wrist injury.

Chelsea was frustrating the superstars, but Messi was pulling the strings when he could find space behind the Chelsea midfield. Minutes before half-time he released the ex-Arsenal midfielder Fabregas, whose dink over Cech was cleared off the line by a covering Ashley Cole. Drogba was frustrating Barcelona with a mixture of brilliant hold up play, and poor attempts at hitting the deck regularly to disrupt play.

But right on half-time, Drogba showed his class, as Chelsea broke up field from a Frank Lampard pass, Brazilian Ramires ran onto it and found Drogba, who squeezed his shot past Victor Valdes to give Chelsea a 1-0 lead at the break.

The second half continued very much as the first had ended. Barcelona was well on top, with Chelsea relying on the bullishness of Drogba up front for some respite. It was all very easy on the eye from the Spanish champions, but there was little to no end product, until a lovely link-up between Sanchez and Fabregas ended up with Sanchez having a shooting opportunity less than six-yards out, but somehow the winger slid the ball wide off the post.

Messi was coming more into the game as time went on, and Pep Guardiola introduced Pedro and Thiago to try and secure a crucial away goal in the final twenty minutes. The slippery surface was catching several of the away side’s players out, as the rain poured down at Stamford Bridge, but Barcelona still couldn’t find a goal despite being camped in Chelsea’s half.

With just five minutes remaining, pretty much all ten of Barcelona’s outfield players were in the opposition half, and Isaac Cuenca replaced Xavi, before Petr Cech made a big save from Carles Puyol with minutes remaining. Chelsea tightened things up even further by replacing their winger with a right-back in the shape of Jose Bosingwa, as the away fans became increasingly restless by their team’s inability to break down the Chelsea wall.

There was still one more piece of drama in the last action of the match. Pedro’s curling effort hit the post and rebounded to an unmarked Sergio Busquets, who put his left-footed effort well over the bar, with an almost open goal gaping in front of him.

That was the last kick of the game, as Roberto Di Matteo’s side held on for a hard-earned victory to take to the Nou Camp.

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The current Champions League holders drew a blank on Italian soil, as both teams failed to break down stubborn defenses in Milan. Barcelona will hold a slight advantage with the second leg at the Nou Camp, but on a night with few chances, Milan will be disappointed it didn’t make it count.

It was a frantic start. Barcelona looked half asleep, as it gifted the ball to Milan in the opening minutes, culminating in a great chance for Boateng, and an even better chance for Robinho, who volleyed over from no more than six yards. But Lionel Messi was beginning to get into his stride, testing Abbiati from the edge of the box and inter-linking nicely with his teammates.

Last year’s winners had a big appeal for a penalty turned down, when Alexis Sanchez was brought down by Abbiati after a neatly worked free-kick, but the referee waved the shouts away. Barcelona was getting on top though, and had a goal disallowed for offside minutes later, when Messi went too early to meet a Dani Alves cross.

Milan wasn’t taking the pressure lying down though, and almost went ahead, as the ex-Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic ran through on goal but was denied by Victor Valdes. It was a typically fraught encounter between two attack-minded teams, but the away side definitely had the upper hand, as Milan failed to keep possession regularly enough to pose a threat.

The game was evenly poised as half-time approached, the world champions Barcelona threatened with no end product, whilst Milan had the odd opportunity on the counter-attack, but couldn’t find a route to goal.

The second half started much like the first had ended: Barcelona was doing most of the pressing, but Milan had to make a change when Robinho fell awkwardly and was replaced by El Shaarawy. Guardiola was beginning to grow frustrated by the lack of chances being created, and took Andres Iniesta off for youngster Cristian Tello, in hopes of getting a crucial away goal.

Urby Emanuelson was also thrown into the action with twenty minutes to go, and instead of the game becoming stretched, defenses tightened, as Milan looked even more likely to sit back and soak up the pressure, frustrating Barcelona further, as the 2011 winners failed to find a way through the stubborn defense.

As the clock ticked down, so did the chances of either team grabbing a crucial lead to take back to Spain. Messi came closest, forcing a good save from Abbiati, and Tello was denied by a last ditch block from Ambrosini, with the goal gaping. There were no more clear-cut chances, and the referee brought time on an anti-climactic second half, as both teams prepare to do it all again in Barcelona next week.

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Manchester City continued their reversal in fortunes after an unimpressive start to their Champions League campaign, with a 3-0 victory over Villarreal at El Madrigal stadium. Despite having only picked up a single point from their opening two games in the group stage, City has now recorded consecutive victories over Villarreal, and will qualify for the next round of the tournament, should they beat Napoli in the next match.

The Spanish side never looked in control of the game, but were initially encouraged by their defense, which was doing a good job of stifling City’s attacking threats in the opening minutes. Even with Villarreal’s defense on form, they could do very little to prevent City from taking the lead in the 30^th minute.

David Silva managed to break away from his marker, creating space for himself, before squaring the ball to the waiting Yaya Toure, who placed the ball with precision into the bottom left hand corner of the goal. The visitors continued to press their advantage, and were rewarded in the final seconds of the first half when they were awarded a penalty.

Mario Balotelli’s advance into the Villarreal penalty box was brought to a premature end when Mateo Musacchio was judged to have brought down the Italians. The referee then pointed to the spot, and Balotelli picked himself up to dispatch the ball beyond the reaches of Diego Lopez.

The second half brought no respite for Villarreal, as they looked outplayed and outclassed by a City side which were not even performing to their full capability. Indeed, the visitors seemed content to sit back and maintain their two goal lead, instead of pushing to extend their lead.

But City’s class was to surface yet again as goal scorer Balotelli turned provider in the 71^st minute. After receiving the ball from Samir Nasri, Balotelli quickly played the ball onto Toure, who slipped past defender Carlos Marchena, and proceeded to beat Lopez from close range for his second of the night.

While the three goal victory doesn’t do justice to the domination City enjoyed, the win means that City will rise above Napoli in their group, meaning that they require only a victory against the Italian side to ensure their qualification, and will not have to rise to the challenge of beating Bayern Munich in a difficult ending to the group stages.

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Whilst many clubs can suffer from a ‘Euro Hangover’ whereby they fail to perform to their usual standards in the days following a grueling away fixture in the Champions League, Arsenal may have been suffering from a domestic hangover during their draw with Marseille.

Their excellent 5-3 victory over London rivals Chelsea on Saturday may have taken more out of the Arsenal players than at first expected, with the home side looking sluggish throughout their 0-0 draw. The visitors from France were the first to almost break the deadlock, with brothers Andre and Jordan Ayew both coming close on separate occasions.

This game actually represents the first time both brothers have started a Champions League fixture together, and they looked keen to make it a night to celebrate. Arsenal had chances of their own however, the most threatening seeing Gervinho, who has plenty of experience playing Marseille from his time at Lille, play the ball perfectly into the patch on the onrushing Theo Walcott.

Despite placing the shot well towards the bottom corner of the net, the England international saw his shot tipped wide by an excellent save from goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. Both teams seemed to ease up then, seemingly content to go into the interval with the game finely balanced at 0-0, and see what, if any, tactical changes their managers had in store for then.

It looked as though Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may have had the more effective half-time team talk, as his side came out looking hungry to create more chances for their attacking players. Despite this renewed enthusiasm, striker Ju-Young Park was failing to make anything happen against the Marseille defense, and was substituted for Robin Van Persie.

Fresh from his superb hattrick against Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League, Van Persie will have expected to give Arsenal the lead when he beat the last man of the Marseille defense, and was left one on one with Madanda.

Unfortunately for the home fans though, Van Persie’s effort lacked it’s usual precision, and his attempted chip didn’t quite have enough on it to see it fly over Madanda’s head, and instead fell straight into his arms.

Although a win would have secured qualification from the group stage with two games to spare for Wenger’s men, the draw still keeps them at the top of their group, and reinforces their tag of favorites going into the remaining games.

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In a shocking result, Belarusian side BATE Borisov held Italian giants AC Milan to a 1-1 draw in Belarus tonight. While BATE still need a highly unlikely victory from Plzen over Barcelona to keep their hopes of qualifying for the next stage of the tournament alive. The result will have done wonders for morale at BATE, who are the only Belarusian side to ever qualify for the group stages of the Champions League.

Milan made the perfect start to the game, pressuring BATE into several mistakes, and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic came close to breaking the deadlock with several attempts on goal. Aleksandr Gutor, the BATE goalkeeper, did well to deny Ibrahimovic for the first 20 minutes, but was helpless to prevent Ibrahimovic giving Milan the lead in the 22nd minute.

The Swedish striker dispossessed defender Marko Simic, giving the ball to Robinho in the process. The Brazilian then progressed down the flank before returning the ball to Ibrahimovic , which the striker controlled and slotted past the advancing Gutor.

The goal seemed to bolster Milan’s confidence, with the visitors dictating the tempo of the game, and looking to extend their control over the game further. Although it seemed only a matter of time before they extended their lead, BATE was still a threat, and were posing a danger on the counter-attack.

One counter in particular caused anxiety for Milan fans, as Maksim Skavysh almost equalized for his side just a minute after Milan had taken the lead, but his header was saved well by Christian Abbiati. BATE were fortunate to enter the half-time break just one goal behind, as minutes before the interval, Robinho rounded Gutor, but was only able to hit the post with his effort.

With the home fans counting their blessings to have not conceded another goal, BATE manager Viktor Goncharenko had his work cut out instilling some self-belief back into his team before the second half. Whatever Goncharenko said to his side during the break, it seemed to work. With the home side looking in control of the game and pushing hard for an equalizer right from the kick-off.

The encouraged home fans did not have to wait long for their teams effort to be rewarded, and Renan Bressan stroked home a penalty in the 55th minute, after a clumsy foul by Ignazio Abate. With their passionate fans spurring them on, BATE looked to keep control of the game as it entered the final 30 minutes.

All seemed to go to plan for BATE, as they defended well, and even came close to taking the lead in what would have been an extraordinary victory for the Belarusian side. Despite being unable to take all three points, they will congratulate themselves on one of the greatest results in the club’s relatively short history.

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As expected, Spanish giants Barcelona cruised to a predictable, if somewhat unimpressive, win over Viktoria Plzen, recording a 2-0 score line over the Czech side, and strengthening their position in the battle with AC Milan for top spot in the group. The breakthrough came early for Barcelona, and was the result of excellent play from Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi.

The little maestro played a delicate ball into the box and to the feet of the waiting Andres Iniesta, who then calmly placed the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net, to the delight of the home crowd.

Despite enjoying near total domination over the visitors, Barca were unable to add their solitary goal in the first half, however the performances of players such as Messi, Iniesta and David Villa indicated that it was surely just a matter of time before they added to their lead after the interval.

Whilst Barca were enjoying a pass success rate of 93% and a total of 14 shots to Plzen’s 0, halfway through the second half, they were still unable to extend their lead over the visitors. Despite no change to the score line, home and visiting fans alike were treated to a show of exquisite football from Messi, with the player exhibiting his full range of tricks, nutmegs, and deft touches.

If Messi’s triumphant display wasn’t enough for Barca fans, Villa soon gave them something to cheer about with his side’s second goal of the game. Messi collected a neat through ball from Villa, and when tackled by the Plzen centre-back, the ball bobbled loose to the onrushing Villa who calmly stroked the ball into the bottom corner of the goal.

The home side came close to adding a third when Pedro broke into the box and instead of attempting a shot himself, passed the ball onto Villa, but the attacker did not have the pace to get to the ball in time, and the attack fizzled out.

Whilst many will be disappointed to not have seen Barcelona score more than their two goals tonight, the game was never in doubt, and Pep Guardiola will be happy enough with his team’s overall performance, if not with their ability to finish off chances.

The win does however keep them level with AC Milan at the top of the group, and sets up a match against the Italian side which will most likely decide the winner of the group.

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Former English champions Chelsea recorded a comfortable victory at home over Belgium side Genk tonight, winning 5-0 to cement their place at the top of the group.

With the home crowd cheering them on, Chelsea got off to an electric start, and were 2-0 up in just 12 minutes. The first goal fell to Raul Meireles, the Portuguese midfielder picking up the ball outside the box, and letting fly with a precision effort which flew into the bottom corner of the goal, evading the clutches of Genk goalkeeper Laszlo Koteles.

Just minutes later and Koteles was once again fishing the ball out of the back of the net, this time thanks to a Fernando Torres strike. The Spaniard had seen the run of Frank Lampard, and positioned himself perfectly for the through ball. Torres then had no difficulty with the simple task of slotting the ball past Koteles in his trademark fashion.

For someone who had not scored previously for Chelsea in the Champions League, Torres was certainly out to make an impression, and was soon celebrating his second goal of the night. Previous goal scorer Meireles turned provider, playing in an inch perfect cross for Torres to head home and effectively secure the three points with less than half an hour played.

Despite defending in numbers, Genk found themselves 4-0 down before half-time, with defender Branislav Ivanovic getting in on the action. The powerful Serbian broke away from his marker and headed Florent Malouda’s free-kick past the beleaguered Koteles.

Torres continued to hunt for his hat-trick after the break, but to the credit of Genk’s defence, they were keeping the striker frustrated. Having looked very suspect in the first-half, Genk seemed to rally somewhat in the second, managing to hold onto possession for a significant amount of time. They even enjoyed the odd foray into the Chelsea box, however, these attacks amounted to very little, and the Belgium side looked incapable of fashioning any meaningful chances.

Chelsea’s patience paid off finally though when Jose Bosingwa’s cross was met by Torres, with the striker denied by a fantastic point blank save from Koteles, although the rebound by Salomon Kalou was asking too much of the goalkeeper, and the home side were celebrating their fifth goal of the night.

The win moves Chelsea up into first position in the group, helped largely by Valencia’s loss to Bayer Leverkusen, and the Blues will now feel confident of topping one of the hardest groups in the Champions League.

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An exciting and one-sided match at the Santiago Bernabeu ended in a 4-0 victory for Real Madrid over visiting Lyon, extending their lead at the top of the group to five points. With two previous wins under their belt, Madrid will now feel that qualification to the knockout stages is fairly assured, although they will be sure to not take anything for granted in the reverse fixture against Lyon at the Stade Gerland.

Lyon meanwhile will now have their hands full contending with the threat of Ajax for the runner-up position, who triumphed over Dinamo Zagreb and now sit above the French side on goal difference. Real Madrid got off to the perfect start when Cristiano Ronaldo flicked on Mesut Ozil’s corner, finding Karim Benzema at the far post for the Frenchman to simply tap in and give his side the lead.

Madrid seemed to grow visibly in confidence with the goal, and were soon dominating both possession and tempo as they searched for a way to extend their lead. Although they were now in complete control of the game, Madrid had to wait until the beginning of the second half for their next goal, Benzema picking up on a defensive slip, and gaining possession of the ball before slipping it across to the onrushing Sami Khedeira who fired home from 12 yards out.

Things then went from bad to worse for Lyon, as Madrid collected their third goal when Ozil’s low cross was turned into the back of the net by goalkeeper Hugo Loris, confirming victory to all but the most cautious of Madrid fans.

Not content with having helped keep a clean sheet for his side, defender Sergio Ramos then stepped up with Madrid’s fourth and final goal, as he was given far too much time on the ball following a corner from Kaka, and could take his time before hitting the ball into the back of the net.

Manager Jose Mourinho will be extremely happy with his team’s performance and will be confident that they can remain unbeaten in their three remaining group games, ensuring they face an easier draw come the knockout stages.

Ajax’s victory over Zagreb does not bode well for Lyon, as they now drop to third place in the group, and they will be targeting their upcoming fixture against the Dutch side as a must win if they are to progress to the next round of the competition.

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Manchester United triumphed 2-0 over Romanian side Otelul, in what was a controversial and close fought encounter for the English champions, with both sides finishing with ten players apiece.

Having not recorded a victory in their opening two group games, there was a certain level of pressure on United to secure the three points at the Bucharest National Stadium, and while they may have enjoyed having a superior support than the home side, many of United’s foreign stars will not have enjoyed the freezing temperatures they had to endure.

The first half started fairly uneventfully, with both sides feeling each other out and cautious not to make any mistakes. There were few chances of note to speak of, and United striker Wayne Rooney often found himself marked out of the game by a proficient Otelul defence. The visitors best chance of the half came close to the end, with Nani cutting back the ball for the waiting Michael Carrick, but the midfielder was wasteful, blazing the ball over the bar.

The game exploded into life in the second half however, and by the 64^th minute, United had the lead they were craving. The referee awarded a penalty after Rooney’s cross was judged to have been handled by Otelul captain Sergiu Costin, and the England international had no difficulties firing the ball into the back of the net, sending goalkeeper Branko Grahovac the wrong way in the process.

United’s joy soon turned bitter-sweet however, when centre-back Nemanja Vidic, returning from injury, was sent off for an unneeded and clumsy challenge on Gabriel Giurgiu, leaving his side with the unenviable task of holding on to their lead with just ten men and over twenty minutes left to play.

With Otelul pushing hard for an equaliser, any potential United blushes seemed to be saved when Milan Perendija was given a second booking, therefore reducing the home side to ten men aswell, effectively killing off any chance of an Otelul comeback.

Rooney then went on to add another penalty in the dying minutes, a result of a trip from Liviu Antal on the striker, and in the process, became the highest scoring Englishman in Champions League history.

United now sit two points behind Benfica in second place in the group, but will have taken confidence from this victory, and will look to upset Benfica in the coming weeks as they attempt to finish the group strongly and head into the knockout rounds with the easier draw that finishing top of the group promises.

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Champions League soccer has started up again, and last week showed great matches that foreshadowed how great the championship will get once we get into the knockout stages. Here is a quick recap of the matches played last week’s Tuesday.

CSKA Moscow 2:3 Inter Milan

Inter Milan fill in a second place in Group B after winning their second match in the group stages against CSKA Moscow. Lucio foreshadowed how the match was going to end when he put the ball in the back of the net six minutes into the first half. Giampaolo Pazzini added another goal to Inter Milan’s side in the 23^rd minute, while CSKA Moscow showed no signs of catching up.

However, CSKA Moscow was able to put a goal on the scoreboard just before the end of the first half, thanks to a shot from Alan Dzagoev. The second half of the match was a hard fought battle until the 77^th minute, when Vagner Love was able to tie up the match for CSKA Moscow at two goals apiece.

Although the tying goal seemed to give a shimmer of hope to the Russians, Inter Milan’s Mauro Zarate was able to score a minute later, securing Inter Milan the victory.

Bayern Munich 2:0 Manchester City

Bayern Munich was able to stay top of the lead in Group A after a two goal win against Manchester City. Mario Gomez scored two goals in seven minutes for Bayern Munich at the end of the first half, and the German side was able to hold the lead against a strong-sided Manchester City.

The English side was unable to control their discipline throughout the match, which led to stoppage of play that slowed the momentum of any Manchester City attack. The constant stoppage of play left the second half of the match uneventful.

Napoli 2:0 Villarreal

Napoli was able to convert two goals in the first 20 minutes and secure the win at home against a strong Villarreal team. Marik Hamsik was able to put a shot in the back of the net after 14 minutes of what seemed a close match.

Three minutes later, after a foul committed in the box by Villarreal player Gonzalo, Edinson Cavani was able to score on the penalty shot to double Napoli’s lead. The rest of the match was a struggle, with Villarreal trying desperately to capitalize on their attacking attempts and Napoli holding the fort down in defense.

Real Madrid 3:0 Ajax

Real Madrid continues to lead their group after getting a second win against Ajax. Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo was first to score within 25 minutes of the first half. The rest of the first half was an equal battle; however, Real Madrid would capitalize on another scoring chance four minutes before the end of the first half off the boot of Kaká.

This gave Real Madrid a two goal lead going into the second half. The final goal of the match came only four minutes into the second half, when Karim Benzema put the ball in the back of the net and secured the win for the Spanish side.

Ajax played strongly throughout the match, but was unable to capitalize on scoring chances. The Dutch team is still in the running to place for the knockout stages as long as they can pull themselves out of this scoreless draught.

Trabzonspor 1:1 Lille

Trabzonspor made their way to the top of their group by obtaining a necessary point in their draw against the French Lille. The Turkish team did not get off to a good start, with Lille’s Moussa Sow scoring the first goal in the 30^th minute of the match. Trabzonspor and Lille continued to battle throughout the first half, but both teams were able to put the ball in the net.

The tying goal came after a foul by a Lille defender in their penalty box, leading to a penalty kick. Trabzonspor’s Gustavo Colman stepped up and put the ball passed the Lille goalkeeper in the 75^th minute. After another 15 minutes of good soccer, no one on either side was able to capitalize on their scoring chances, leading to the 1-1 draw.

Manchester United 3:3 FC Basel

The match between Manchester United and FC Basel was one of the most exciting matches of last week’s Champions League matchups. With Manchester United needing a win and FC Basel hoping to secure their spot at the top of the group, both teams put on a show for the fans.

Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck came out flying in the first half, scoring two goals in the 16^th and 17^th minute. With the tension starting to show on many of the FC Basel squad, the first half ended with FC Basel trailing by two goals. However, FC Basel’s Fabian Frei was able to score in the 58^th minute.

Two minutes later, FC Basel striker Alexander Frei tied up the match after putting a shot passed Manchester United’s David De Gea. Alexander Frei would then come back 16 minutes later to score again, giving FC Basel the 3-2 lead.

With Manchester United frantically trying to recuperate and secure a point, the English were finally able to break down the Swiss defense and score in injury time off the boot of Ashley Young.

Lyon 2:0 Dinamo Zagreb

Lyon were able to get their first win of the Champions League season to bump them up to second place in their group, while Dinamo Zagreb lose for a second time to put them at the bottom of the group.

Lyon seemed to be the stronger side throughout the match, coming close on several attacking chances. The French side was able to capitalize on a scoring chance in the 23^rd minute off the boot of Bafetimbi Gomis, giving them the lead. The second and final goal of the match was scored by Lyon’s Bakary Kone in the 42^nd minute.

Dinamo Zagreb did not have many opportunities to score during the match; but when they did, the Croatian side was unable to get a good handle of the ball in order to get it passed the Lyon goalkeeper.

Otelul Galati 0:1 Benfica

The Romanian team Otelul Galati had a hard time trying to break down the Benfica defense, being unable to get many scoring chances by the visibly stronger side. Both teams went back and forth on the attack, testing each other, until Bruno César was able to find a weak point and get a goal in the 40^th minute for Benfica.

Otelul Galati and Benfica seemed evenly matched going into the game, but the Portuguese side was able to hold their ground and secure the win that brings them to second place of the group.
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