Football news

Drogba named African Player of the Year

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was on Thursday named African Footballer of the Year for 2009, the second time the Ivory Coast international has won the award.

Drogba pushed Inter Milan and Cameroon skipper Samuel Eto'o into second place in the vote amongst national team coaches from Confederation of African Football (CAF) member-nations.

Drogba also won in 2006, again ahead of Eto'o, but was denied the continent's top individual prize in 2007 when he failed to attend the awards ceremony in Togo.

Ghana and Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien was third.

TP Mazembe of DR Congo, who clinched the CAF Champions League for the first time in 49 years, were named the best club ahead of Nigeria's Heartland and CAF Confederation winners Stade Malien of Mali.

Mazembe skipper Tresor Mputu Mabi picked up the award for best African player based on the continent.

Sellas Tetteh was voted best coach after he led Ghana to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in September, while Ghana striker Dominic Adiyiah was African Young Footballer of the Year following his goals in the tournament in Egypt.

Algeria were adjudged the best national team after they upset African champions and bitter rivals Egypt to qualify for the World Cup.

Juve in Europa League boxseat, Liverpool crash at Lille

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Juventus assumed command of their Europa League last-16 tie against Fulham with a 3-1 first-leg win on Thursday, after beleaguered English giants Liverpool were beaten at Lille.

Juve took an early lead in Turin when centre-back Nicola Legrottaglie headed home from a ninth-minute corner before right-back Jonathan Zebina extended their advantage with a thunderous 25-yard effort.

Dickson Etuhu's deflected shot reduced the arrears but former France international David Trezeguet restored the home side's two-goal cushion by volleying home in first-half injury time after his shot came back off the post.

Valencia were held to a 1-1 draw at home to last season's runners-up Werder Bremen, who took a 24th-minute lead via a Torsten Frings penalty.

The hosts had Argentine midfielder Ever Banega dismissed in the second half for violent conduct but they drew level almost immediately through Juan Mata, who slotted home after Spain team-mate David Silva's shot was blocked.

A last-minute Hatem Ben Arfa header earned Marseille an impressive 1-1 draw at free-scoring Portuguese league leaders Benfica, while Panathiniakos, who eliminated Serie A heavyweights Roma in the last round, were beaten 3-1 at home by Standard Liege.

Lille followed compatriots Lyon's example, after Claude Puel's side stunned Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, by consigning Liverpool to a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium Lille-Metropole.

Liverpool, a disappointing sixth in the Premier League after losing 1-0 to Wigan on Monday, were short of fluency on an uneven playing surface and sank to defeat when Eden Hazard's 84th-minute free-kick drifted straight in from wide on the left-hand flank.

The Belgian youngster had been a constant torment with his purposeful running and his goal, albeit fortuitous, puts his side in the driving seat prior to the return match at Anfield on March 18.

"I have confidence we can beat anyone on a good day at Anfield," said Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez.

"I would be worried if the players hadn't worked as hard as they have. The fans will play a part, they will push and will be behind the team."

Benitez's Lille counterpart Rudi Garcia said his team still had work to do.

"Everyone thought we were out when the draw was made. Now, although nothing has been decided, it's a good result for us," he said.

"We have to score over there. The first leg should give us confidence and show us that we're capable of competing with such a big team."

Elsewhere, a delightful curling finish from Bosnian playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic in the 67th minute earned Wolfsburg a 1-1 draw at Rubin Kazan in the battle of the reigning league champions from Germany and Russia.

Ruud van Nistelrooy scored his first home goal for new club Hamburg as they defeated Anderlecht 3-1, with Jonathan Legear's superb free-kick on the stroke of half-time earning the visitors an away goal.

Sporting Lisbon secured a 0-0 draw at Atletico Madrid despite the 31st-minute dismissal of defender Leandro Grimi for two bookable offences and a straight red card for Tonel in the final minute.

Headboy Rooney makes hairline news

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Wayne Rooney says his receding hairline is partly responsible for his improved heading prowess this season.

The 24-year-old England international took his goal tally for the season to 30 with two strikes against AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday and opened the scoring with his seventh successive headed goal at Old Trafford.

"It's coming off my bald patch and that's helping me score," joked Rooney, who was speaking at a FIFA promotional event.

"I've been working on my heading a lot and thankfully it's paying off.

"I've been in the box a lot more, I've been working on my timing and my finishing. I've played up front in every game I've played this season and that's definitely the main reason for me scoring a lot of goals."

Rooney's rich form in front of goal has heightened expectations that he can fire England to World Cup glory in South Africa but he rejected suggestions he was feeling under pressure.

"No, to be honest, I don't," said Rooney. "I think I've had pressure since I started playing for Everton at 16 and for England at 17.

"I've managed to deal with that pressure and find a way to deal with it and it doesn't really affect my game. I don't think I have any problems there."

England coach Fabio Capello recently awarded the England captaincy to Rooney's United team-mate Rio Ferdinand and Rooney says he would like the armband to be handed to him one day.

"I think I've got qualities to be England captain so I hope one day to be able to do that," he said.

Allardyce steps up war of words with Benitez

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce took another swipe at Rafael Benitez on Thursday by claiming Liverpool have blown their bid to qualify for the Champions League.

Benitez mocked Allardyce after Liverpool's recent win over Rovers at Anfield and joked that European champions Barcelona were going to model themselves on Blackburn's rudimentary style.

But Allardyce, who has been involved in several bust-ups with Benitez in previous seasons, insists the Spaniard had a go at him to divert attention from how badly Liverpool played against Blackburn.

"It was a good cover-up by Rafa because he knows how bad his side were and that was repeated against Wigan on Monday," Allardyce said on Thursday.

"He's got personal with it for many, many years now. That's why I don't like him and the feeling is probably mutual.

"I don't get personal with him; I get into him and under his skin, yes, but that's all part of the game.

"The tit for tat between me and Rafa will probably go on until one of us is no longer a Premier League manager."

Allardyce poured more scorn on Benitez as he suggested Liverpool's dismal 1-0 defeat at Wigan on Monday could cost the Reds a place in the Champions League next season.

"The last time one of the big four didn't finish in the top four it was Liverpool and I think this time it looks pretty difficult having lost against Wigan," Allardyce said.

"They are having to rely on other teams slipping up now. I think it might be more difficult for Liverpool this time around because there are more teams involved.

"There's Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham in there and if Everton keep rolling on you might be surprised to see them making a late run."

Casillas apologises for Real Euro exit, blames players

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas apologised Thursday for his side's elimination from the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the sixth consecutive season and said the players are to blame.

"I want to apologise to the fans, but I also want them to know we will never give up. We are excited about winning the league for us and for them," he told a news conference one day after French side Lyon dumped the big-spenders out of the tournament 2-1 on aggregate.

The loss has led to renewed calls from fans for Real coach Manuel Pellegrini, who joined the club from Villarreal in June 2009, to be fired but Casillas said the Chilean manager had the support "of all the players."

"It's easy to make him the target, but we are the ones to blame," he said.

"We have to move on. The team seems sad to me. The easy thing to do would be to give up. We are all disappointed, team, club and fans alike, but we want to get over this by winning the league title.

"When you've won more league titles than Champions Leagues you miss what you don't have. It's like having a girlfriend; you want to be free when you have one, but once you are, you want to have a girlfriend again."

The nine-time European champions have not won Europe's most-coveted trophy since 2002 when they beat Germany's Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in Glasgow.

They will face Valladolid in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Glazers will resist Red Knights takeover bid - Gill

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Manchester United chief executive David Gill insists the Glazer family will not be forced out of Old Trafford by fan discontent and a potential takeover bid from the Red Knights.

United fans have shown their opposition to the Glazers' reign, and the massive debts the American family have loaded onto the club, by wearing green and gold scarves at matches this season.

The campaign has led to a group of wealthy United supporters joining together with a view to mounting a bid to buy-out the Glazers and it emerged on Thursday that the consortium has appointed leading global investment bank Nomura as advisers.

However, sources close to the Glazer family are adamant the Premier League club is not for sale despite debts in excess of 700 million pounds (770 million euros) and Gill backed up that message as he announced a new five-year sponsorship deal with telecommunications firm Telekom Malaysia.

"There are protests. Everyone has the right to protest and there was certainly a lot of green and gold there at the AC Milan game on Wednesday, you cannot deny that," Gill said.

"But this partnership (with Telekom Malaysia) demonstrates the strength of the club. It is a long-term partnership for five years.

"We will be around for the length of this five-year deal and many more in addition to that.

"We have a sound business model and Telekom Malaysia is partnering one of the best teams in world football. That will always be the case."

The sponsorship agreement with Telekom Malaysia is part of a new commercial strategy implemented by the Glazer family.

Instead of taking a global approach, United have adopted a territorial stance, doing exclusive deals in specific areas to maximise income and make the most of an estimated 333 million supporters worldwide.

Gill added: "The owners thought we were doing very well on the commercial front but that there were other opportunities out there.

"This is the insight they have brought in. It doesn't get much media coverage but the very fact they have come in and are able to do these deals benefits us. We can reinvest that money back into the team."

British taxman accepts Portsmouth administration

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Troubled Premier League club Portsmouth received a boost in their attempt to avoid liquidation on Thursday as the British tax authority accepted the team's move into administration.

Officials at HM Revenue and Customs had insisted Portsmouth's owner Balram Chainrai did not have the legal right to put the club into administration, but they have now abandoned that claim.

Chainrai appointed Andrew Andronikou as the club's administrator last month and he cut 85 jobs at the club on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the club said: "The Revenue has accepted the administration is valid."

FA Cup semi-finalists Portsmouth, currently bottom of the Premier League, now face a nine-point deduction for entering into administration and the punishment is almost certain to lead to their relegation at the end of the season.

Pompey have debts totalling over 80 million pounds and became the first Premier League club to enter administration last month.

Massive savings are needed to keep the club afloat but players - the highest earners on the payroll - cannot be made redundant due to protection afforded to them by the Professional Footballers' Association.

On Wednesday, 85 of the cash-strapped club's employees were made redundant.

Andronikou has considered trying to persuade the Premier League to let him sell players outside the transfer window and then get them loaned back to Portsmouth, where they would become non-playing members of the squad.

But with an FA Cup semi-final against Fulham or Tottenham looming, Andronikou is adamant no players will leave Fratton Park before the Wembley showdown next month.

"Selling players is an option but first I need to broach the subject with the Premier League. I need their concession," he said.

"As an alternative from looking at the Premier League advancing TV money, I suggested to them to possibly open the window to allow me to sell two players on a loan-back.

"It's one of those subjects we need to discuss further with the Premier League.

"However, I will not be looking to sell players before the semi-final and I will not be looking to cancel loan agreements before the semi-final.

"The minute I start tinkering with the football part it will be a big mistake. I can promise I will leave that until after the semi-final.

"The players are very much protected by the PFA and unfortunately I am unable to make any cuts in the playing staff.

"They are very much the shop window of the club so instead I hope they can attract a buyer to this club."

British taxman accepts Portsmouth administration

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Troubled Premier League club Portsmouth received a boost in their attempt to avoid liquidation on Thursday as the British tax authority accepted the team's move into administration.

Officials at HM Revenue and Customs had insisted Portsmouth's owner Balram Chainrai did not have the legal right to put the club into administration, but they have now abandoned that claim.

Chainrai appointed Andrew Andronikou as the club's administrator last month and he cut 85 jobs at the club on Wednesday.

Nice to play PSG game behind closed doors

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Nice will be forced to play Paris Saint-Germain behind closed doors in their Ligue 1 encounter later this month, March, the French League of Professional Football (LFP) said Thursday.

LFP officials said that fans would be barred from the game scheduled to take place against PSG on Saturday 20 March as a punishment for crowd trouble at Nice's away game at Monaco last January.

But the LFP's decision to impose the sanction for the match against the one-time giants of French football drew an angry response from new Nice manager Eric Roy.

"I've the impression that this decision suits everybody except us," Roy said.

"Clearly we would have liked it to be another match. Nice - PSG is still a big game for a lot of (Nice) fans. It's a top-draw fixture that pulls in a big crowd.

Arsenal captain Fabregas to miss Hull clash

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is set to miss Saturday's Premier League clash at Hull with a hamstring injury.

Fabregas suffered the injury in the first half of last weekend's victory over Burnley and was ruled out of the midweek Champions League victory over Porto as a result.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had rated the Spain midfielder's chances of facing Hull as 50-50, but his creative talisman looks certain to absent from the trip to the KC Stadium.

Wenger also has fitness doubts over Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky, who has a groin strain, and French defender Bacary Sagna, who has an ankle problem.

"At the moment, Cesc is out of Saturday's game," Wenger said on Thursday. "His chances of playing are 0.5 percent - that means unless a miracle happens, he will not play.

"We have a little doubt about Tomas Rosicky, who has a groin injury, but we will check that on Friday morning.

"Nobody else is back, but we will lose Alex Song because he is suspended.

"Sagna has an ankle problem and we will assess that. We know we have 48 hours to prepare for this game and it is quite needed."

Wenger's side, who are just two points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United, will also be without France defender William Gallas as he continues to recover from a calf injury.

Gallas is out of contract at the end of the season and is free to talk to any clubs, with Roma reported to be tracking the 33-year-old.

Wenger admits he doesn't know if Roma have made contact with Gallas but he is confident the former Chelsea centre-back will remain at the Emirates Stadium.

"I am not concerned. He is under contract until June 30. We have not found an agreement yet. I meet his agents again next Thursday and we will try to find a solution," Wenger said.

"I would like to keep all that secret. I feel I have to respect both parties and not to come out about the details of negotiations.

"I do not know if he has spoken to Roma, but he is out of contract and can talk to whom he wants.

"William is speaking to us and our desire is to keep him here. I think he wants to stay here."

Arsenal and Hull were fined by the English Football Association for failing to control their players during the match at the Emirates just before Christmas, when there was a mass brawl after Gunners midfielder Samir Nasri appeared to tread on Richard Garcia's foot.

Tigers manager Phil Brown blasted Wenger for refusing to shake his hand after that game, but the Gunners boss insists there is no bad blood between the clubs.

"We don't make a special fuss of anything, we just try to play football," he said. "I respect everybody in life, and I don't make any special issue of that.

"We have to focus on what is the most important, which is that the people who pay to come to watch a football game get something for their money. That is what we always try to do.

"We do not focus on bad blood. We just focus on our game and try to play well. In fact, if you look at what happened - there was not a lot.

"Nobody has been injured, there was a little brawl at some stage where we got punished, them as well, but the game was not dirty."

Crouch named comedy king for 'virgin' quip

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

England footballer Peter Crouch was named the funniest man in British sport, topping a poll out on Thursday of the best one-liners and comedy football moments of all time.

The gangly Tottenham striker was asked "What would you be if you weren't a footballer?".

Crouch quipped: "A virgin".

The six feet, seven inches tall forward also topped a separate poll of the funniest men in British sport, with 24 percent voting for his 2006 "robot dance" premiered after scoring for England in a pre-World Cup friendly match.

BBC commentator John Motson won the best sporting gaffe vote for stating: "For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are in the all-yellow strip."

British ski jumper Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards' woeful efforts at the 1988 Winter Games was voted the funniest Olympic moment of all time.

Motor racing's Murray Walker was voted the wittiest commentator, followed by Motson.

US boxing legend Muhammad Ali was voted the biggest sports personality in the world, with boxer Frank Bruno topping the domestic poll.

The poll of 2,000 respondents was commissioned for a new Sky television panel show.

Top five sporting one-liners:

1. Asked what he would be if he wasn't a footballer, Peter Crouch replied "a virgin".

2. "I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars; the rest I just squandered" -- Manchester United hero George Best

3. Referring to footballers' wives and girlfriends, "I don't know where they will stay, it's not my concern. I'm hoping there will be a virus" -- England manager Fabio Capello

4. British boxer Chris Eubank made his first flamboyant leap over the top rope into the ring. The late commentator Reg Gutteridge told viewers: "The ego has landed".

5. "I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and got into bed before the room was dark" -- Muhammad Ali

Hargreaves' United return put on hold

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves's long-awaited comeback has been put on hold after it was decided not to play him in a reserve game on Thursday.

Hargreaves, 29, has been sidelined since September 2008 following surgery on a knee injury, but United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hinted last week that he could return in Thursday's reserve fixture against Manchester City at Altrincham.

However, England star Hargreaves will instead continue his training programme, with United keen to stress he has not suffered a setback.

A club spokesperson told ManUtd.com: "This definitely isn't another injury setback. It just doesn't fit in with Owen's training schedule."

Hargreaves joined United from Bayern Munich in 2007 and has suffered long-term problems with tendinitis, playing only three times in 2008.

In a bid to solve the problem, he had knee surgery in America under the guidance of specialist Dr Richard Steadman.

Nomura advising 'Red Knights' on Man Utd bid

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Japanese bank Nomura announced on Thursday it was advising the "Red Knights" about a potential acquisition of Manchester United amid growing supporter unrest over its ownership by the Glazer family.

"We can confirm that we are acting as advisors to Red Knights," a Nomura spokeswoman told AFP, adding that the group would not reveal any further details at this stage.

Manchester United, the English Premier League champions, are estimated to be the third richest football club in Europe.

The Red Knights group of wealthy Manchester United supporters, who include some senior City of London figures, want to wrest control of the club from the US-based Glazers.

They are looking to raise in excess of one billion pounds to take over at Old Trafford.

Nomura will be coordinating and formulating the proposals to be put to the Glazers, the Red Knights said.

"Nomura are the financial advisors to the deal," a spokesman for the group told AFP.

"They will be going through the levels of interest we have received and their job is to put a structure into place to approach the Glazers with.

"It's up to the Glazers if they want to sell the club. Everything's not for sale until it's up for sale.

"Nomura will be doing their work, evaluating and putting proposals together."

The Nomura team will be led by Guy Dawson and Andrew McNaught, both of whom advised the Manchester United board when the club was sold to the Glazer family in 2005.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill said last week there was no prospect of the Glazer family selling the club.

The most recent accounts for United's parent company, Red Football Joint Venture, showed that it had debts of 719 million pounds.

Fans fear the cost of servicing that debt will slow investment in Alex Ferguson's team, if it is not already doing so.

For any takeover bid to succeed, the would-be purchasers would likely need in excess of one billion pounds to enable the Glazers to walk away with the kind of profit on their investment that would convince them to sell.

Some United supporters have taken to wearing green and gold scarves, the colours of the original Newton Heath club from which United emerged, in protest at the Glazers.

The colours have been adopted as a symbol of the club's history and traditions, which many feel are under threat from the high level of debt.

Former Manchester United star David Beckham picked up a green and gold scarf from the pitch and wore it after his side AC Milan's 4-0 defeat to the Red Devils at Old Trafford in Wednesday's Champions League tie.

Beckham, however, later distanced himself from the protest, saying it was "not my business".

"I'm a Man United fan. I saw the scarf there. I put it round my neck, it's the old colours of Man United, that's all I knew.

"I'm a Manchester United fan. I support the club. I always have done and I always will do. It's nothing to do with me the way everything is run, that's to do with other people but I'm a Man United fan and I support the team. I will always support them."

Beckham admitted he was aware of the gathering protests against the Glazers, adding: "Obviously you can hear it week in and week out. There's always protests going on. Let's hope it gets sorted out."

Japanese bank advising 'Red Knights' on Man Utd bid

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Japanese bank Nomura announced on Thursday it was advising the "Red Knights" about a potential acquisition of Manchester United amid anger over its ownership by the Glazer family.

"We can confirm that we are acting as advisors to Red Knights," a Nomura spokeswoman told AFP, adding that the group would not reveal any further details at this stage.

Manchester United, the English Premier League champions, are estimated to be the third richest football club in Europe.

The Manchester United Supporters Trust, the chief opponents of the Glazer regime, have reported a massive surge in membership over the last few weeks.

They now claim to have in excess of 100,000 supporters registered -- fuelled partly by the Red Knights, a group of leading City financiers who are looking to raise in excess of one billion pounds (1.5 billion dollars, 1.1 billion euros) to seize control at Old Trafford.

Ballack to extend Chelsea contract, claims Bild

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Germany captain Michael Ballack is set to sign a one-year contract extension which will keep him at Premier League side Chelsea until 2011, German daily Bild claimed Thursday.

The 33-year-old midfielder, who last June extended his contract by a year, has told club bosses in London that he sees himself playing until 2012 and will have the option of a further year's extension, Bild reported.

The German daily say Ballack has also told Germany coach Joachim Loew that he intends playing on after this June's World Cup in South Africa, where Germany are one of the favourites.

Having scored 48 goals in 98 appearances for the national side, Ballack is set to reach the 100 caps mark this season and wants to play on until at least the European Championships which will be held in Poland and Ukraine in 2012.

Having joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Bayern Munich in 2006, Ballack has scored 16 times and was on the losing side of the Champions League final in 2008.

Ferguson lauds Rooney in 4-0 defeat of AC Milan

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney could match the 42 goals that Cristiano Ronaldo provided for Manchester United in 2008 after the England striker reached the 30 mark with a double in the Champions League humbling of AC Milan.

Rooney, who had also scored twice in the 3-2 first leg win, laid the foundations for a 4-0 win on a night that United boss Ferguson described as one of the most satisfying of his illustrious managerial career.

"When I think that we've beaten Milan 4-0 -- not many teams have ever done that, if any," the Scot declared. "It was a fantastic night."

It was the first time United had eliminated their opponents for the first time in five attempts since two of European football's iconic institutions first met, 52 years ago.

Ferguson added: "I said it was a landmark victory when we beat them over there. I regard Milan as a great European example for us and that makes me particularly proud that we managed to beat that great team."

Rooney's early header was followed by a strike in the first minute of the second half which broke Milan's spirit and further goals from Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher ensured it was an unhappy return to Old Trafford for David Beckham.

"I think the second goal was decisive," Ferguson said. "We were able to relax and play good football. Milan were forced to try and attack and left themselves a little bit open. It was a difficult night for them after that."

Ferguson was also delighted to have the luxury of withdrawing Rooney from the fray early, ensuring he did not aggravate a niggling knee injury that had threatened to keep him out of the tie.

"Wayne's performance was just a continuation of his form of the last two or three months. It is sensational. He is unbelievable and I'm very pleased with him."

Asked if he felt Rooney could match Ronaldo's haul in his penultimate season before his departure for Real Madrid, Ferguson replied: "It's a challenge. I was happy with him getting to the 30 mark, to be honest. But he just keeps getting better."

Ronaldo's departure has ensured Rooney has been consistently deployed as an out-and-out centreforward this term, but Ferguson feels his improved return in terms of goals is also a reflection of the work he has done on the training ground.

"The thing that has improved is his movement in the penalty box. Also, he has practised more than he's ever done and you get the rewards when you do that."

Milan's hopes of overturning their first-leg deficit disappeared after Ronaldinho and Klaas Jan Huntelaar failed to take a couple of early chances that could have transformed the complexion of the tie.

"You don't want to lose the first goal in a game like this," Ferguson acknowledged. "It would have encouraged Milan."

With Ronaldo's Real having gone out to Lyon on Wednesday evening, United look well placed to reach the final of the tournament for a third consecutive season and Ferguson said he was relaxed about the draw for the quarter finals.

"When we play at that tempo, we're very hard to beat. It doesn't matter who we play."

That view was endorsed by Milan coach Leonardo, who admitted United had been simply too powerful for his injury-depleted squad.

"I guess we can analyse the game in many ways, but the one thing we cannot deny is the performance of United," the Brazilian said. "They played a truly great game.

"Conceding a goal so early made a comeback even more complicated for us.

"In the first leg we played an equal match. We lost but we dominated for some periods. Today was different. We have some problems but United is a very strong team, they can use your mistakes in the best way. They are very clinical and that is what you have to be in this competition."

Real Madrid's failure leaves Pellegrini exposed

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

After spending over 250 million euros to build a second dynasty of 'Galacticos' Real Madrid were expected to lift this season's Champions League trophy in the May 22 final at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium,

But that dream was shattered on Wednesday as Lyon eliminated Real 2-1 on aggregate at the last 16 stage.

Pressure is always intense on Real Madrid managers and Manuel Pellegrini had more than usual after a massive summer outlay on Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and company - but money doesn't guarantee success and the bitter Champions League exit leaves the likeable Chilean fearing for his job.

Pellegrini was entrusted with ending Real's last 16 hoodoo but it struck again as Real exited the competition at the first knockout stage for the sixth successive season.

"The first person responsible is the coach," said Pellegrini. "My future depends on the board and the only thing I can do is continue working like I have been doing.

"Getting to the final was the ambition of everyone here so the elimination is very painful.

"This loss is a real setback but we have to lift our mood, look forward and continue working to win the league."

Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh Champions League goal on six minutes levelled the tie at 1-1 for Real but Lyon teenager Miralem Pjanic, 19, scored the dreaded away goal on 75 minutes and Real crashed out 2-1 on aggregate.

"We are all really annoyed and angry," said goalkeeper Iker Casillas. "It is difficult to stomach and a real setback.

"I ask for the forgiveness from the fans for this defeat in a competition where we had the highest hopes. We have to accept our responsibility for what happened."

The 33-year-old veteran Guti, a three-time Champions League winner (1998, 2000, 2002), called on Real to play more as a team rather than individuals.

"It is a real shame but this shows that in the important games we don't know how to kill them off," said captain Guti.

"We have to be more of a team rather than individuals. Lyon were more of a team and you have to admit that. I don't think we came out (after the break) how we wanted and they pushed forward.

"Every time you lose in this competition it hurts and this year is even more painful.

"Now we just have to think about the league which is all we have left to play for."

The league, where Real are level on points with Barcelona at the summit, is the only hope of silverware for Real and even winning that may not save the job of Pellegrini, who arrived from Villarreal in the summer, with the early Kings Cup and Champions League exits bitter pills to swallow.

Fabio Capello, Bernd Schuster and Juande Ramos have gone through the managerial revolving door at the Bernabeu in the past few seasons and the speculation will be growing about Pellegrini on Thursday morning in the wake of the Lyon setback.

Real must somehow pick themselves up for the next league game at Valladolid on Sunday as they bid to wrestle the title from Barcelona and avoid a second consecutive season without silverware.

Juve, Liverpool seek Europa League salvation

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

European heavyweights Juventus and Liverpool will both seek to rescue disappointing seasons when the first legs of their respective Europa League last-16 ties kick off on Thursday.

Both clubs have fallen well off the pace in their domestic championships and face a battle to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Juve have begun to move in the right direction under new coach Alberto Zaccheroni, however, and are now just two points outside the Serie A top four after a 2-1 victory at Fiorentina on Saturday.

Their Europa League opponents are Premier League club Fulham, who produced one of the upsets of the competition in the previous round by eliminating defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine.

"I don't think many teams will play football as well as Shakhtar Donetsk did," said Fulham's Welsh midfielder Simon Davies.

"We've got to believe in ourselves because we've had some really good results lately. We'll play our game and remain solid. We know it's going to be a very tough game but we also know we're capable of getting a result."

Juve's Italy international centre-back Giorgio Chiellini will miss the match with a left thigh injury but should be fit for the return leg in London next week.

"The Europa League is a great competition and to go all the way would be a great boost for the whole club," said Nicola Legrottaglie, who is expected to deputise for Chiellini in Turin.

Liverpool's stuttering campaign received a further blow when they went down 1-0 at relegation-threatened Wigan on Monday, denying them the opportunity to steal a march on their rivals for fourth place and a Champions League berth.

Rafael Benitez's men on Thursday visit Lille, who have lost just one of their last 16 home games in European competition and who are the top scorers in the French top flight.

"Lille are a good team," said Benitez. "People maybe don't know too much about them but we've spoken with people in Valencia, because they played one another, and we have reports from the scouts.

"They are good at home. Maybe in the last two (league) games they haven't been at their level because I think they're maybe thinking about the Europa League -- and that makes them even more dangerous."

Benfica have rekindled memories of their 1960s heyday by storming to the top of the Portuguese top division this season and they welcome Marseille to the Estadio da Luz.

Marseille are three points off the top in Ligue 1 and midfielder Benoit Cheyrou says his Argentine team-mate Lucho Gonzalez, who joined from Porto last summer, has given them plenty of warning about Jorge Jesus's exciting side.

"He's told us loads of great things about this team," said Cheyrou.

"Since the start of the season he's been telling us that they're the best team in the Portuguese championship with forwards like (Angel) Di Maria, (Javier) Saviola, (Pablo) Aimar, but also the Brazilian internationals behind them."

Marseille have been boosted by the news that captain Mamadou Niang should be fit to play after the Senegalese striker bruised his foot in the 1-1 draw with Lorient on Sunday.

Werder Bremen, last season's losing finalists, travel to a Valencia side who scraped past Belgian outfit FC Bruges only thanks to an extra-time brace from midfielder Pablo Hernandez in the last round.

Greek league leaders Panathinaikos, who shocked Roma in the round of 32, host Standard Liege, while Russian champions Rubin Kazan take on German counterparts Wolfsburg fresh from a Russian Super Cup win over CSKA Moscow on Sunday.

"We will see a different Rubin now," said Rubin coach Kurban Berdyev.

"It's not the team that used to be afraid to lose."

In Thursday's other first-leg ties, Sporting Lisbon travel to Atletico Madrid, while Hamburg confront Anderlecht.

Ferguson savours sweetest night made by Rooney

711Football — 1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney could match the 42 goals that Cristiano Ronaldo provided for Manchester United in 2008 after the England striker reached the 30 mark with a double in the Champions League humbling of AC Milan.