Showing posts with label semi-final. Show all posts
Showing posts with label semi-final. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2007
English clubs show Premier league's strength by reaching Champions League semi final
Three teams from the same country have reached the Champions League semifinals in the same season for the third time, and this year it's showing off the strength of the Premier League.Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool - the top three teams in the English standings - all reached the last four. AC Milan is also in the semifinals."To see three English teams at this stage shows just how strong the Premier League is," Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said. "It is really important for the Premier League to show Europe how strong we are. It is the best league in Europe at this moment."Liverpool, a five-time European Cup champion, will face Chelsea in the semifinals on April 25 and May 1. The two played in the semifinals two years ago, when Liverpool went on to win its most recent European title. The second leg will again be at Anfield, where a controversial goal helped Liverpool advance last time."They may not accept what happened here two years ago, but they cannot change things now," Benitez said. "We are pleased we will play the second leg at Anfield. If we can do something at Stamford Bridge, maybe we will then have the advantage."Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti led his team past United in the second round of the 2005 tournament, but he's more worried about the Premier League leaders this time."They have got some more experience into their best players like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo," Ancelotti said. "They have the same approach as back then, but with more quality now."United, which hosts Milan on April 24 and plays in Italy on May 2, hasn't got past Milan in three attempts in Europe - also losing in the 1958 and 1969 semifinals.None of the three Premier League teams has an English manager, but all four coaches in the semifinals have won a Champions League title - Alex Ferguson with United in 1999, Benitez with Liverpool in 2005 and Ancelotti with Milan in 2003.The fourth coach, Chelsea's Jose Mourinho, won the Champions League with FC Porto in 2004.If Mourinho wins again in Athens, Greece, on May 23, he will join Ottmar Hitzfeld and Ernst Happel as the only coaches to lift the European Cup with two different teams.Hitzfeld won in 1997 with Borussia Dortmund and in 2001 with Bayern Munich. Ernst Happel won in 1970 with Feyenoord and in 1983 with Hamburg.Chelsea is also chasing Man United in the Premier League, has won the League Cup and is in the semifinals of the FA Cup.In 2000, Spanish teams Real Madrid, Valencia and FC Barcelona reached the last four, and Madrid beat Valencia in the final. Three Italian teams matched that in 2003, with Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus all reaching the semifinals. Milan then beat Juventus on penalties in the final.
Champions League Reaction: Crouch Reflects On Job Done
Liverpool's match-winner Peter Crouch agreed that the Reds' quarter-final second-leg victory over 10-man PSV Eindhoven was not a Champions League classic.
The Premiership side were already three up from the first leg, and most observers - including, possibly, PSV themselves - seemed to regard the second-leg as no more than a formality.
But Crouch's second-half goal ensured that Liverpool won both legs with a 4-0 aggregate to set up a semi-final showdown with Chelsea."I don't think it was much of a spectacle but we did a job, got the result," Crouch told Sky Sports."We did most of the work in the first leg obviously and it was just a case of seeing it out today, and that's what we did well."It was a strange game. All the lads were up for it. If it had stayed 0-0, I'm sure you would've seen more urgency."Regarding his own contribution, Crouch admitted he was thrilled with his recent form. He said: "I've been pleased with my form in the Champions League. It's a fantastic competition."Hopefully I can keep that run going."Ironically, the semi-final will pit Crouch and his Liverpool team-mates against the side he supported as a boy - Chelsea.The England striker said: "It's going to be a special occasion. We've had that tie before and hopefully we'll have the same outcome."He added: "My dad will be pleased. It's local for him as well so it'll be a special occasion for myself, my family and everyone connected with Liverpool."I won the FA Cup last year and hopefully can go one better this year."Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez praised his team's professionalism."We knew that it would be difficult because the mentality of the players when you are controlling the game, you don't concede any chances and you be more relaxed."Of Crouch, Benitez said: "Now he has the confidence all strikers need."I hope he can keep scoring goals until the end of the season."Looking ahead to the Chelsea clash, Benitez added: "We know it will be really difficult because Chelsea are a very good team."But we know that if we play to our level, we can beat them."And he feels it may be "a little bit" of an advantage to be playing the first leg at Stamford Bridge.But he warned: "Chelsea are a good team playing away now, as you could see the other day against Valencia."
The Premiership side were already three up from the first leg, and most observers - including, possibly, PSV themselves - seemed to regard the second-leg as no more than a formality.
But Crouch's second-half goal ensured that Liverpool won both legs with a 4-0 aggregate to set up a semi-final showdown with Chelsea."I don't think it was much of a spectacle but we did a job, got the result," Crouch told Sky Sports."We did most of the work in the first leg obviously and it was just a case of seeing it out today, and that's what we did well."It was a strange game. All the lads were up for it. If it had stayed 0-0, I'm sure you would've seen more urgency."Regarding his own contribution, Crouch admitted he was thrilled with his recent form. He said: "I've been pleased with my form in the Champions League. It's a fantastic competition."Hopefully I can keep that run going."Ironically, the semi-final will pit Crouch and his Liverpool team-mates against the side he supported as a boy - Chelsea.The England striker said: "It's going to be a special occasion. We've had that tie before and hopefully we'll have the same outcome."He added: "My dad will be pleased. It's local for him as well so it'll be a special occasion for myself, my family and everyone connected with Liverpool."I won the FA Cup last year and hopefully can go one better this year."Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez praised his team's professionalism."We knew that it would be difficult because the mentality of the players when you are controlling the game, you don't concede any chances and you be more relaxed."Of Crouch, Benitez said: "Now he has the confidence all strikers need."I hope he can keep scoring goals until the end of the season."Looking ahead to the Chelsea clash, Benitez added: "We know it will be really difficult because Chelsea are a very good team."But we know that if we play to our level, we can beat them."And he feels it may be "a little bit" of an advantage to be playing the first leg at Stamford Bridge.But he warned: "Chelsea are a good team playing away now, as you could see the other day against Valencia."
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