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Soccer

 
 
 
Man, this win is still making with the athletic high, and the result even made it to NPR. This was Barcelona's largest choking in a Champions League match up in well over 12 months (see AS Roma debacle). Everyone who isn't an Everton fan is glowing in Mersyside. It feels like Liverpool won the Champions League.

To make things real interesting, Tottenham, though down 1-0, are in the Netherlands to face Ajax. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Chelsea have their second legs in the Europa Semi's. Arsenal is up 3-1, Chelsea tied 1-1, but with an away goal.

This means it is possible that the Champions League and Europa League finals could be all EPL events. I give the edge to Ajax, however, so maybe just 3 of 4. Incredible year in Europe for the EPL.
 
It is astonishing that Barcelona gave up a three goal lead in a CL semi final, two years on the trot. Liverpool's fourth goal showed Barcelona were absolutely out of it. A complete switch off, a total lack of urgency and an incredible lack of leadership on the field. Where was the captain screaming at his team mates to get their head out of their ass and focus ? Barcelona got what they deserved for that inept performance. Valverde should not survive this.
 
Meanwhile in the Netherlands...

...Tottenham and Ajax said, you want drama!? And they provide a classic of their own and Tottenham just up'd Ajax to 3-2 on foreign soil (in the waning seconds of the game... 8 minutes of extra time!), giving them the ticket to Madrid!

An all EPL Champions League Final coming up June 1st.
 
Incredibly, four EPL teams in the final. Best league in the world ? Quite possibly.
 
Man City dispatch Brighton 4-1 and take the EPL title.

Liverpool finish second, with 97 pts and just one loss. Arsenal and Man United are out of Champions league, barring Arsenal winning Europa League.
 
Aston Villa beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1, and Leeds beat Derby 1-0, in the first leg of the Championship play-offs; Both winners take a one goal lead into the second leg, and with no 'away goals' rule, the second leg matches will go to extra time and then to penalties if the aggregate scores are even at the end of ninety minutes.

The second leg matches are on Wednesday (Early Thursday morning my time).
 
This afternoon I finally got around to listening to the Guardian Football Weekly analysis of the Liverpool / Barca game (May 9). Well worth checking out.
 
chrisengland said:
bilby said:
bilby said:
Meanwhile in the far more important Championship*

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Leeds still have to play Wigan (21st, just a point above the relegation zone), Aston Villa (5th), Brentford (14th) and Ipswich (dead last, would need four wins from the remaining four matches, each by at least three goals, to even have a mathematical chance of avoiding relegation, having only won four matches all year).

Sheffield United have to play Nottingham Forest (11th), Hull (9th), Ipswich (last) and Stoke (16th).








*Relative importance of Premier League and Championship will change next year, if Leeds are promoted
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Well, that didn't go as planned.

The first twenty minutes were looking good - Wigan had a player sent off after just fourteen minutes, and although Leeds missed the subsequent penalty, they scored three minutes later.

Leeds totally dominated the match, with a huge advantage in possession, shots, shots on target, indeed by every statistic, this was a match Leeds should have won by five or six goals to nil.

Wigan only had two shots on target the entire game.

Leeds lost 1-2, dropping to third behind Sheffield United on goal difference.

Three matches remaining in the season. It looks like Leeds might manage to snatch an unlikely defeat from the haws of victory. Again. :(
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Although I'm an arsenal fan coming from Bristol I want Bristol city to go up. Unfortunately they have slipped out the play off places 😕
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More importantly my team is on top of the Championship. I lived in Norwich in 05'.
 
rousseau said:
chrisengland said:
Although I'm an arsenal fan coming from Bristol I want Bristol city to go up. Unfortunately they have slipped out the play off places ??????
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More importantly my team is on top of the Championship. I lived in Norwich in 05'.
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Leeds managed to get one point (of a possible 12) from those last four matches. :(

We need to win the semi final (we are 1-0 up after the first leg) and then the final, if we are to join the Canaries in the EPL next season.
 
Ouch! My condolences.

If it makes you feel any better, Stoke City were supposed to pop back up into the EPL this year. 22 fucking draws later... :mad:

19th in the league in wins, tied 6th in the league in losses. 45 goals in 46 bloody games.

For the season, Stoke City had 18 clean sheets... (ranked 3rd in the league!) of which in half of them (9), they walked away with just one fucking point. Middlesbrough had 19 clean sheets, and drew in only 5 of them. So in games they didn't give up a goal, their record was just 9-9-0. :mad:
 
Liverpool take Champions League title in tremendously anticlimatic final with Tottenham. Liverpool opened the scoring after a remarkably dumb defensive play lead to a needless hand ball 30ish seconds into the game. Liverpool wouldn’t score again until about the 85th to thankfully not make the PK the deciding goal, thanks Origi.

Passing and ball control just not that good in the game.

And of course, so much drama with the Barcelona game.

Honestly, the win felt more like relief. The Final was against Barcelona, to lose to Tottenham would have been dreadful.
 
Two good teams pretty much cancelling each other out. I've read a lot about how a lot of pundits disagreed with starting Harry Kane. I doubt it would have made much difference myself. The game was pretty much set after about 30 seconds when Sissoko inexplicably flapped his arm about in the box to give away the penalty.
 
US-England women's semifinal is about to start, but without Rapinoe for US. They're not saying injury, looks like a coach's decision. If they lose, Jill Ellis oughta not return.
 
blastula said:
US-England women's semifinal is about to start, but without Rapinoe for US. They're not saying injury, looks like a coach's decision. If they lose, Jill Ellis oughta not return.
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She took a couple knocks in the France matchup, so she might not be in great enough condition. She's on the bench, so she can sub in.

This will be the US's first real battle, I think. For all the talk about France, they couldn't pass to save their lives in the quarterfinal match-up. England should be interesting. Stokes did well in their last match, batting over a half a century.

...

Crap... too many World Cups going on at the same time.
 
blastula said:
US-England women's semifinal is about to start, but without Rapinoe for US. They're not saying injury, looks like a coach's decision. If they lose, Jill Ellis oughta not return.
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It's been reported that Rapinoe had her leg wrapped the last couple of days in practice, so let's not jettison the coach. Especially since the replacement scored the USA's first goal.
 
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