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The European/World Football Thread III

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Copa Libertadores Round of 16 action on ESPN right now. Sao Paulo-Atletico Mineiro. Huge game.
Reply 161
Original post by aa22
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

SO, SO happy we've made it to the final. Never thought I'd see us in a European final, even if it is the Europa League. The players gave it their all in this match.. completely dominated it. Even the dodgy ref decisions weren't enough to knock us out.

The treble is definitely on. What a week.. perfect, couldn't have asked for more... Still think Chelsea will win this quite easily, but hopefully we'll give it our all.

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:



Also. I hate Vitor Pereira. If he was in front of me right now and I had a gun in my hand, I would not hesitate. That's how much I hate him. What an arrogant little b-tard. Hope he pisses off at the end of the season and ends up falling into obscurity where he belongs.


BJSoqiJCEAAbUUm.jpg

Congrats although this picture makes me feel sad. the player who did this did not even get a yellow card :frown: faith in humanity restored lost
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by aa22
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

SO, SO happy we've made it to the final. Never thought I'd see us in a European final, even if it is the Europa League. The players gave it their all in this match.. completely dominated it. Even the dodgy ref decisions weren't enough to knock us out.

The treble is definitely on. What a week.. perfect, couldn't have asked for more... Still think Chelsea will win this quite easily, but hopefully we'll give it our all.

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

(...)


Congratulations to reaching the final! I think Benfica has a good chance to win. Although Chelsea will be the favorite, I give Lissabon credits to do it. The team has eliminated Leverkusen at least, the third-best team in this season.
Reply 163
Original post by ra-ra-ra
...


Yeh, I should have more confidence in our team. But it takes just one look at the Chelsea squad to take away that confidence.. don't really need to mention the names, but they have some of the best talent in the world. It will be very hard.

In related news, it seems like Benfica have a right by law to anticipate the match against Porto to the Saturday if we want (regardless of any agreement between the two clubs) because we've made the final! I really hope we do it!

Knowing Porto though - and my luck - the rules will be changed in the last hour and they won't let it happen :/

Original post by Egos
BJSoqiJCEAAbUUm.jpg

Congrats although this picture makes me feel sad. the player who did this did not even get a yellow card :frown: faith in humanity restored lost


Well it wasn't like it was intentional.. it was a complete accident...

Original post by Kallisto
Congratulations to reaching the final! I think Benfica has a good chance to win. Although Chelsea will be the favorite, I give Lissabon credits to do it. The team has eliminated Leverkusen at least, the third-best team in this season.


Yep. Our manager even said that Leverkusen was the hardest team we've faced in the Europa league this season.. Chelsea will be tough though..
This goal is worth checking out from last nights Moreirense-Braga game. Great goal by Nabil Ghilas.

Reply 165
Original post by ra-ra-ra
This goal is worth checking out from last nights Moreirense-Braga game. Great goal by Nabil Ghilas.



still surprised no one went for him in january.. Sporting should have bought him, as should have Porto instead of wasting time with Liedson..
Original post by aa22
Yeh, I should have more confidence in our team. But it takes just one look at the Chelsea squad to take away that confidence.. don't really need to mention the names, but they have some of the best talent in the world. It will be very hard.

In related news, it seems like Benfica have a right by law to anticipate the match against Porto to the Saturday if we want (regardless of any agreement between the two clubs) because we've made the final! I really hope we do it!

Knowing Porto though - and my luck - the rules will be changed in the last hour and they won't let it happen :/


I don't know, it really is one of those games that will just vary on the day. Benfica have put in some excellent performances this season and if they are to have one of those performances on the night then Chelsea may struggle.

Oh really? Interesting to see what happens then. I do think though if Benfica go to the final after winning the league at our ground would be a great motivation factor for them though. We shall see!

Porto currently winning 3-1. We were better in the first, i'll admit i've only had half an eye on this second half and although Nacional have pressed a bit more we seem to be pretty comfortable.

And in reply to your other quote... Yeah, i agree. He'll most certainly be gone in the summer though. Still quite youngish too. I'd love to know the actual reasoning about us signing Liedson. Crazy.
Looks like another bad away day for vancouver Whitecaps, 2-0 down to Real Salt Lake, they won't make the play offs this season unless they sort their away problems out.
Reply 168
Thauvin scored again for Bastia against Marseille yesterday, making it seven goals scored in his last six league games (I think he's also scored a couple for France U-21s in that period, but I don' know the exact stats). I'm really interested to see how he does with Lille when he joins them next season - whether he can fulfill the wonderkid hype and help Lille do well following a season when they've lost two of their biggest names.

boumavilla
...


Sorry, I haven't been able to watch any Dutch football at all recently. :sad: Title pretty much off to Ajax, then. The battle for second spot still looks tight, though, what do you reckon's happening there? Also, thoughts on Ebicillio signing for Twente? I've heard good things about him throughout the time he's been at Arsenal. :holmes:
Reply 169
Original post by ra-ra-ra
...


Seeeeeeeeeeee? What did I tell you so many times? Do you see now why I'm such as pessimist when it comes to Benfica?? What an embarrassing bottle job this is going to become, I can just see it now..

Estoril probably could have won this match as well, they probably played some of the best football of any team we've played against in the league this season but we should have dealt with it.

Too many players who have so many minutes on their legs. I was really surprised Gaitan started the match for example. The entire time they were saying Ola John was the most likely to start because he was fresh and hadn't played agaisnt Fenerbahce.

Losing Enzo to injury was bad enough, but then Carlos Martins really showed why he doesn't play often. Such a stupid way to get himself sent off and ruin our chances...

And it didn't help that JJ didn't put another midfielder on the pitch so we only had a very tired Matic (which was really strange to see because he's always full of running) up against their entire midfield. He should have taken off Lima and brought on Almeida, moved him to leftback and then move Gaitan back to the midfield to give us some creativity.





*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

Disappointing. So very disappointing.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by aa22
..



:eek:

Porto vs Benfica next weekend will be absolutely crazy!

I know i had given up on this title but i did not see Benfica dropping points anywhere.

Has it been confirmed for Saturday at 8:30 now? You have to watch it... you'll have to say you're too ill to attend the wedding.

Game on!
Original post by aa22
Seeeeeeeeeeee? What did I tell you so many times? Do you see now why I'm such as pessimist when it comes to Benfica?? What an embarrassing bottle job this is going to become, I can just see it now..

Estoril probably could have won this match as well, they probably played some of the best football of any team we've played against in the league this season but we should have dealt with it.

Too many players who have so many minutes on their legs. I was really surprised Gaitan started the match for example. The entire time they were saying Ola John was the most likely to start because he was fresh and hadn't played agaisnt Fenerbahce.

Losing Enzo to injury was bad enough, but then Carlos Martins really showed why he doesn't play often. Such a stupid way to get himself sent off and ruin our chances...

And it didn't help that JJ didn't put another midfielder on the pitch so we had just Matic up against their entire midfield. He should have taken off Lima and brought on Almeida, moved him to leftback and then move Gaitan back to the midfield to give us some creativity.





*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

Disappointing. So very disappointing.



Looks like you posted this the same i posted that one to you.

I was wrong, but Benfica have been so strong this season i just did not see them dropping any points from now until the end.

I don't want to start getting excited that we're back in this race only for next weekend to arrive and nothing comes from it. I had enough pain from Wrexham losing in the play-off final yesterday, i really don't need Porto to get my hopes up only to do the same.

Yeah, you can see the tired legs out there now but that game wasn't helped because of Carlos Martins. Maxi's goal was great though! I didn't think Estoril would have kept it up for the whole 90 minutes though but wow. Credit to them!

What makes it interesting is both teams are still yet to lose. You can hold on for a draw (risky to sit back and hold on especially as then it'll go until the last game of the season but you have the advantage of the draw being okay) whereas we need to win. Very surprised it has come to this though. Hurry up next weekend, i say!
Original post by aa22
(...) Yep. Our manager even said that Leverkusen was the hardest team we've faced in the Europa league this season.. Chelsea will be tough though..


As far as I remember Benfica played against Chelsea in champions league last season, in the round of last 8, if I'm not mistaken. Its time for revenge, isn't it?
Reply 173
Original post by ra-ra-ra
Looks like you posted this the same i posted that one to you.

I was wrong, but Benfica have been so strong this season i just did not see them dropping any points from now until the end.

I don't want to start getting excited that we're back in this race only for next weekend to arrive and nothing comes from it. I had enough pain from Wrexham losing in the play-off final yesterday, i really don't need Porto to get my hopes up only to do the same.

Yeah, you can see the tired legs out there now but that game wasn't helped because of Carlos Martins. Maxi's goal was great though! I didn't think Estoril would have kept it up for the whole 90 minutes though but wow. Credit to them!

What makes it interesting is both teams are still yet to lose. You can hold on for a draw (risky to sit back and hold on especially as then it'll go until the last game of the season but you have the advantage of the draw being okay) whereas we need to win. Very surprised it has come to this though. Hurry up next weekend, i say!


I got a little excited after the Maritimo match, thinking the title was "around the corner", and then BAM, instant punishment -_-

You should get excited.. Porto are ridiculous at the Dragao. And they'll be extra super motivated now that they are back in it. They'll have had an extra two days of rest so I can't see us doing too well in that match, especially if we go there to play for a draw..

I don't think the time has been confirmed yet, has it? We'll probably keep it to Sunday because it's already Monday today and we will probably want more resting time... I wouldn't be able to miss the wedding thing anyway because I'm the only one who can drive us up there :/
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 174
Original post by Kallisto
As far as I remember Benfica played against Chelsea in champions league last season, in the round of last 8, if I'm not mistaken. Its time for revenge, isn't it?


Yep, we did. Revenge would be cool, lol, but there isn't that sort of feeling at Benfica or in the media tbh..

At the time - when we lost last year - we felt we were unlucky and couldn't have done much more, especially with injuries to four of our central defenders (we ended up playing with Javi Garcia and Emerson, both have left us, at centre back) and we played most of the second leg with 10 men.

In the end Chelsea won the whole thing so we at least had something to blame our exit on (that we only lost to the eventual champions, not even Barca or Bayern could beat them).
Original post by aa22
Yep, we did. Revenge would be cool, lol, but there isn't that sort of feeling at Benfica or in the media tbh.. (...)


I guess you have misunderstood me. I didn't mean revenge in sense of retaliation. I did mean it in sense of retrieval. Nevertheless its a good chance to win an european trophy since 1962. As far as I'm informed Benfica was in a final 23 years ago.
Reply 176
Original post by Kallisto
I guess you have misunderstood me. I didn't mean revenge in sense of retaliation. I did mean it in sense of retrieval. Nevertheless its a good chance to win an european trophy since 1962. As far as I'm informed Benfica was in a final 23 years ago.


I see.. fair enough... Yeh, long time since a European trophy. Last time we got to the final was indeed 23 years ago. I have to admit our manager has done a very good job in bringing back some prestige to our club in terms of European football.

In his first season we got to the quarter finals of the Europa and lost to a strong Liverpool side, the following season we made the semi-finals where we lost out to Braga and missed out on a final against Porto (which was the season AVB won it), then quarters in the Champions League last season, and now a European final in the Europa League.

Overall its been good progress... and the Champions League final at the Estadio da Luz is looming next season.. one can dream :biggrin:
Reply 177
Original post by ra-ra-ra
.


OHHHH. It has been confirmed for Satuday, 8.30pm! So glad!
Original post by aa22
I got a little excited after the Maritimo match, thinking the title was "around the corner", and then BAM, instant punishment -_-

You should get excited.. Porto are ridiculous at the Dragao. And they'll be extra super motivated now that they are back in it. They'll have had an extra two days of rest so I can't see us doing too well in that match, especially if we go there to play for a draw..

I don't think the time has been confirmed yet, has it? We'll probably keep it to Sunday because it's already Monday today and we will probably want more resting time... I wouldn't be able to miss the wedding thing anyway because I'm the only one who can drive us up there :/


If Porto were in the same position after the Maritimo game i would have been thinking that title would be theres too. No one really expected points to be dropped yesterday for Benfica!

No, not getting excited. Our final game will be a difficult one too. Imagine if we beat you on Saturday but then lose to Paços and you beat Moreirense so it means you win the league... I think i rather lose at the Dragão then to go through all of that! :closedeyes:

No doubt if we miraculously pull this out of the bag then VP will be here for another season.

And so yes, Saturday we could be that extra step closer to knowing where this title will be heading!
Reply 179
Original post by ra-ra-ra
If Porto were in the same position after the Maritimo game i would have been thinking that title would be theres too. No one really expected points to be dropped yesterday for Benfica!

No, not getting excited. Our final game will be a difficult one too. Imagine if we beat you on Saturday but then lose to Paços and you beat Moreirense so it means you win the league... I think i rather lose at the Dragão then to go through all of that! :closedeyes:

No doubt if we miraculously pull this out of the bag then VP will be here for another season.

And so yes, Saturday we could be that extra step closer to knowing where this title will be heading!


Pacos would definitely be a tough match, but the thing about Pacos is that, if they beat Academica this weekend they will guarantee third place. Then the last match won't really matter to them and Porto will probably have an easier match if that happens.

So yeh... that Pacos-Academica match will also have some sort of small impact on the destination of the title. Unless Benfica win... which I really really doubt.. I can't even remember the last time we won at the Dragao apart from that one time we won 2-0 (or 2-1) with both goals coming from Nuno Gomes I think... that was a long time ago..

VP staying again would be funny.. dunno how the Porto fans would feel about letting go of a manager who has won the league in both of his first two seasons.

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