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I bet a lot, and i make a lot of money in it, but i don’t like cup games for the obvious reasons. Pitting big teams against so-called-minows, whose only time for fame and fortune is when they play the big boys.

Before this season’s CPL, did  you know a certain Kazan, Rubin Kazan actually. I bet you did not.I certainly never heard of them until they made it to the league stage of Europe’s elite cup affair.

Well, whether you heard of them or not, they have come to the party in style. And the big boys better sit up because they will bite you in the ass. And that is exactly what they did to Barcelona yesterday at none other place than the Camp Nou. Not an easy task you would say, but they did it.

That game was not the only game in match-day 3. Infact, yesterday was war. Inter could not beat Dynamo Kyiv. For a full load-down of all group games yesterday, read on.

Fiorentina moved above Liverpool and into second place in Group E following a dramatic 4-3 win against Debrecen as the Reds went down 2-1 against Lyon at Anfield.

Six of the seven goals came in the first half in Hungary.

Peter Czvitkovics gave the hosts an early lead after converting a Jozsef Varga cross, but a fine finish from former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu soon levelled the game.

Mutu then turned provider for Alberto Gilardino who calmly slotted home after 10 minutes, with Gilardino returning the favour by setting up Mutu to drill home from outside the box shortly after.

Gergely Rudolf curled into the top corner to bring Debrecen back to 3-2 but a powerful left-footed shot from Mario Santana restored the Italians’ two-goal cushion just before the break to cap an incredible first half.

Adamo Coulibaly headed home for the hosts late on to set up a grandstand finish, but Fiorentina held on for the points.

In an incredible night of action, Barcelona suffered an amazing 2-1 home defeat to Rubin Kazan, while Inter Milan were held to a surprising 2-2 draw by Dynamo Kiev.

There is now a three-way tie for top spot in the group table, with Kazan, Barcelona and Kiev all on four points. Jose Mourinho’s Inter are rock bottom with only three points from their three games.

But the result at the Nou Camp will send shockwaves around the footballing world after Kazan pulled off one of the greatest upsets in club football history.

Aleksandr Ryazantsev gave the visitors a shock lead after just two minutes, picking up the ball and letting fly from 25 yards with a stunning drive that flew into the top corner – the fastest ever Champions League goal scored by an away team at the Nou Camp.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalised with his first Champions League goal for his new club early in the second half after being set up by Xavi.

But Gokdeniz Karadeniz finished off a superb breakaway move following a mistake in the Barcelona midfield late on to stun the reigning European champions.

At the San Siro, Taras Mykhalyk gave Kiev the lead after five minutes before Dejan Stankovic smashed home an equaliser for Inter on the half-hour.

An own goal from Lucio restored the visitors’ lead but a Walter Samuel header secured a deserved draw for the Italian side just after the break.

Sevilla eased past Stuttgart 3-1 and qualified from the group stages in record time following Rangers’ 4-1 defeat against Unirea Urziceni .

The Spanish side only needed Rangers to draw to go through after just three games, providing they were victorious in Germany.

Sebastien Squillaci headed the visitors into the lead after a fine cross from Adriano after 23 minutes – the defender’s first Champions league goal in more than five years.

Jesus Navas made it two with a right-footed shot after 55 minutes before Squillaci (72) headed home his second to restore the cushion.

Brazilian Elson pulled one back for the hosts only a minute later but it was never going to be enough to stop a rampant Sevilla securing their passage to the next round.

Arsenal have had their lead at the top of Group H reduced to just one point after their 1-1 draw against AZ Alkmaar and Olympiakos’ late 2-1 win against Standard Liege.

The Greek side looked in trouble when Liege took something of a surprise lead in the first half – Igor de Camargo slipping the ball past home goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolis after being put through by Milan Jovanovic.

But a free-kick from Luciano Galleti was headed in by Kostantinos Mitroglou to bring the hosts back on terms and a late winner by Ieroklis Stoltidis sealed the victory, and prompted some wild celebrations from the home crowd.

The Greek side are now just one point behind the Gunners in the group table.

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Guys, Champions League match-day 3 is suddenly upon us, and as a Red Devil, i am worried. I have never been to Moscow before, but i have seen endless pictures of the Russian capital, i imagine how cold it gets there and by implication, how difficult it can be to play football.

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When last was AC Milan beaten at home n Europe? I personally cannot remember, but hat was exactly what happened yesterday in match-day 2 of the Champions League. What a fall.

Below is a review of all the actions as they happened yesterday.

Juventus took a bit of a battering at the hands ofBayern Munich before coming away from the Allianz Arena with a goalless draw.

The home side had the best of the first half, with Franck Ribery going closest when he put the ball on the roof of the net after a mazy dribble through the defence. But it was Bayern goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt who made the best save of the half, a full stretch effort from Mauro Camoranesi.

The second half was not quite as lively as the first, although the home side again had the upper hand and Miroslav Klose missed the best chance of the game when he somehow put Ribery’s cross from the left wide of the goal from a central position.

Bordeaux left it late to beatMaccabi Haifa 1-0, with defender Michael Ciani heading home seven minutes from time. The Israelis finished with 10 men, as Baram Kayal received a straight red card two minutes from time for a foul on Benoit Tremoulinas.

Even before Manchester United had kicked off their 2-1 win over Wolfsburg , the other game in their group was already over.

CSKA Moscow beat Besiktas of Turkey 2-1 with two stunning goals, one in each half.

Alan Dzagoyev put his side in front early on with a delightful lobbed effort over Rustu in the Besiktas goal, before Serbian winger Milos Krasic ran from the halfway line, sidestepped a defender and shot straight under the keeper.

Ekrem Dag’s stoppage-time volley gave the travelling fans something to cheer but made little difference to the outcome of the game.

Group C saw the shock of the night, as Milan lost 1-0 at home to FC Zurich.

Former West Ham loan player Hannu Tihinen scored the decisive goal in the first half, with a cheeky backheel from a Milan Gajic corner.

Three goals in six second-half minutes – two of them from Cristiano Ronaldo – saved Real Madrid from any difficulty as they strolled past 10-man Marseille 3-0.

Ronaldo’s opener was a right-foot finish after a route one ball by Pepe, and Kaka doubled the lead from the penalty spot as Souleymane Diawara received a second yellow card for bringing down the former Manchester United star.

Kaka then turned provider as his one-two with Karim Benzema set up Ronaldo for his ninth goal since joining Madrid in the summer.

Chelsea made heavy going of their 1-0 win over Apoel Nicosia, with Nicholas Anelka’s first half strike proving the difference between the teams.

But Atletico Madrid’s poor start to the season continued as they conceded two late goals in a 2-0 defeat at Porto.

Madrid were forced to send on 18-year-old substitute goalkeeper David de Gea after 25 minutes when Roberto went off injured.

Tomas Ujfalusi and Juanito both failed to take good chances for the visitors, and at the end they were made to pay for it.

Having failed with two efforts in quick succession, Hulk passed to Falcao, who netted a back-heel from six yards out.

Nine minutes from time the same combination almost made it 2-0, but de Gea put Falcao’s effort behind for a corner. From the resulting kick, Bruno Alves hit the post and Rolando netted the rebound.

So Christiano Ronaldo has taken his goals tally to 9 since joining Madrid, you just have a feeling he is starting from where he left off at United.

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I had my heart in my mouth as City equalize goal after goal scored by Manchester United. I knew the match was going to be very thrilling, but not  what we had today. It was a blockbuster and i was certainly very relieved when Michael Owen came on and scored the winner.

Before this math, two things were on my mind. We needed to get the maximum points but we also needed to confirm that we rule the city of Manchester when it comes to football.

If we drew or perhaps lost, Manchester City fans would have bragged that their big money spending were paying. But if you asked me though, i would tell you that Man City should now be taken very seriously in the premier league. But what a goal by Owen

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At last, we are going to watch action in the UEFA Champions league.

Personally, i believe this season’s competition is going to be very exciting for some reasons. For instance, Christiano Ronaldo has left Manchester United, and a couple of very new and small clubs have made it to the group stage of this season’s affair.

How about the fact that champions Barcelona are drawn in the same group with Inter Milan. Remember Barcelona telling Samuel Eto’o they don’t want him again, and offloaded him to Inter Milan with Zlatan Ibrahimovic moving the opposite direction? they play tomorrow, how will that turn out.

How about Christiano Ronaldo, the world’s most expensive player moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid, how will he perform in his first champions league match for Madrid? very exciting indeed.

Here below are  tomorrow’s matches.

Besiktas v Man Utd

Chelsea v Porto

FC Zurich v Real Madrid

Juventus v Bordeaux

Marseille v AC Milan

Wolfsburg v CSKA Moskow

Atletico Madrid v Apoel Nicosia

Have fun guys.

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A not so convincing display, but nonetheless, the win secures 3 vital points for United, and puts the first dent on the Gunners otherwise cool start to the season.

But one just wonders what might have been the outcome had the penalty not been given, or Diaby’s late own goal. Anyhow, somebody had to win the match and i am glad that it’s Man Utd that won it.

Other results of note are that of Spurs’ 2-1 win over Birmingham to keep their 100% start to the new season, their best in years.

Liverpool finally came good today beating Bolton by 3-1, delight for Benitez, and of course Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Burnely. End of a fairytale two weeks for Burnely you would say.

Rooney's moment

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I told a friend before Arsenal’s champions league first leg tie with AC Milan that they will not advance to the next round, he argued so passionately that we placed a bet which he lost. He is a die hard Gunner. He believes that Arsenal will win every match they play. I love their smart short passes, but good football without goals will definitely land any team in hot water.
This is what Arsenal faces each time they play. When they started scoring a lot of goals this season, i thought they have realized their mistakes, but after watching their last 2 matches, i know for sure that they still have that problem. What manner of strikers turn their backs to the goal when they should shoot for goal. So much for their nonsensical style of play.
Okay, so they travel to the San Siro tomorrow to play AC Milan, veteran campaigners in the champions league, and of course the defending champions. So many are talking about the return of Robin Van Persie. I like this a guy because he is the only Arsenal player that will shoot for goal when he has to do it. For me, he is the only striker Arsenal has right now. But even he will not stop AC Milan from picking this one. History favors the Italian giants anyway.
Let me just spice this up a bit with history and recent facts.

Head-to-heads
Prior to the 0-0 draw in the first leg of this fixture, the only European encounters between Arsenal and AC Milan came in the two legs of the Uefa Super Cup 13 years ago.
They drew 0-0 at Highbury on 1 February 1995 and Milan won the return leg 2-0 at the San Siro a week later.
European history
AC Milan have won the Champions Cup four times and the Champions League three times. They are currently the defending champions, and have successfully negotiated this stage of the competition in all four seasons since it was introduced in 2003.
Arsenal’s best European performances are their Fairs Cup win in 1970 and Cup Winners’ Cup win in 1994. Their best performance in the Champions League was finishing as runners-up to Barcelona in 2006. The Gunners have lost at this knockout stage on two of their four appearances; Bayern Munich eliminated them in 2004-05 and PSV did the same last season.
Current European form
AC Milan have won their last four home matches in the Champions League, and are unbeaten in six at home.
Both these clubs won four, drew one and lost one of their group phase matches, but while the Gunners finishing second in Group H behind Sevilla, AC Milan won Group D.
Player and disciplinary info
Emmanuel Adebayor and Denilson (Arsenal) and Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan) will be suspended for a quarter-final match on receiving another yellow card, which ever team qualifies.
Kaka and Gattuso have played every minute in the Champions League so far. Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Daniele Bonera are the other Milan players to have appeared in every CL match this season.
Other miscellaneous facts
AC Milan drew 1-1 with Lazio on Saturday, and are unbeaten in nine Serie A matches, winning five of them. They have only conceded three goals in the nine games, and are fifth in the table.
An injury time equaliser from Nicklas Bendtner gave Arsenal a 1-1 home draw with Aston Villa on Saturday, and kept the Londoners one point ahead of Manchester United at the summit of the Premier League.

More Champions League Gist Here
Read or Take part in football discussion at Naijafootballfans

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I had thought that Aston Villa will be a very stern test for Arsenal, and so it turned out. I constantly tell Arsenal fans that fancy football with lots of ball possession do not win football matches. What is the use enjoying about 70% possession of the ball and failing to score.
Against Villa today, it was always going to be difficult. They fell behind to an own goal by Senderos from a cross by Agbonlahor just before 27 minutes. Villa looked good for a second goal and only wayward finishing by Agbonlahor prevented Villa from increasing their lead.
In a previous post, i did say that Man Utd will be on top at the end of the weekend,well as it stands,they are just a point behind the Gunners now. Meanwhile, Man Utd had a comfortable 3-0 win away to Fulham with goals from Hargreaves, Park, and an own goal by Simon Davies to complete a good win for the Red Devils.
So, after last week’s blunder by Arsene Wenger’s men at Birmingham, this is hardly a decent preparation for the Gunners as they travel to Milan for the second leg of their champions league tie with the Italian giants.
The heat is well and truly on for the Gunners. Can they keep their cool ?
Or, a word for Chelsea, they won 4-0 away to West Ham. By the way, Lampard was sent off for unsporting behavior. The fun is only beginning.

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I am a Manchester United fan and i think we are going to win the premiership title ahead of Arsenal, but both us and the Gunners have a problem. A common enemy in Chelsea. Chelsea’s league form has been really great of recent, and that has got everybody having second thoughts about the so much talked about 2 horse race between Arsenal and Man. Utd for the premiership title.
With both Arsenal and Man Utd dropping points to relatively easy opponents, Chelsea just powers through their matches and both the gunners and the red devils managers have said a few things about Chelsea.
Hear what Sir Alex Ferguson had to say;

“The number of points Chelsea are behind Arsenal is not insurmountable as points can be dropped,” he said.

“The fact that they have got us and Arsenal at home, and their home record is so good, you would have to think they have still got a big chance in the Premier League.”

Chelsea finished as runners-up to Ferguson’s side in the top flight last season after winning the crown for two successive seasons.

But the United boss believes Chelsea would be happier winning the Champions League rather than adding to their Premier League title count.

“I think that is what they are really after, given owner Roman Abramovich’s contribution to their rise in the last few years,” added Ferguson.

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