Fight

Brawler

OK!!!

FREAK!!!!

He Rocks!!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!

UEFA Champions League 2007-08

Groups

Group A
1 Liverpool
2 Marseille

3 Beşiktaş

4 Porto

Group B
1 Valencia

2 Chelsea

3 Rosenborg

4 Schalke 04

Group C
1 Lazio

2 Real Madrid

3 Werder Bremen

4 Olympiacos

Group D
1 Celtic

2 Milan

3 Benfica

4 Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E
1 Lyon

2 Rangers

3 VfB Stuttgart

4 Barcelona

Group F
1 Manchester United

2 AS Roma

3 Dynamo Kyiv

4 Sporting CP

Group G
1 Internazionale

2 PSV Eindhoven

3 CSKA Moscow

4 Fenerbahçe

Group H
1 Steaua

2 Arsenal

3 Sevilla/ AEK Athens

4 Slavia Prague

Third qualifying round

Lazio 4-2 Dinamo Bucuresti 1-1 3-1

Rangers 1-0 Crvena Zvezda 1-0 0-0

Valencia 5-1 Elfsborg 3-0 2-1

Benfica 3-1 København 2-1 1-0

Toulouse 0-5 Liverpool 0-1 0-4

Sarajevo 0-4 Dynamo Kyiv 0-1 0-3

Fenerbahçe 3-0 Anderlecht 1-0 2-0

Sparta 0-5 Arsenal 0-2 0-3

Zürich 1-3 Beşiktaş 1-1 0-2

BATE 2-4 FC Steaua 2-2 0-2

Tampere 0-5 Rosenborg 0-3 0-2

Spartak Moskva 2-2 Celtic (3-4p) 1-1 1-1

Bremen 5-3 Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 3-2

Salzburg 2-3 Shakhtar 1-0 1-3

Ajax 1-3 Slavia 0-1 1-2

Sevilla - AEK

AEK 21:45 Sevilla

Match will play later

Slavia 2 - 1 Ajax

SK Slavia Praha are through to the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time after a memorable defeat of AFC Ajax in Prague with Stanislav Vlček the hero as he scored twice to end the challenge of the four-time European champions.
Slavia relief

The Czech side had done their chances no harm at all after coming away from the first leg in Amsterdam two weeks ago with a precious 1-0 advantage and the home crowd were celebrating a two-goal aggregate cushion midway through the first half when Vlček popped up unmarked in the penalty area to connect with Mickaël Tavares's cross. The goal came as a huge relief to the striker, who had spurned the first chance of the match when put clean through on 13 minutes only to be denied by goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Ajax domination

Henk ten Cate's Ajax side, who lost to FC København in the third qualifying round a year ago, were soon back in the match, however, Uruguayan international Luis Suárez racing on to Klaas Jan Huntelaar's long ball on 33 minutes to score with a fierce cross-shot that whistled inside the far post beyond goalkeeper Martin Vaniak. Buoyed by the goal Ajax began to dominate and the visitors created a host of chances to take the lead on the night, and gain the initiative on the away-goals rule, but failed to provide the end product.
Vaniak heroics

Vaniak had been the Slavia hero in the previous round when his saves in the penalty shoot-out against MŠK Žilina kept alive his side's hopes of reaching the group stage and was again in sterling form, pulling off a series of stunning saves and parrying close-range headers from both Huntelaar and Jaap Stam. With Ajax forced to commit more men forward as time ran out, Vlček then delivered the knockout blow two minutes before the final whistle after latching on to another Tavares through-ball to ensure the Slavia celebrations could begin in earnest.

Shakhtar 3 - 1 Salzburg

Substitute Brandão was FC Shakhtar Donetsk's hero as his side came within three minutes of UEFA Champions League elimination before the Brazilian midfielder struck to complete an excellent comeback against FC Salzburg.
Lucarelli busy

The Ukrainian outfit looked to be heading for an ignominious exit when Remo Meyer headed in on five minutes to give the visitors a 2-0 aggregate lead. With away goals counting double, it left Shakhtar needing to score three times and although Cristiano Lucarelli soon reduced the arrears, they found Salzburg difficult to break down. Lucarelli earned a penalty eleven minutes from time, however, Nery Castillo dispatching the spot-kick to set up a thrilling finale in which Brandão powered in after superb build-up play to steal a hard-earned place in the group stage.
Meyer opener

That had appeared a world away when the home side conceded early on – as they had done in the first leg – with Meyer finishing after Ibrahim Sekagya had directed a corner into his path. Yet Mircea Lucescu's men did not lose their composure and instead upped the tempo. It nearly bore immediate dividends but although Lucarelli squandered one chance, the Italian striker did not have to wait long to get on the scoresheet as he applied an emphatic finish to Oleksandr Gladkiy's pass.
Inspired substitutions

Gladkiy had chances to score himself but failed to find the net and as Shakhtar frustrations grew, chances fell to Salzburg. Alexander Zickler came closest after half-time with an effort that rose over the bar and that proved the cue for more pressure from the home team as Gladkiy and Fernandinho both threatened. With time running out Lucescu introduced Brandão and Castillo and it proved an inspired decision. When Lucarelli was brought down by Sekagya it was Mexican international Castillo that stepped up before Brandão secured a thrilling win, applying an emphatic finish to a fine move involving Igor Duljaj and Razvan Rat.

Dinamo Zagreb 2 - 3 Bremen

Werder Bremen held their nerve to book a return to the UEFA Champions League group stage with an exciting 5-3 aggregate triumph though they were pushed all the way at the Maksimir Stadium by a determined NK Dinamo Zagreb outfit.
Diego spot-kicks

Coming into the game with a precarious 2-1 lead after the first encounter in Germany, Bremen enjoyed a dream start when Diego converted a 13th-minute penalty. Yet Ognjen Vukojević capitalised on a defensive error to reduce the Croatian side's overall deficit and it set the tone for the evening as the visitors struggled to put the tie beyond reach. Boubacar Sanogo restored their two-goal aggregate advantage, then Luka Modrić hit back from the spot for the home team before Diego scored yet another penalty midway through the half to finally settle the tie.
Vukojević strike

Diego had proved equally efficient 57 minutes earlier when he neatly slotted in from eleven metres after Hugo Almeida had elicited a foul in the middle of a crowded Dinamo box. It temporarily silenced the majority of the 40,000 crowd, but they regained their voice eight minutes later when Vukojević pounced on a loose pass from Frank Baumann and fired in courtesy of a deflection off the former Germany international. Yet that goal came against the run of play and Bremen quickly regained their composure and then, six minutes before the interval, the lead.
Sanogo effort

Hugo Almeida worked space for a powerful effort from the left that German goalkeeper Georg Koch could only parry into the path of Sanogo, who made no mistake. It left the home side needing to score three times to win through to the group stage, and although Modrić pulled one back after Boško Balaban had been brought down, Diego restored Bremen's lead on the night with 20 minutes remaining after Etto was fouled to finally extinguish home hopes.

Celtic 1 - 1 Spartak Moskva

Artur Boruc was the hero for Celtic FC as he saved from FC Spartak Moskva's Maxym Kalynychenko at the end of the penalty shoot-out to take the Scottish title-holders into the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Boruc save

In normal time Scott McDonald put the Scottish champions ahead with his first goal for the club after Roman Pavlyuchenko had missed a penalty, but the Russian striker equalised on the stroke of half-time to match the first-leg result in Moscow. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink struck an extra-time spot-kick against the crossbar, but he was among the scorers in the shoot-out before Boruc denied Kalynychenko to ensure victory.
Penalty miss

Both sides set out with adventurous 4-4-2 formations and the first clear cut opportunity fell to McDonald on 15 minutes; sent through on goal by Vennegoor of Hesselink, the Australian screwed his shot wide. Almost immediately Vladimir Bystrov broke and cut back invitingly for the onrushing Dmitri Torbinskiy only for Lee Naylor to clear off the line. Gary Caldwell inadvertently handled in the Celtic box on 26 minutes but although Pavlyuchenko sent Boruc the wrong way, his spot-kick bounced back off the post.
Goal apiece

It proved to be a costly miss as Celtic took the lead a minute later, Roman Shishkin slicing his clearance allowing McDonald to steer the ball past Stipe Pletikosa from eight metres. Right on the stroke of half-time Pavlyuchenko made amends for his earlier penalty miss, chesting down a corner at the far post before driving in the equaliser. Spartak began the second half strongly but failed to create any clear openings and instead the Scottish champions surged forward. Shunsuke Nakamura passed up three chances before Spartak defender Martin Stranzl was sent off in the 84th minute after denying Vennegoor of Hesselink a goalscoring opportunity.
Dramatic end

Substitute Kalynychenko almost won it in the second period of extra-time only to be denied by Boruc before Vennegoor of Hesselink struck his spot-kick against the bar with five minutes left to play after Radoslav Kováč handled. Boruc, however, came to his rescue in the shoot-out as he saved from Yegor Titov and Kalynychenko after Nakamura had missed for Celtic to ensure the Scottish champions, who lost to AC Milan in the first knockout round last season, would return to the UEFA Champions League.

Rosenborg 2 - 0 Tampere

Rosenborg BK will make their eleventh appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage after brushing aside the challenge of Finnish champions Tampere United in Trondheim and consigning their opponents to a place in the UEFA Cup.
Rosenborg return

With a 3-0 advantage from the first leg of this third qualifying round tie Rosenborg were always the likelier winners of the two Scandinavian sides and goals in either half from Marek Sapara and Didier Konan Ya sealed a return to the competition proper after a year's absence in 2006/07.
Power cut

After a 55-minute delay in the kick-off due to a power failure, a cautious opening resulted in both sides finding goalscoring opportunities hard to come by and it was not until the 39th minute the first real chance of the game arrived. It was no surprise it fell to Rosenborg but given his exploits in scoring twice in the first leg and four times in the second qualifying round win against FC Astana, perhaps Yssouf Kone's header wide was unexpected.
Sapara stunner

Tampere, conquerors of PFC Levski Sofia in the last round, came back with an opening of their own and Rosenborg goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld did well to save Mathias Lindström's header from close range. But on the stroke of half-time it was the Norwegian title winners who got the first goal of the night when a misplaced pass fell to Sapara, giving the Slovakian international the chance to thunder the ball into the net from just outside the penalty area.
Impressive form

The final nail in the Tampere coffin then arrived four minutes into the second half as Ya cut in from the right before placing the ball into the top corner past a helpless Mikko Kavén. It was Rosenborg's 15th goal of an impressive four-game qualifying campaign and meant the home side were able to play out the remainder of the match untroubled and dream of the big names that may await in Thursday's draw.

FC Steaua 2 - 0 BATE

FC Steaua Bucureşti reached the UEFA Champions League group stage for the second successive season as goals in each half from Dorel Zaharia and Adrian Neaga secured a 2-0 win against FC BATE Borisov in the second leg of their third qualifying round tie to complete a 4-2 aggregate triumph.
Zaharia headers

The outcome could have been very different, however, had Dmitri Platonov's strike on goal not fizzed narrowly wide after just two minutes. The visitors began the match with purpose following a 2-2 first-leg draw in Belarus two weeks ago and Ryhor Filipenko's run down the right wing resulted in a pinpoint cross which Platonov met with conviction from ten metres out. Steaua quickly hit back and on eight minutes Zaharia fired a warning shot when he sent a header just wide. BATE failed to heed the danger signs, though, and three minutes later, the same striker was wheeling away in celebration after rising to head in a corner.
Platonov chances

The Belarussian champions began the second half as they had the first and were unlucky not to be back on level terms four minutes after the restart when Platonov worked space inside the area only to see his shot blocked by defender Petre Marin. Four minutes later Platonov again threatened, this time sending a header goalwards which brought an acrobatic save out of goalkeeper Robinson Zapata.
Zapata saves

The visitors were punished within a minute as Steaua went up the other end and scored, Bănel Nicoliţă racing down the left to deliver an inviting cross for Neaga to convert from four metres out and effectively end the contest. Thereafter chances fell for both sides as Steaua's Ovidiu Petre and Ryhor Filpenko of BATE were off-target with their efforts near the hour. The visitors went for broke in the closing stages but could not find a way past Zapata, who saved twice from Alaksandr Vishniakov as Steaua eased into Thursday evening's draw.

Beşiktaş 2 - 0 Zürich

Former FC Basel 1893 midfielder Matías Delgado again returned to haunt FC Zürich as he lived up to his pre-match promise by scoring twice as Beşiktaş JK booked their place in the UEFA Champions League group stage with a 3-1 aggregate triumph against the Swiss champions.
Welcome revenge

Delgado spent two-and-a-half seasons at Basel before joining Beşiktaş in summer 2006 but he was unable to leave on a high after Zürich claimed the title on the final day of the 2005/06 Swiss season. It was a disappointment the 24-year-old never forgot and having set out his aim to score at the İnönü Stadium he went one better, scoring twice. After a first half dominated by the home team, Delgado finally broke the deadlock eleven minutes after half-time and soon made progress safe with a second moments later as Beşiktaş proved too strong.
Beşiktaş threat

It took Delgado's tally to three over the course of the tie after he had scored in the 1-1 first-leg draw in Switzerland, though it was striker Bobo that posed much of the early threat in Istanbul. The Brazilian forward's first real chance came just before the half-hour when he met Serdar Özkan's exquisite cross, but headed past the post. He miscued again soon after, this time following Ricardinho's centre, and as time went on Zürich's hopes of an upset rose with Hakan Arıkan saving from Eudi Silva de Souza before the interval.
Double blow

Beşiktaş reaffirmed their dominance after the restart and on 56 minutes Delgado struck, heading Serdar Özkan's cross into the net via the upright. It was soon 2-0 as the Argentinian forward again proved too strong in the air, this time converting İbrahim Üzülmez's centre, and there was to be no way back for the visitors. Rafael Araujo almost struck a late consolation but Hakan Arıkan was again up to the task and it is Beşiktaş that go through to Thursday's draw.

Arsenal 3 - 0 Sparta

Arsenal FC are safely into the UEFA Champions League group stage after former AC Sparta Praha player Tomáš Rosický helped end the hopes of his old club.
Advantage increased

Already leading the third qualifying round tie 2-0 from the first leg two weeks ago, Arsenal increased their advantage within seven minutes tonight with a smart finish from Rosický. Sparta more than held their own thereafter, but could find no way back into the game and substitute Cesc Fabregas and Eduardo da Silva increased the margin of the English side's aggregate success late on.
Rosický on target

With injury problems denying him defender Bacary Sagna, William Gallas and Emmanuel Eboué, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was grateful for the fitness of centre-back Philippe Senderos after an ankle problem while Manuel Almunia continued in goal due to Jens Lehmann's achilles complaint. But the early action was at the other end and on seven minutes Justin Hoyte set away Theo Walcott, who moved through the Sparta defence and cut back for Rosický to sidefoot in.
Second goal

Robin van Persie threatened a second eight minutes later as he volleyed over Eduardo's cross, while Marek Kulič came close to equalising on the night but his shot deflected away from goal due to Hoyte's deflection. Jan Rezek then hit the ball into the side-netting but Arsenal's back line were seldom troubled. That continued after the break and there was only limited action in front of the Sparta goal. But Fabregas was brought on with 22 minutes left and near the end struck his second goal of the tie after some clever work on the left wing by Eduardo.
Eduardo strikes

The Croatian international then claimed a deserved goal of his own in the final minute with a volley from Denilson's cross. Arsenal, beaten finalists two seasons ago, can now look forward to their tenth straight group stage campaign after Thursday's draw. Sparta, meanwhile, will go into the UEFA Cup first round.

Anderlecht 0 - 2 Fenerbahçe

Fenerbahçe SK reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League with a fine victory in Brussels that meant RSC Anderlecht missed out on a place in the competition proper for the first time in five seasons.
Comfortable win

Already leading 1-0 from the first leg of their third qualifying round tie in Istanbul a fortnight ago, Fenerbahçe ensured they would not fall at the same stage as last year thanks to goals from Serbian striker Mateja Kežman and Brazilian midfielder Alex which gave the Turkish champions a comfortable win against their Belgian counterparts.
Kežman opener

Anderlecht went into the game knowing they needed goals and their task was made all the more difficult just three minutes in after the home team failed to clear a corner and the unmarked Kežman was allowed to finish from close range. The Belgian side now needed to score at least three times and the situation looked as though it was about to worsen still when Alex De Souza had the ball in the net again, only for the referee to give Anderlecht a reprieve following an earlier foul by Kežman.
Anderlecht unfortunate

The home side rallied and were twice unfortunate not to level matters on the night. On 25 minutes Mbark Boussafa's free-kick from just outside the area cannoned back off the crossbar, and seven minutes later Jelle Van Damme was dealt the same fate after connecting with a header. Anderlecht continued to press forward as the second half got under way, but without overworking the Fenerbahçe defence.
Pareja error

With 17 minutes to go the Turkish outfit then put the tie beyond doubt as Alex was presented with the ball following Nicolas Pareja's mistake, running on to seal the home team's fate. Fenerbahçe now await the UEFA Champions League draw on Thursday while Anderlecht must be content with a place in the UEFA Cup first round.

Dynamo Kyiv 3 - 0 Sarajevo

FC Dynamo Kyiv are ready to begin their eleventh UEFA Champions League group stage campaign after completing a comfortable victory against FK Sarajevo.
Sarajevo denied

The champions of Bosnia-Herzegovina were hoping to become the first team from their nation to reach the competition proper but lost the first leg of their third qualifying round tie 1-0 at home a fortnight ago, and any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Ismaël Bangoura struck early for Dynamo tonight. A Semjon Milošević own goal and Serhiy Rebrov penalty ensured Dynamo's place in tomorrow's draw while Sarajevo now enter the UEFA Cup first round.
Early goal

It took only three minutes for Bangoura to strike in Kiev. Marjan Marković sent over the cross and the Guinean forward was on hard to score his fifth goal in Dynamo's last three games. Sarajevo now needed to score twice and Dynamo were happy to soak up the pressure and show their counterattacking skills, with Maksim Shatskikh, Oleh Gusev and Bangoura especially impressive. Muhamed Alaim was working hard in the Sarajevo goal until the 61st minute, when injury forced him to make way to Irfan Fejzić.
Clinchers

The substitute was soon picking the ball out of the Sarajevo net as Bangoura's pass was turned into his own goal by Semjon Milošević. This was the cue for Dynamo coach to bring on experienced duo Valentin Belkevich and Rebrov, and the latter completed the scoring with a spot-kick near the end after Marković was fouled to ensure Dynamo and compatriots FC Shakhtar Donetsk will again represent Ukraine on European club football's highest stage.

Liverpool 4 - 0 Toulouse

Liverpool FC cruised into the UEFA Champions League group stage as last season's beaten finalists completed a 5-0 aggregate victory against Toulouse FC.
Beyond doubt

Leading 1-0 from the game in France two weeks ago, Liverpool scored on 18 minutes through Peter Crouch before Sami Hyypiä and Dirk Kuyt with two late goals put the result beyond doubt. The five-time European champions will find out their opponents in their fourth consecutive group stage campaign on Thursday; the following day Toulouse will be in the UEFA Cup first round draw for the first time in 20 years, after this unsuccessful end to their debut appearance at this level.
Early goal

The home side were missing Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher but Crouch was restored for his first start since the trip to Toulouse, in place of first-leg scorer Andriy Voronin, and Liverpool attacked from the off. John Arne Riise immediately tested Toulouse goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez with a free-kick. Crouch headed a 16th-minute corner off target but was soon on the scoresheet as he turned Kuyt's clever pass into the net.
Chances

Crouch went close again, shooting past the post and then heading over as Liverpool continued to dominate. Kuyt, selected ahead of Fernando Torres, also threatened with an effort from inside the box and the nearest Toulouse came was just before half-time when Johan Elmander cut out a Riise back-pass but the defender recovered to win back the ball.
Victory sealed

Within three minutes of the restart it was 2-0, a Yossi Benayoun corner being nodded in by Hyypiä. Liverpool were sailing through the tie and Kuyt provided still more attacking menace yet missed the target when set up by Crouch. The Dutchman was also denied by the crossbar after his shot had taken a touch off Mauro Cetto but he finally got his reward three minutes from time after a fine one-two with substitute Ryan Babel. Deep into stoppage time, Benayoun played him in for his second.

København 0 - 1 Benfica

SL Benfica stood firm in the face of a tide of pressure from FC København as Kostas Katsouranis' first-half goal proved enough to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory for the Portuguese outfit, and a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Missed opportunities

Greece international Katsouranis struck after just 17 minutes at the Parken Stadium, firing in from close range after good build-up play from Rui Costa and Oscar Óscar to further extend Benfica's advantage following their 2-1 first-leg triumph. It left the home team with it all to do but having already had a shot cleared off the line they swept forward. Atiba Hutchinson, Marcus Allbäck, Brede Hangeland and Libor Sionko all went close while Niclas Jensen saw his free-kick come back off the upright but the visitors held on.
Bright start

Having limited Benfica to a narrow win in Portugal a fortnight ago hopes were high in the Danish camp that they could ensure a swift return to the UEFA Champions League having made their group stage debut last term. Michael Gravgaard gave further cause for enthusiasm when he capped a bright opening by the home team when his effort forced a desperate goalline clearance on 12 minutes, but København soon found themselves further adrift as Katsouranis capitalised against the run of play. Ståle Solbakken's quickly regained their composure, however, and could easily have drawn level before the interval.
Pressure

Jensen was denied by the post on the half-hour while goalkeeper Quim did well to save from Hutchinson soon after and Allbäck then headed just wide before the interval. Benfica earned some relief after the restart, with Jesper Christiansen called into action to keep out Nuno Assis' close-range header, yet København were soon back on the offensive. Hangeland headed just over and substitute Sionko fizzed a rasping drive past the post midway through the half though as time ebbed away. With it went home hopes as Benfica stood firm until the end.

Elfsborg 1 - 2 Valencia

The slim hopes of IF Elfsborg making their debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage were dashed by a clinical display from two-time finalists Valencia CF, who became the first visiting team to win in Boras in eight months.
Twice winners

Valencia, runners-up in 2000 and 2001, added to the 3-0 advantage they built-up at Mestalla two weeks ago by winning 2-1 at the home of the Swedish champions with Iván Helguera and David Villa securing their progress from the third qualifying round despite the brief cheer of a Daniel Alexandersson goal for the hosts. Elfsborg had already come through two rounds to make it to the brink of the group stage, twice winning 1-0 on aggregate against Linfield FC and Debreceni VSC, but knew their dream of claiming the biggest scalp in the club's history was fading as soon as Helguera scored when unmarked with just five minutes on the clock.
Alexandersson cheer

The home crowd, who have become accustomed to cheering their heroes to victory, watched their team battle bravely, however, and were on their feet on the half-hour when Alexandersson found the net. Indeed Elfsborg continued to hold their own against their more experienced opponents, with Anders Svensson and Denni Avdic impressing in midfield, but Magnus Haglund's side were even denied the satisfaction of a second-leg draw as Villa scored for Valencia in the final seconds.
Mistake costly

"We make a mistake for their [first] goal, and you can't afford to do that in games like this - after that we played for the fans and did well," said striker Fredrik Berglund. "We needed to put pressure on them early on in the game, and try to break up their play early on," added coach Haglund. "Their early goal made it virtually impossible for us, so it killed the game. We did well, but Swedish clubs in general will always struggle against world-class sides like Valencia."

Rangers 0-0 Crvena Zvezda

Rangers FC held FK Crvena Zvezda to a scoreless draw in Belgrade to progress to the UEFA Champions League group stage courtesy of their 1-0 first-leg win in Glasgow.
Rearguard action

The Scottish club survived an early scare before producing a solid defensive performance to take their place in Thursday's draw and deny the Serbian champions a first appearance in the UEFA Champions League proper.
Early chance

Backed by a capacity 50,000 crowd, 'Red Star' went out in search of a goal to level the tie and it almost arrived within two minutes. Uncharacteristically, Carlos Cuéllar misjudged a high ball which presented Igor Burzanović with a scoring opportunity from eight metres, but the Crvena Zvezda striker – who had missed the first leg through suspension – shot straight at Allan McGregor.
Home pressure

Dušan Andjelković should have broken the deadlock on 34 minutes when a loose ball fell to him deep inside the Rangers box, yet with the goal at his mercy the left-back lifted a shot harmlessly over. Milorad Kosanović's men were doing all the running with Rangers content to soak up the pressure and McGregor forced into action again just before half-time, blocking Andjelković's attempt at the expense of a corner.
Counterattack

Crvena Zvezda continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession after the break without creating clear-cut openings. Indeed, the best chance fell to Jean-Claude Darcheville at the other end on 57 minutes. The Rangers forward used his strength to wriggle away from his marker on the edge of the area but his strike failed to find the target.
Late rally

Buoyed by that effort, Lee McCulloch tried his luck and Ivan Randjelović had to turn his shot around the post, before home captain Ognjen Koroman prompted another good stop from McGregor with an attempt from just outside the box. In the closing minutes the home team pushed for a goal that would take the tie to extra time but Rangers held on, ensuring that Nacho Novo's solitary strike in Glasgow sent them into the group stage for the eighth time.

Lazio 3-1 Dinamo Bucuresti

S.S. Lazio teetered on the brink of a UEFA Champions League exit before a second-half comeback took them past FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti and into the group stage.
Second-half revival

Following a 1-1 draw in Rome, this tie was finely balanced and it seemed that the Romanian champions were heading into the UEFA Champions League proper for the first time when Florin Bratu gave them a lead they held at the break. But Lazio were a transformed team after the interval: Tommaso Rocchi's penalty quickly levelled matters and he struck again to seal victory after Goran Pandev had put the visitors ahead.
Dinamo dominate

Dinamo coach Mircea Rednic's decision to deploy Andrei Margaritescu and Adrian Ropotan as sweepers in front of the defence proved effective early on as Lazio danger men Simone Del Nero, Rocchi and Pandev found their efforts frustrated. The hosts were attacking at will, especially down the left through Adrian Cristea and Cristian Pulhac, and the latter crossed for Daniel Oprita to go close with an eleventh-minute header.
Bratu scores

Ionel Danciulescu, making his 50th UEFA club competition appearance, forced Marco Ballotta to save with a smart shot, and not long before the half-hour Dinamo broke through as Bratu ran in from the right, cut into the box and fired in the opening goal. Lazio had done little of note in the first half, but within seconds of the restart their luck turned.
Game turns

Dinamo defender Valentin Vasile Nastase, who had returned home this summer after five years in Italy, lost the ball on the edge of his area and in trying to win it back brought down Del Nero at the expense of a penalty, converted by Rocchi. Now Dinamo were struggling, and seven minutes later Lazio pounced on a Margaritescu pass in midfield and their swift counterattack was finished off by Pandev.
Win sealed

Home goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont denied Gaby Mudingayi while Pandev drove wide, yet Rocchi soon put the result beyond doubt as Lazio broke again and, all alone in the box, he made no mistake. Lobont then saved from Del Nero, but Lazio's place in Thursday's draw was assured. Dinamo, meanwhile, are a two-legged tie away from their third consecutive UEFA Cup group stage campaign.

Thousands of fans pay homage to Sevilla defender Puerta

Thousands of people paid homage overnight to Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta who died after suffering a heart attack during the club's opening match of the Spanish league on Saturday.
The 22-year-old, who made his national team debut last season, died in hospital on Tuesday and his body was moved to Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium where a temporary mortuary was set up to allow fans to pay their respects.
"Puerta, friend, Seville is with you," supporters of Sevilla and its cross-town rivals Betis Seville chanted as the body was moved from the hopsital to the stadium.
Puerta will be buried at a cemetary in Seville in southwestern Spain at 2pm (1200 GMT), the club said.
Thousands of fans from both clubs flocked to the stadium throughout the night to leave football scarves, candles and dozens of flower arrangements near Puerta's body.
The body of the player was draped with the flag of the club, which was founded in 1905. At his side were the recent trophies won by the club, including the UEFA Cup won last season.
The Sevilla squad returned from Athens, where they had been set to play a Champions League return leg against AEK Athens on Tuesday night, and immediately went to the stadium, arriving at around 2:35am (0035 GMT).
Accompanied by Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido and the club's coach Juande Ramos, the squad was greeted with applause by some 20,000 supporters with cries of "Sevilla! Sevilla! Sevilla!".
The Champions League match has now been scheduled for Monday although the UEFA Cup champions' Super Cup match against Champions League winners AC Milan, scheduled for Friday, has been maintained.
Spain's sports newspapers also paid homage to Puerta.
"Antonio Puerta, the injustice of dying at the age of 22. Why?" wrote sports daily Marca in its headline.

Much integers basically city

From the 17th till the 19th of August the matches of the 6th round of Ukrainian Premier League took place. Dnipro continued its victorious series in the match against Zorya and stays the only team which hasn’t yet lost any point in a new season. The most effective match was played in Kyiv where Dynamo and Karpaty Lviv together scored 10 goals. Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih got its first win in a new season. They won Metalurh Donetsk. Premier League. The 6th roundVorskla Poltava – Arsenal Kyiv – 2:1 (Grumych, 36, Kravchenko, 58 – Seleznyov, 49). Metalurh Donetsk – Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih – 0:1 (Ivaschenko, 25). Zakarpattya (Uzhgorod) – Chornomorets Odesa – 2:0 (Kozoriz, 70, Martsveladze, 87). Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka – Metalurh Zaporizhya – 0:1 (Lazarovych, 65). Tavriya Simferopol – Kharkiv Kharkiv – 1:0 (Gomenyuk, 12). Zorya Lugansk – Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk – 0:1 (Samodin, 38). Metalist Kharkiv – Shakhtar Donetsk – 1:3 (Devych, 47 – Gladkyi, 18, Fernandinho, 68, Ilsinho, 85). Dynamo Kyiv – Karpaty Lviv – 7:3 (Shatskyh, 15, Pshenychnyh, 20, auto goal, Bangura, 29, 61, 79, Markovych, 43, Korrea, 90 – Batysta, 8, Kovel, 42, Kobin, 49). Goal fairy playDynamo and Karpaty entertained the fans having scored 10 goals together. Dynamo started the game in its best traditions in this season and already on the 9th minute got a ball in their goal. Batista was the one who scored. But in a few minutes there was a corner in Ruslan Rotan’s execution and Maksym Shatskyh headed a goal into Yuriy Martyschyuk’s goal and soon Sergiy Pshenychnyh tried to defend the goal of his team after Maikl’s pass, but scored a goal in it. On the 30th minute Ismael Bangura scored his first goal in Ukraine after a pass of Maikl. It was not enough for him and he scored two goals more. Goalkeeper substitutionThe spectators on the stands of Valeriy Lobanovskiy stadium didn’t have time to get upset: goalkeeper of Georgia’s team Georgiy Lomaya, who substituted Martyshchuk at FC Karpaty goal, was running round like a squirrel in a cage. However, his efforts weren’t sufficient: before the break signal Markovic scored from the right-hand flank. By the way, Serbian scored in the previous round sealing the victory for Kyiv footballers against FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhya. Then Bangoura made two precise shots, Korrea finished crashing Lviv players with a superb head shot. Bangoura’s hat trickOn the background of Dynamo’s goal shower two significant attacks of the guests left only agreeable episodes in the game of Oleksandr Ishchenko’s team. Leonid Kovel made a powerful shot from penalty area, and Vasyl Kobin scored right after the break jumping over Diakhate and driving the ball by the head into the net. FC Dnipro keeps moving upRussian Serhiy Samodin has become one of the main heroes of the match between FC Dnipro and FC Zorya. He dashed into the penalty area of Luhansk footballers on the 38th minute and struck in the left corner – 1:0. FC Dnipro managed to keep the score line untouchable even after its captain Oleh Shelayev was suspended. So, Oleh Protasov’s team gained the sixth win in a row. Castillo’s debutFC Shakhtar gained an uneasy victory over FC Metalis in Kharkiv. The hosts managed to respond on Oleksandr Hladkiy’s goal before the break. Then, Marco Devic fulfilled a superb combination on the 47th minute. The balance in the score line was ruined when Fernandinho scored after the corner strike, and Ilcinho sealed the victory after a successful pass from Castillo.

Ukrainian first in World Student Play

The Student group Ukraine s was conquered gold(en) medals in World Student Play, which are conducted Bangkok. The Group Volodymyr Lozynskiy s overcame the Italian 1:0 on final match due to powerful выстреленному by FC Dnipro Cherkassy halfback Dmytro Pronevych. So, in tournament our group was conquered four matches from five. The Bronze bonus was obtained by group Thailand s, which changed the Canadian in contest for the third position after-penalty kicks of the match.

Diakhate in Senegal squad for friendly

Senegal coach Henri Kasperczak on Saturday named a 20-man squad for the friendly against Ghana to be played in London this Tuesday.
Kasperczak picked the side with a view to Senegal's upcoming 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso on September 8.
Ghana are the hosts of the 2008 CAN.
Goalkeepers: Tony Sylva (Lille/FRA), Kalidou Cissokho (Baki Football Club/AZE)
Defenders: Ferdinand Coly (Parma/ITA), Pascal Mendy (FC Kaunus/LTU), Mouhamed Adama Sarr (Standard Liege/BEL), Pape Malickou Diakhate (Dynamo Kyiv/UKR), Lamine Diatta (Besiktas/TUR), Nguirane Ndaw (Sochaux/FRA), Ibrahima Faye (Troyes/FRA)
Midfielders: Badara Sene (Sochaux/FRA), Pape Bouba Diop (Fulham/ENG), Frederic Mendy (Bastia/FRA), Bayal Sall (Saint-Etienne/FRA)
Strikers: Babacar Gueye (Metz/FRA), Diomansy Kamara (Fulham/ENG), Pape Waigo Ndiaye (Sampdoria/ITA), Pape Mamadou Sougou (Leiria/POR), Demba Ba (Mouscron/BEL), Mamadou Niang (Marseille/FRA), El Hadji Diouf (Bolton/ENG)

Italy call up keeper Curci for Hungary friendly

Italy is Ukraine's opponent in the UEFA Euro-2008 qualifiers
Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has given a first senior call-up to AS Roma goalkeeper Gianluca Curci for Wednesday's friendly in Hungary.
The 22-year-old, battling with Brazilian Doni for the number one jersey at Roma, has made the step up from the under-21s.
Donadoni also surprisingly brought back Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani and Sampdoria's Angelo Palombo, with the likes of Daniele De Rossi short of match fitness.
The coach, without retired pair Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta, was forced to pick the squad without seeing a competitive game after the league ignored his pleas and decided to start Serie A next weekend.
The world champions are second in Euro 2008 Group B qualifying and play leaders France in Milan on Sept. 8.
Goalkeepers: Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Gianluca Curci (AS Roma)
Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Fabio Grosso (Olympique Lyon), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Massimo Oddo (AC Milan), Cristian Zaccardo (Palermo), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona)
Midfielders: Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma), Aimo Diana (Palermo), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)
Forwards: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich).

Shakhtar to seal 19-year-old Brazilian for $18mln?

Willian Borges da Silva, 19, a Brazilian right-sided attacking midfielder for Corinthians, has one foot in Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donestk. After the player admitted his exit from Corinthians, his father, Severino Vieira, confirmed that the athlete will travel to Ukraine to get to know the club and to finalize last details.
“They have made a proposal of $18 million, we are going to Ukraine to see if the conditions meet what the Ukrainians had offered”, Severino told Radio Globe.
Although the trip is confirmed by the club, the deal hasn't been finalized yet.

Kalynychenko comes on after Spartak made it four

Russian Premier League. Round 21.
Spartak Moscow 4–0 Kuban [Pavlyuchenko 2', 39', 51', Bystrov 61']
Spartak: Pletikosa, Soave, Kovac, Stranzl, Shishkin, Torbinsky (Boyarintsev 46'), Titov (Kalynychenko 68'), Mozart, Bystrov, Welliton, Pavlyuchenko (Dzyuba 77')

SK Rapid Wien 1–0 RB Salzburg

Red Bull Salzburg are Shahtar's opponent in the UEFA CL
Austria Bundesliga. Round 7.
SK Rapid Wien 1–0 RB Salzburg [Katzer 77']
Salzburg: Ochs, Dudic, Carboni, Kovac, Zickler (Lokvenc 54'), Alex Santos, Pitak (Ilic 87'), Miyamoto, Sekagya, Leitgeb, Janocko (Vonlanthen 54')

Tymoschuk plays for winning Zenit

Russian Premier League. Round 21.
Zenit 2–1 Tom [Kim 17', 37' - Catinsus 19']
Zenit: Contofalski, Anyukov, Lomberts, Kim, Hagen, Zyryanov, Sirl, Tymoschuk, Arshavin, Pogrebnyak, Dominguez (Denisov 83')

Velez Mostar 2–2 FK Sarajevo

FK Sarajevo are Dynamo's opponent in the UEFA CL
Bosnia-Herzegovina Premier Liga. Round 2.
Velez Mostar 2–2 FK Sarajevo

Groclin 0–0 GKS Bełchatów

GKS Bełchatów are Dnipro's opponent in the UEFA Cup
Poland Ekstraklasa. Round 4.
Groclin 0–0 GKS Bełchatów
GKS Bełchatów: Lech, Kowalczyk, Cecot, Stolarczyk, Popek (Herrera Zegarra 40'), Wróbel (Jarzębowski 53'), Strąk, Rachwał, Ujek, Nowak (Reyes 72'), Dziedzic.

Victor Prokopenko dies

Ukrainian football community has suffered great loss. On 18 august died Viktor PROKOPENKO, aged 62. Esteemed and highly regarded football coach, Member of Parliament and simply a very nice person, devoted to football. Shakhtar fans will always remember Viktor Prokopenko as a coach who led the Miners to the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time in the Orange-black team’s history. For a long spell of time Mr Prokopenko had worked as the club’s sporting director. Once MP, Prokopenko always maintained contact with Shakhtar and tried to attend all matches of the Donetsk team. Today we are saying goodbye to more than just a coach, sportsman and public figure. We are saying goodbye to a whole football epoch. His name is engraved in our minds. He was a believer and we are sure that now Viktor Prokopenko is in better world. Rinat Akhmetov, Shakhtar management, Club’s employees as well as coaching staff, players and fans mourn for Viktor Prokopenko. Our condolence is with his family and friends.

Levy puts faith in Levite

Israel Under-21 coach Guy Levy has named goalkeeper Ohad Levite as the new captain to lead his side out against Ukraine in the Valeriy Lobanovsky tournament in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Missing starletsLevy, whose side won the tournament last year, will be hoping for an improvement from June's UEFA European Under-21 Championship when Israel lost all three of their games. However, Levy must make do without Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC duo Rami Doani and Dani Bondarv and Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC pair Omer Peretz and Sheran Yeiny, who all took part in their club’s respective UEFA Cup second qualifying round first legs on Thursday and will play in the opening match of the league season on Monday.
Levite honourHapoel Kfar-Saba FC goalkeeper Ohad Levite, who was an unused in the Netherlands this summer, was delighted at being handed the captain's armband, saying: "It's a great honour for me to fill a role with such a lot of responsibility. I am stepping into the big shoes of two former captains Dekel Keinan and Tom Al Madon. The previous team laid the foundations for those who will follow and now we have a squad based on the youth team that narrowly missed out on promotion to the [UEFA European] Under-19 finals."
Israel squadGoalkeepers: Ohad Levite (Hapoel Kfar-Saba FC), Itamar Nitzan (Maccabi Hertzliya FC).
Defenders: Shai Maimon (Maccabi Haifa FC), Oded Elkayam (Hapoel Haifa FC), Nitzan Damari (Maccabi Petach-Tikva FC), Shimon Harush (Hapoel Haifa FC), Shai Hadad (Beitar Jerusalem FC), Shmuel Kozokin (Beitar Jerusalem FC).
Midfielders: Avi Rikan (Maccabi Hertzliya FC), Beram Kayal (Maccabi Haifa FC), Bibras Natcho (Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC), Hisham Kiwan (Hapoel Haifa FC), Lior Gan (Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC), Maor Buzaglo (Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin FC), Eran Zehavi (Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC).
Forwards: Etey Schachter (Maccabi Netanya FC), Dovev Gabay (Maccabi Petach-Tikva FC), Hen Azriel (Beitar Jerusalem FC), Moshe Ben Lulu (FC Ashdod).

Top-20 from Mykhailychenko

On Tuesday, August 14 the coach of Ukraine U-21 team Oleksiy Mykhailychenko announced a list of footballers who will prepare for taking part in the V International tournament in commemoration of Valeriy Lobanovskyi which will be hold in Kyiv from 21 till 23 of August. As well as Ukraine National team coach Oleg Blokhin the main manager of U-21 team has invited three newcomers to his team.

Ukraine U-21 squad:

Goalkeepers: Bogdan Shust (Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Rybka (Dynamo Kyiv);

Defenders: Oleg Dopilka, Vitaliy Mandzyuk, Vitaliy Fedoriv (all – Dynamo), Taras Stepanenko (Metalurh Zaporizhya), Dmytro Chygrynskyi (Shakhtar), Oleksandr Chyzhov (Vorskla Poltava);

Midfielders: Kostyantyn Kravchenko, Maksym Pashaev (both – Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Mykola Morozyuk (Dynamo), Oleksiy Polyanskyi (Shakhtar), Sergiy Zeldi (Zakarpattya Uzhgorod), Kostyantyn Yaroshenko (Chornomorets Odesa), Vyacheslav Sharpar (Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka), Oleksandr Yakovenko (Henk Belgium);

Forwards: Volodymyr Pryyomov (Shakhtar), Volodymyr Lysenko (Dynamo), Denys Oliynyk (Naftovyk-Ukrnafta), Oleksiy Antonov (Metalist kharkiv).

The first victory of Dynamo

From the 10th to 12th August the matches of the 5th round of national championship took place in Premier league. Finally an operating champions, Dynamo Kyiv, tore off series without victories in present championship. Anatoliy Demyanenko’s guy beat Metalurh Zaporizhya thanks to the goal of Mariyan Markovych. Kryvbas finally got the first test mark taking in a draw a duel against Kharkiv. Meantime a leader Dnipro does not reduce turns. This time Naftovyk-Ukrnafta did not withstand against his attacks. Oleg Protasov’s footballers remain at the top of the tournament table with the maximal amount of points.

Miracle-goal of Kravchenko

Dnipro confidently, without any troubles overacted debutants from Okhtyrka which still dream about getting points or even about any scored goal in this season. The victory was got thanks to goals of midfielder of National team Sergiy Nazarenko and a leader of Ukraine U-21 team Kostyantyn Kravchenko. The goal of Kravchenko looked especially showy: from a corner a penalty area – in the distant overhead corner of the goal.

“Cannon” of Markovych

The defender of Dynamo Kyiv Mariyan Markovych succeded to score no less showy goal on the 31st minute of match against Metalurh Zaporizhya. But here Serbian scored from a penalty kick. Probably, the goalkeeper of hosts Vitaliy Postranskyi was not at his best in this situation. The first victory in the championship, certainly, will add a good mood to Kyivans who maintain the squall of criticism now. This is especially important in connection with the start of Anatoliy Demyanenko’s team in the Champions League tournament. We should remind that on the nearest Wednesday Dynamo will meet Bosnian Saraevo in away match.

And Hladkiy again

Shakhtar Donetsk will have its first match in the third qualifying round of Champions League against Salzburg on Wednesday as well. Like Kyiv footballers, Donetsk players gained a win in national competition before the trip to Austria. As a matter of fact, for them it’s the fourth one in a row. A domestic match with Poltava players proved to be a true strength test for Shakhtar footballers. The first half was successful for the guests. Myroslav Grumych opened the score through the slip of Dmytro Chyhrynskiy. After the break, when Brandao and Oleksandr Hladkiy came out on the field, the game became brighter. However, the goal in response was scored before Hladkiy appeared: Fernandinho struck in the corner. On the 79th minute, after Srna performed a corner kick, Hladkiy sealed the victory for his team and ensured the first position for himself in the fixture of strikers. The forward, who is turning 20 on 24th August, has already five goals scored. Kosyrin is on the par with him, however one his goal is a penalty kick.

There's no one to stop FC Dnipro

Premier League matches of the fourth round of national competition took place from 3-5 August. FC Dnipro tops the tournament fixture with 12 points after its successive wins. This time Oleh Protasov’s team edged out the current champion Dynamo Kyiv in a return match. Dnipropetrovsk players left FC Shakhtar behind with a two-point distance; the latter battled out a hard victory on Sunday in Uzhgorod. Meanwhile, FC Kryvbas and FC Naftovyk-Ukrnafta still didn’t gain a point.

Successful start

Dnipro players called on Kyiv as leaders of the current season without tasting a loss so far. Whereas Dynamo players made quite a luckless start with no win in the championship. The Sunday match confirmed the balance set between the teams. Oleh Protasov’s guys, having lost one goal on the 8th minute (Rebrov scored), didn’t feel at sea, and started pressing their way forward. They impressed with a skillful game, quick switching from defense to attacking and variety of tactical combinations. As a result, Serhiy Samodin scored twice and Andriy Vorobey sealed the victory.

Brandao the rescuer

Vice-champion of the country had an uneasy trip to Uzhgorod. Ambitious FC Zakarpattya caused quite enough bothering to Shakhtar Donetsk. Zakarpattya goalkeeper Dmytro Babenko made a heroic deed considering that Donetsk players provided rampant attacks. However, his efforts weren’t sufficient to avert the shot of Brandao.

Renaissance of Kosyrin

Oleksandr Kosyrin made the fans of Metalurh Donetsk rejoice again. After his hat-trick in the first round against Arsenal ex-forward of Ukraine’s national-team scored twice on Friday.

Bidenko waits for new talents

Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) vice-president Anatoliy Bidenko told the correspondent of newspaper Ukrainian football that qualification of those legionnaires who appeared in Ukraine recently doesn’t arouse doubts. “But my attitude towards well-known names was always careful, – he added. – The name doesn’t mean that a footballer will value it, that he will prove its importance with his good actions on the field. It is not known yet whether such player came to play football or simply earn money”.

About stars

“In general the fact that a player who became famous abroad comes to Ukraine makes us think about his real motives. Our country is not France or Italy. If the player came to confirm his mastery – It is very good, because our Ukrainian players will progress with such footballer. A very important thing is what the star will show on the field, whether it will become a leader. Such player has to be a pride of his team in order the fans to come on his matches”.

About a limit

“A limit for legionnaires has to be more and more strict. Foreigners don’t give a way for Ukrainian young talents. As an example, Russia has put a task to restrain a number of foreigners on the field to four people until 2010. For sure we also have to take it as our aim and we are being deciding for two years whether we should change the limit for legionnaires from eight to seven or not. We have to be more courageous in this question. Maybe not four, but five-six foreigners is the optimal variant”.

About talented youth

“More over that we have a perspective youth who knocks not only on the door of best Ukrainian teams main squads, but also National and other teams. I suppose that our talented generation will show themselves just in this season. Maybe by making more strict limits for legionnaires we will make the clubs to pay attention to Ukrainian youth and give them an opportunity to play in the main squad. I suppose that our championship has to work on Ukraine and not for other countries”.

About refereeing

“It’s known that before the season referees had a meeting with FFU and PFL officials. I reckon any conversation like that is useful. The referees presumed that actually one mistake in a match can possibly bring career to decay. So, their arguments were discussed – now this can happen only after a second bad mark within one round. After that referee is relegated to two leagues down. Clubs understand that a referee is a human being, but everyone should see he committed a mistake and there was no sympathizing to one of competitors”.

About mutual respect

“If the entire staff, working in football, would treat each other with deference, there won’t be severe critics after matches which we sometimes hear. If a club makes claims on refereeing, he can provide the corresponding video materials to FFU Commission of Experts within three days. If we don’t trust our referees, the entire Europe won’t trust us. Then our referees will be consigned mediocre matches among the matches of international level. In my opinion, Ukrainian referees match their qualification, and inviting the foreign ones is a way to nowhere”.

About forming Premier League

“Premier League is a panacea from all disasters. We should keep in mind its forming presupposes two main tasks. The heads of the clubs should understand the importance of this point, as this is entirely another level, another aims. Then we’ll have to train the growing generation, to develop the infrastructure in order to play in equal conditions on good fields. Every club should have a solid budget. These are presidents of the clubs who should speak about the Premier League, not FFU officials. If the majority of the clubs would match all the requirements, adhere all the laws, then this will be Premier League. But when only four clubs aspire for that, and the rest are negative about it, there’s no sense in forming it”.

About numerical structure of leagues

“I’m convinced that premier league should contain 16 teams, first league – 18 teams and second league – 16 teams. I think this is enough for us. If you take a look at UEFA report, you might think Ukraine is the most developed country of Europe. At 2005 we had 77 professional clubs, whereas Denmark had 56 clubs, Hungary – 48, Bulgaria – 44, Italy – 42, France – 40”. Professional status

“To my mind, every club should meet the professional status. Those who won’t match the FFU Certification Committee would be half-professionals or amateurs. A transition league can be established for such teams, as it was set in 1992. It would help amateurs to improve the level of their infrastructure to contemporary requirements”.

FC Dnipro moves forward without losses

Premier League matches of the third round of national competition took place from 27-29 July. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, after smashing FC Metalurh Donetsk 4:1, topped the tournament fixture. Dnipropetrovsk players battled out three victories. Therefore, FC Shakhtar and FC Metalurh Zaporizhya keep a two-point lag from Oleh Protasov’s

Holiday for Shelayev, Dnipro’s victory

The match between FC Dnipro and Metalurh Donetsk proved to be the most efficient one. The score was opened on the 4th minute by Andriy Vorobey. In the middle of the first half Oleh Shelayev celebrated his 300th goal in Premier League with a penalty kick awarded after Marcio Glad played a handball. Serhiy Nazarenko sealed the victory with two goals bringing himself to the first position among the strikers of his team.

Premiers for Shakhtar

FC Shakhtar gained his second 3:0 victory in a row. This time FC Zorya succumbed to Donetsk players who performed in the new-old uniform of the 70-s. Match destiny was set before the break time. Jádson shot the first goal and Hladkiy later added two more, which allowed him to top the fixture of the best strikers of the competition. After a break time the spectators didn’t witness a goal anymore, but they saw the debut of Shakhtar’s star newcomer Cristiano Lucarelli. Without points and goals

Convincing victories with a 3:0 score line were also gained by FC Arsenal and FC Karpaty having edged out FC Naftovyk-Ukrnafta and FC Kryvbas respectively. The teams from Okhtyrka and Kryviy Rih are the only teams who neither gained tournament points nor scored a goal. They are first candidates who might face relegation.

Blokhin called out three newcomers

On Tuesday, 14 August, head coach of Ukraine’s national-team Oleh Blokhin named squad that will be getting ready for the friendly against Uzbekistan to take place on 22 August on Kyiv Valeriy Lobanovskiy Dynamo stadium. The training gathering will start two days before the match at Konche-Zaspa base.

Ukraine’s national-team squad

Goalkeepers: Oleksandr Shovkovskiy (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Maksym Startsev (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Andriy Pyatov (FC Shakhtar Donetsk). Defenders: Andriy Nesmachniy (FC Dynamo), Volodymyr Yezerskiy, Oleksandr Kucher (both from FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Andriy Rusol (FC Dnipro). Midfielders: Oleh Husyev, Ruslan Rotan, Taras Mykhalyk (all from FC Dynamo), Serhiy Nazarenko, Oleh Shelayev, Oleksandr Hrytsay (all from FC Dnipro), Serhiy Danylovskiy (FC Metalurh Donetsk), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, Russia). Forwards: Andriy Vorobey (FC Dnipro), Andriy Voronin (Liverpool FC, England), Oleksandr Hladkiy (FC Shakhtar), Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea FC London, England).

Dynamo wins, Shakhtar loses

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 14 and 15 August, 16 first matches of the third qualifying round of UEFA Champions League took place. Dynamo Kyiv overcame Sarajevo Bosnia in away-match owing to the goal of Maksym Shatskykh, and Shakhtar Donetsk succumbed to Salzburg in Austria, having lost the penalty goal.

Stadiums EURO 2012

Soon to be completed

5-Star Shakhtar Stadium in Donetsk.
Municipal Stadium in
Poznań.

Ukraina Stadium in

Lviv.

Soon to be completed Dnipro

Stadium in Dnipropetrovsk.

Uefa Cup Fixtures

Thursday, 30 August 2007

AIK v FK Metalurgs, (agg 2-3) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:00
AaB v HJK Helsinki, (agg 1-2) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:30
Anorthosis Famagusta v CFR Cluj-Napoca, (agg 3-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:00
Artmedia Bratislava v Mika Ashtarak, (agg 1-2) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:00
BK Hacken v Dunfermline, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:00
Blackburn v MyPa, (agg 1-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 20:00
CSKA Sofia v Omonia Nicosia, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:30
FC Midtjylland v FC Haka, (agg 2-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:00
FC Sion v SV Ried, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:15
FK Suduva v SK Brann, (agg 1-2) Leg 2, Second Round, 15:00
Fredrikstad v Hammarby, (agg 1-2) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:00
GKS Belchatow v Dnipro, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:45
Galatasaray v NK Slaven Koprivnica, (agg 2-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:00
Groclin Dyskobolia v Tobol Kostanay, (agg 1-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 15:45
Hamburg v Budapest Honved, (agg 0-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:30
Hapoel Tel-Aviv v Siroki Brijeg, (agg 3-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:50
Helsingborgs IF v Drogheda Utd, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:30
Jablonec v FK Austria Magna, (agg 3-4) Leg 2, Second Round, 17:15
Kayseri Erciyesspor v Maccabi Tel-Aviv, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 17:00
Lens v Young Boys, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:00
Litex Lovech v Besa, (agg 3-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 17:00
Maccabi Netanya v Uniao Leiria, (agg 0-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:30
Odense BK v Dinamo Minsk, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:30
Otelul Galati v Lokomotiv Sofia, (agg 1-3) Leg 2, Second Round, 15:00
Rapid Vienna v Dinamo Tbilisi, (agg 3-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:30
SV Mattersburg v Basle, (agg 1-2) Leg 2, Second Round, 17:15
Sampdoria v Hajduk Split, (agg 1-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:45
Standard Liege v UN 97 Kaerjeng, (agg 3-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:00
Valerenga v FK Ekranas, (agg 1-1) Leg 2, Second Round, 18:00
Vojvodina v Atletico Madrid, (agg 0-3) Leg 2, Second Round, 15:30
Zenit St Petersburg v Vion Zlate Moravce, (agg 2-0) Leg 2, Second Round,
Zrinjski Mostar v Rabotnicki Kometal, (agg 0-0) Leg 2, Second Round, 19:30

Uefa Cup Results

Thursday, 16 August 2007

Atletico Madrid 3-0 Vojvodina
Basle 2-1 SV Mattersburg
Besa 0-3 Litex Lovech
Budapest Honved 0-0 Hamburg
CFR Cluj-Napoca 1-3 Anorthosis Famagusta
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Odense BK
Dinamo Tbilisi 0-3 Rapid Vienna
Dnipro 1-1 GKS Belchatow
Drogheda Utd 1-1 Helsingborgs IF
Dunfermline 1-1 BK Hacken
FC Haka 1-2 FC Midtjylland
FK Austria Magna 4-3 Jablonec
FK Ekranas 1-1 Valerenga
FK Metalurgs 3-2 AIK
HJK Helsinki 2-1 AaB
Hajduk Split 0-1 Sampdoria
Hammarby 2-1 Fredrikstad
Lokomotiv Sofia 3-1 Otelul Galati
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Voronin verve thrills Benítez

With one former Bayer 04 Leverkusen striker having taken English football by storm last season, Andriy Voronin showed he has the talent to follow Dimitar Berbatov's lead by scoring the only goal as Liverpool FC triumphed at Toulouse FC on Wednesday.
'Fantastic goal'

The Ukrainian international produced the one moment of class amid searing temperatures in south-west France, collecting Peter Crouch's header before dispatching a fierce drive into the top left-hand corner in the 43rd minute. "It was a fantastic goal and Andriy showed the quality he has," enthused Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez. "He is different from the strikers we have as he has game intelligence, he links up play well and he can score goals." His first-leg strike makes Liverpool strong favourites to return to the UEFA Champions League group stage.
German education

Voronin, 28, began his career with FC Chornomorets Odesa in his homeland, but once told uefa.com he owed his "football education" to Germany having arrived at VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach as a 16-year-old. He then played for 1. FSV Mainz 05 and 1. FC Köln before linking up with Berbatov at Leverkusen; the partnership yielded 35 Bundesliga goals in 2004/05, and 28 the following season, before the Bulgarian's successful switch to Tottenham Hotspur FC.
New forwards

Like Voronin, who made way for Fernando Torres late in the third qualifying round encounter, Ryan Babel also had a promising European debut for last term's runners-up. Despite the away goal and the fact Liverpool have never lost a tie at this stage, Benítez urged caution though, saying: "We will need to work hard in the second game at Anfield because they showed they can be dangerous on the counterattack. It will be a difficult match and we need to finish off the job."

'Different story'

Defender Jamie Carragher agreed with his manager's assessment of Voronin's performance – and with his view of the contest so far – saying: "Andriy scored a great goal and full credit to him because he's been as good as anyone so far for us. I was right behind it when he hit the shot and could see it was going in. The tie's not over yet, though. We didn't play particularly well and in the past at Anfield we haven't played too well in the qualifiers so we'll be looking for a different story this time."
Professionalism

Toulouse had gone into the game brimming with confidence following their weekend defeat of French champions Olympique Lyonnais, yet they struggled to cope with the visitors' organisation and professionalism. "We'd do well to be inspired by Liverpool: technically they were superior to us and always stuck to their 4-4-2," said coach Elie Baup. "It felt like we were hitting a brick wall." Midfielder Achille Emana added: "When you see them play, you understand why they reached the Champions League final last season. I don't think it's over for us but we need to give a lot more." Even that might not be enough.