Champions League Journal - Carpe Diem is a misery for Liverpool

It was always on the cards. A Milan win was expected by many who watched the game, but somewhat surprisingly it was Liverpool who were the better team.

Outnumbering Milan's shots on goal by nearly three to one, it was Liverpool's attacking ambition that could have caused an upset. In the end, it only served to increase their disappointment at failing to beat a side who rarely tested their goalkeeper.Jose Reina may have been the hero of the semi-final against Chelsea, but he had little to do in Athens, other than pick the ball out of his net twice.

Liverpool certainly created enough chances to win the game. Steven Gerrard in particular had a wonderful opportunity to level the game, but seemed to get his shot stuck under his foot and it was easily saved by Dida.



Most Journals agree that:

Guardian added: No one would claim this was one of the great European [Champion Clubs'] Cup finals. The side that finished third in the Premiership was beaten by the side that are fourth in Serie A, and quite often it showed. But for [Paolo] Maldini and Inzaghi, and for what they have given to the game, even the harshest judge would have to make an exception." Meanwhile, the Mail chose the moment of Liverpool's loss to underline the club's inability to compete with the best in the Premier League. "Liverpool have had the excuse that they overachieve in Europe to compensate for their deficiencies back home ripped away," it wrote. "This time the Premiership's European royalty hit the deck and stayed there."



The Mirror wrote: "In recent years, we have grown blasé about English teams producing absurd last-gasp comebacks like Manchester United [FC]'s in Barcelona and Liverpool's in Turkey. When Dirk Kuyt pulled a goal back one minute from the end, it seemed confirmation that another great escape was on the way. But this time there was no way back."



Moratti decleared that Liverpool were better than Milan!

Champions League - Internazionale President Massimo Moratti has declared that Liverpool played better than Milan in the Champions League final.
"I saw the match and compliments to Milan," he told Gazzetta. "But Liverpool played better.

"Milan had a bit of luck but also the right spirit for a game like that."

Milan won the game 2-1 through a Filippo Inzaghi brace and while Liverpool had more possession the Rossoneri's defence was resolute and the 2005 champions rarely threatened Dida's goal.

Eurosport - Fri, 25 May 11:33:00 2007

This is sheer Madness not Football,Let's Kick Out the Football Holiganism!

The derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe at İstanbul's Ali Sami Yen Stadium was supposed to be a week 33 Turkcell Super League game between two century-old rivals.

But the match resembled a war of attrition more than soccer itself. The Fenerbahçe Yellow Canaries, already crowned the 2006-07 champions the previous weekend, won 2-1 with first-half goals from Diego Alfredo Lugano Moreno in the 24th minute and Edu De Souza in the 39th, all from dead balls. Galatasaray's consolation goal was scored by substitute Arda Turan in the dying minutes. But who cares about the results after the acts of unprecedented violence at Ali Sami Yen, home of Galatasaray.

The lack of sportsmanship was demonstrated by Galatasaray fans who mercilessly pelted Fenerbahçe players, and some of their own players as well, with tons of plastic bottles, stones, cell phones, missiles, projectiles -- you name it. The fans also ripped up the seats in the stadium and hurled them onto the pitch; in the stands they launched pitched battles against riot police. İstanbul Governor Muammer Güler announced on Sunday that 31 suspected soccer hooligans were taken into custody.


Bottles, stadium seats and saliva continued to rain down from the stands as if it was a fashionable way to greet any Fenerbahçe player who strayed toward the fringes of the pitch. Ironically Fenerbahçe officials had asked Galatasaray to applaud their team before the start of the match. And that was the applause the visiting Canaries got.Fener's Serbian striker Mateja Kezman summed it up: "We were lucky to have left the pitch alive." One day some team might not be that lucky if urgent measures are not taken.

Referee Bülent Demirlek had plenty to occupy his mind as he tried to administer what in essence was not a soccer game. His chief concern, without any doubt, was for the safety of the players, with the conditions reaching a point in the second half where empty and full plastic bottles were lying in rather too many areas of the pitch for comfort.

A sorry spectacle, a bad example for sports in general, and soccer in particular, and a total waste for those who worked hard to earn the money to buy their tickets. On top of this the lamentable scenes of vandalism and violence that continued outside the stadium. No wonder soccer in this country is losing spectators.

Violence ruining the beautiful game

Galatasaray officials and other soccer authorities issued a plea for sanity to return to Turkish soccer stands after missile-throwing marred Saturday's derby.



Like the plastic bottles and missiles that rained down on Ali Sami Yen Stadium, heavy punishment will also rain down on Galatasaray. But that will be next season because the curtain falls on the 2006-07 league season this weekend.

So what has to be done now is ponder over how to bring an end to this social vice called "soccer hooliganism."

In 2006 the Turkish Soccer Federation (TFF) introduced new measures to combat hooliganism and have made new regulations that allow the Professional Soccer Discipline Committee to impose heavy fine clubs and other punishments for the misbehavior of their fans.

But police forces across the country know that without tougher legislation to bring hooligans to book the problem may still have a long way to run.

Minister Şahin lashes out at soccer federation

Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister for Sports Mehmet Ali Şahin has warned the Turkish Soccer Federation over incidents that occurred during and after the Galatsaray-Fenerbahçe match on Saturday.

He called on the federation, which insists that they are solely responsible for soccer, to provide an explanation to the public.
Minister Şahin, who arrived in İstanbul yesterday evening, told reporters in the Atatürk Airport VIP room that he was very upset with the events that occurred at Ali Sami Yen Stadium. "I was watching the game on TV but felt compelled to stop after what I saw. Usually every Saturday evening I watch sports programs, but I couldn't bring myself to watch those last night, either," the minister commented.

Minister Şahin, who was extremely upset by the events, called on fans to question why they acted in that manner. The minister also recommended launching an inquiry into those responsible for the misbehavior. Noting that the soccer federation is responsible for Turkish soccer, the minister said the federation was ultimately the right body to provide answers. Minister Sahin said he has helped the federation with legal aspects in the past and was willing to help the federation during this period as well. However, the federation had yet to apply to the minister with any questions or concerns. The minister lashed out at the federation, saying that if they are the sole party responsible for football, then they need to provide an explanation about yesterday's events.

Maria Sharapova in İstanbul for WTA tournament

World famous Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova arrived in İstanbul on Thursday to participate in the Sony Ericsson WTA İstanbul Cup 2007 International tennis tournament.

Organizers said that Sharapova's father arrived in İstanbul on Wednesday, but the reigning US Open champion landed at the Atatürk Airport at 11:30 a.m. Tennis star Venus Williams of the US and Elena Dementieva of Russia will also be participating in the event. The qualifying matches will take place between May 19-20 in the tournament, where the real competition is set to take place between May 21-26 at the Tekstilkent Arena.
Sharapova won the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament in 2004. Six feet tall, muscular and blonde, she turned pro in 2001 -- at the young age of 14. The tennis prodigy and her father had moved to Florida from Russia when she was nine so that Sharapova could study at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy. Sharapova steadily worked her way up through the pro ranks, claiming her first WTA victory at the 2003 AIG Japan Open. In the meantime, she took occasional modeling jobs, earning comparisons to Anna Kournikova. In 2004 Sharapova stunned the tennis world by defeating defending champion Serena Williams in the singles finals at Wimbledon to win the prestigious tournament at age 17. In 2006 she beat Justine Henin-Hardenne to win the US Open.

Bulls runs past Heat for 2-0 series lead

Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (R) grabs a loose ball away from Chicago Bulls center Ben Wallace in the first quarter of Game 2 of their NBA Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff basketball game in Chicago.



The Chicago Bulls used speed and crisp passing to run by the Miami Heat 107-89 on Tuesday in the NBA Eastern Conference playoff to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Bulls guard Ben Gordon led all scorers with 27 points followed by team-mate Luol Deng, the hero of the first game, with 26.

Deng brought the sell-out crowd to its feet with his late game heroics that included 14 fourth-quarter points. "He's killing us right now and we've got to find a way to stop him," Heat forward Antoine Walker said of Deng.

Miami went with a smaller line-up in the fourth quarter, which Deng said sped up the game. "We did a good job of pushing the ball," said Deng. "When we faced small line-ups this year we've done an effective job pushing the ball."

Heat guard Dwyane Wade led Miami with 21 points. "This is one of the best home teams in the league. We knew that and hoped to steal one. We didn't get one." said Wade in the post-game press conference.

The series moves to Miami on Friday and Bulls coach Scott Skiles said that should prevent his team from becoming overconfident. He recalled two years ago when the Bulls went up 2-0 against Washington but lost the series 4-2. "I know over confidence is not a problem," he said.

THIRD QUARTER SURGE

The Bulls led 56-52 at the half but came out firing in the third quarter to take an 86-71 lead into final period. "They had a run in the third quarter and we were down 10 or 12 points," said Heat coach Pat Riley.

"They did not shoot under 50 percent in any quarter. They were on fire tonight." Riley, who has coached five NBA championship teams, said the Heat will have to fix some things or "it will be difficult for us to win at home".

Miami's veteran center Shaquille O'Neal finished with 17 points and eight rebounds and unlike the first game, escaped serious foul trouble, but was whistled for three.

The Bulls do-it-all guard Kirk Hinrich was less successful in the foul category, collecting five and playing a little more than 2-½ minutes in the fourth quarter. He had 14 points for the game.

Here is the Playoff-Elimination Graphic:

Seyrantepe goes to Galatasaray

With the last protocol Galatasaray signed with General Directorate of Youth and Sports, Galatasaray acquired ownership of Seyrantepe for 49 years.


With the last protocol Galatasaray signed with General Directorate of Youth and Sports, Galatasaray acquired ownership of Seyrantepe for 49 years.

The stadium has a capacity for 52,000 people and will be finished in 2009. The official obstacles for the new stadium to be built at Seyrantepe have been overcome.

All the documents for the stadium project have been completed with the last protocol signed between Galatasaray and the General Directorate of Youth and Sports.

The rights of use for 49 years have been handed over to Galatasaray after the protocol process finished with the confirmation of the Prime Minister after being signed by the relevant ministries.

The stadium has a capacity for 52,000 people and will be finished in 2009.

Fenerbahçe handed its 17th. Turkish crown

Fenerbahçe SK clinched the Turkish league title for the 17th time on Sunday after drawing 2-2 against Trabzonspor while their Istanbul rivals Beşiktaş JK lost 3-0 at Bursaspor.



Besiktas trail
The draw left Fenerbahçe on 64 points, six clear of Beşiktaş with two games remaining. The leaders have the better head-to-head record between the two teams this season so even if Beşiktaş were to win their last two games while Fenerbahçe lost theirs, the Yellow Canaries would still finish top. "We earned the title through working hard," said Brazilian coach Zico. "The players believed in themselves and we had some difficult moments, but we overcame them." Third-placed Galatasaray SK also drew, 1-1 at Sivasspor, ending their chances of catching Fenerbahçe.

UEFA Cup 2007 Winner Decided!!

Match decided after extra time and penalty shoot-out

Espanyol 2-2 Sevilla
Sevilla win 3-1 on penalties

Palop gets his hands on the Uefa Cup after an exciting encounterSevilla retained the Uefa Cup with a 3-1 shoot-out victory against Espanyol.

Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop:

"We thought they were catching up with us and then they drew level, but penalties are complicated.
"I want Sevilla's name to sound out all over Europe."

Espanyol coach Ernesto Valverde:"It was a real cruel final. There was a period I thought we were going to win before the sending off.
"They have a great goalkeeper. That was crucial."

Statistics

Espanyol: Iraizoz, David Garcia, Moises, Torrejon, Jarque, De la Pena (Jonatas 87), Zabaleta, Luis Garcia, Riera,Rufete (Pandiani 56), Tamudo (Lacruz 72).

Subs Not Used: Kameni, Costa, Coro, Chica.
Sent Off: Moises (68).
Booked: Moises.
Goals: Riera 28, Jonatas 115.

Sevilla: Palop, Javi Navarro, Daniel, Dragutinovic, Adriano Correia (Renato 76), Poulsen, Puerta, Marti, Maresca (Jesus Navas 46), Kanoute, Luis Fabiano (Kerzhakov 64).

Subs Not Used: Cobeno, David, Chevanton, Aitor Ocio.
Booked: Luis Fabiano, Kanoute, Puerta.
Goals: Adriano Correia 18, Kanoute 105.

Sevilla win 3-1 on penalties
Att: 50,670
Ref: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

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