Burak Yilmaz forgot how to take free kicks, and Didier Drogba missed a sitter, while heading a good ball with the goal 5-6 meters away, in injury time.
All in Galatasaray's home match against Antalyaspor, on the fourth matchday of the Turkish league.
Drogba did score a goal, 55 play-time minutes after the Antalya team had opened the scoring, but that was all, and Galatasaray got their third draw in a row.
Now, what seemed like a careless start is turning into a serious concern.
Cimbom has already dropped six points (and therefore sits six points behind perfect rivals Besiktas). And they're behind Fenerbahce, too, with the Fener team having played one less match, too.
Maybe they're just thinking about the Champions League opener against Real Madrid. And, after that, Besiktas. Away.
Not to mention that the coach, Fatih Terim, is also under pressure to try and put to good use Turkey's 2014-World-Cup-qualification play-off hopes, approximately one month from now.
...Or maybe the goals have dried up. Didier Drogba is kind of old now, and Burak Yilmaz and Umut Bulut do not seem nearly as prolific as last year.
But we'll see soon.
Highlights:
Showing posts with label Galatasaray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Galatasaray. Show all posts
Friday, 13 September 2013
Friday, 2 August 2013
Turkey - UEFA Club Competitions Participants - 2013-2014 (revised)
Galatasaray Istanbul --> Champions League Group Stage
Fenerbahce Istanbul --> Champions League Third Qualifying Round
Besiktas Istanbul --> Europa League Play-off Round
Bursaspor --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Trabzonspor --> Europa League Second Qualifying Round
Note: Fenerbahce and Besiktas had initially been suspended by UEFA due to involvement in a 2011 domestic match-fixing scandal, but were temporarily reinstated in their respective competitions and will compete until a final decision is reached regarding their match-fixing allegations.
Fenerbahce Istanbul --> Champions League Third Qualifying Round
Besiktas Istanbul --> Europa League Play-off Round
Bursaspor --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Trabzonspor --> Europa League Second Qualifying Round
Note: Fenerbahce and Besiktas had initially been suspended by UEFA due to involvement in a 2011 domestic match-fixing scandal, but were temporarily reinstated in their respective competitions and will compete until a final decision is reached regarding their match-fixing allegations.
Monday, 24 June 2013
Turkey - UEFA Club Competitions Participants - 2013-2014
Galatasaray Istanbul --> Champions League Group Stage
Bursaspor --> Champions League Third Qualifying Round
Kayserispor --> Europa League Play-off Round
Kasimpasa --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Trabzonspor --> Europa League Second Qualifying Round
Note: Fenerbahce and Besiktas were suspended by UEFA due to involvement in a domestic match-fixing scandal from 2011.
Note: (2013.08.02) Fenerbahce and Besiktas have been temporarily reinstated in their respective competitions, by UEFA, and will compete until a final decision is reached regarding their match-fixing allegations.
Bursaspor --> Champions League Third Qualifying Round
Kayserispor --> Europa League Play-off Round
Kasimpasa --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Trabzonspor --> Europa League Second Qualifying Round
Note: Fenerbahce and Besiktas were suspended by UEFA due to involvement in a domestic match-fixing scandal from 2011.
Note: (2013.08.02) Fenerbahce and Besiktas have been temporarily reinstated in their respective competitions, by UEFA, and will compete until a final decision is reached regarding their match-fixing allegations.
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Real Worries
Galatasaray made Real Madrid shake in their shoes for a few good minutes in the second half of their second-leg meeting, tonight.
Down three goals from the first leg, Galatasaray went down even further, to 0-4 on aggregate, when Ronaldo made it Galatasaray 0 - 1 Real, after only 7 minutes of play.
But, between the 57th and the 72nd minutes, the team from Istanbul had a magical quarter-hour of play, with three goals that could have shaken any team. Also, Sneijder also missed an amazing opportunity, at 1-1, on top of everything.
Having gotten three goals so quickly (but somewhat luckily, it should be mentioned, especially the Drogba goal), the Turkish side had practically 20 minutes or so to score two more, in order to advance.
They did put the ball in the net a fourth time, but it was offside.
Real, however, did not crumble. They had the best chances in the remaining minutes. Ronaldo had a chance to make it 3-2, a few minutes after Drogba's goal, but his shot went just over.
He would not be denied his eleventh goal of the campaign, however, in injury time.
Galatasaray could not get any closer. And they could not even hold Real at bay till the end, either.
That's what makes great teams great.
Even though Galatasaray deserves commendation for playing their chances till the very end, nobody can say Real was not the side most deserving of making it to the semifinals.
Highlights:
To give a perfect example, from this match, which illustrates why it's so disgusting to see how much power these (sometimes retarded) referees have in the footballing world, check out how Arbeloa was eliminated only for making a gesture that suggested the referee acted insane. As insulting as his gesture may have been to Lannoy, the last time I checked freedom of speech and movement were still basic human rights.
Down three goals from the first leg, Galatasaray went down even further, to 0-4 on aggregate, when Ronaldo made it Galatasaray 0 - 1 Real, after only 7 minutes of play.
But, between the 57th and the 72nd minutes, the team from Istanbul had a magical quarter-hour of play, with three goals that could have shaken any team. Also, Sneijder also missed an amazing opportunity, at 1-1, on top of everything.
Having gotten three goals so quickly (but somewhat luckily, it should be mentioned, especially the Drogba goal), the Turkish side had practically 20 minutes or so to score two more, in order to advance.
They did put the ball in the net a fourth time, but it was offside.
Real, however, did not crumble. They had the best chances in the remaining minutes. Ronaldo had a chance to make it 3-2, a few minutes after Drogba's goal, but his shot went just over.
He would not be denied his eleventh goal of the campaign, however, in injury time.
Galatasaray could not get any closer. And they could not even hold Real at bay till the end, either.
That's what makes great teams great.
Even though Galatasaray deserves commendation for playing their chances till the very end, nobody can say Real was not the side most deserving of making it to the semifinals.
Highlights:
To give a perfect example, from this match, which illustrates why it's so disgusting to see how much power these (sometimes retarded) referees have in the footballing world, check out how Arbeloa was eliminated only for making a gesture that suggested the referee acted insane. As insulting as his gesture may have been to Lannoy, the last time I checked freedom of speech and movement were still basic human rights.
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Right on Track
Nobody realistically expected Galatasaray to go to the Santiago Bernabeu and pull off a win, but it did turn out pretty badly for them, probably even worse than standard expectations.
Fatih Terim's team had some chances, yes, but everything worked out for Real on this day.
The chances that Real failed to convert were actually fewer than the chances Galatasaray failed to convert.
It should also be mentioned that most of those Galatasaray chances came in the first half. After the break, Mourinho decided to have his team take a more cautious approach.
Well-converted goals by Cristiano Ronaldo (in minute 9) and Karim Benzema (29), after errors in Turkish defensive marking, meant half-time saw the Spanish hosts ahead by two.
Even though the Madrid team pressed forward with less urgency in the second half, they did stretch their advantage, thanks to Higuain's precise header, 17 minutes before the end.
Despite having a well-balanced team, with players like Drogba, Sneijder, Hamit Altintop, Eboue, Uruguayan-national-team-goalkeeper Muslera and former top goalscorer in the Champions League Burak Yilmaz (- Ronaldo now has 9 goals in the competition, one more than the Turk -), Galatasaray proved somewhat mediocre.
And surely now they must be as good as eliminated from this year's Champions League.
Fatih Terim's team had some chances, yes, but everything worked out for Real on this day.
The chances that Real failed to convert were actually fewer than the chances Galatasaray failed to convert.
It should also be mentioned that most of those Galatasaray chances came in the first half. After the break, Mourinho decided to have his team take a more cautious approach.
Well-converted goals by Cristiano Ronaldo (in minute 9) and Karim Benzema (29), after errors in Turkish defensive marking, meant half-time saw the Spanish hosts ahead by two.
Even though the Madrid team pressed forward with less urgency in the second half, they did stretch their advantage, thanks to Higuain's precise header, 17 minutes before the end.
Despite having a well-balanced team, with players like Drogba, Sneijder, Hamit Altintop, Eboue, Uruguayan-national-team-goalkeeper Muslera and former top goalscorer in the Champions League Burak Yilmaz (- Ronaldo now has 9 goals in the competition, one more than the Turk -), Galatasaray proved somewhat mediocre.
And surely now they must be as good as eliminated from this year's Champions League.
Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Pound-For-Pound Most Exciting
This was, overall, the most exciting match of the Round-of-16 stage of the Champions League.
I'm talking about Schalke - Galatasaray 2-3.
Okay, so there weren't huge teams involved in this, but the game was one goal away from swinging the other way (or another way, meaning extra time, of course) for all but 21 minutes, roughly. Not even Man. United - Real or Barcelona - Milan had that. And there were 5 goals in this game. And teams were evenly matched. And all through to the end, we could never know for sure which team was going to progress, or even which team deserved more to qualify.
Schalke started as favourites to advance, and they had the better start, up to and including Neustadter's goal in the 17th minute.
But then the Germans seemingly thought they had the tie all wrapped up, and they became a little relaxed. While they were confident of their superiority, Altintop (min. 37) had an amazing shot that brought the teams level on all counts. No more away-goal advantage, too.
Regardless, Schalke players still believed in their own powers, and started to pour forward. But that was their downfall.
Yilmaz managed to score his eighth goal in this year's CL, thus reaching Ronaldo's tally, following a Turkish counter-attack.
Even though the Gelsenkirchen team pulled level in the 63rd minute, through Michel Bastos, they needed a third to progress, and they couldn't get it.
Galata got a third, however, deep in injury time, again thanks to Schalke throwing everybody forward. (Well, actually, and surprisingly, they didn't send the goalkeeper forward... But they still conceded.)
It was the 95th minute, when Fatih Terim's men could finally celebrate.
And here's how deep a squad Galatasaray has. Forget about having players like Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba, and Muslera, Eboue and Altintop, for a minute. There's more:
Their top goalscorer from the Turkish league, and in the Turkish league - until a few weeks ago, when he stopped scoring as much, and he was overtaken by Yilmaz (and a couple of others, from other teams) - Umut Bulut, didn't even play till the 86th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, he put the game beyond the hosts' reach.
Oh, and he probably stopped scoring as much in the Turkish league only because he was put on the substitutes bench.
Highlights:
I'm talking about Schalke - Galatasaray 2-3.
Okay, so there weren't huge teams involved in this, but the game was one goal away from swinging the other way (or another way, meaning extra time, of course) for all but 21 minutes, roughly. Not even Man. United - Real or Barcelona - Milan had that. And there were 5 goals in this game. And teams were evenly matched. And all through to the end, we could never know for sure which team was going to progress, or even which team deserved more to qualify.
Schalke started as favourites to advance, and they had the better start, up to and including Neustadter's goal in the 17th minute.
But then the Germans seemingly thought they had the tie all wrapped up, and they became a little relaxed. While they were confident of their superiority, Altintop (min. 37) had an amazing shot that brought the teams level on all counts. No more away-goal advantage, too.
Regardless, Schalke players still believed in their own powers, and started to pour forward. But that was their downfall.
Yilmaz managed to score his eighth goal in this year's CL, thus reaching Ronaldo's tally, following a Turkish counter-attack.
Even though the Gelsenkirchen team pulled level in the 63rd minute, through Michel Bastos, they needed a third to progress, and they couldn't get it.
Galata got a third, however, deep in injury time, again thanks to Schalke throwing everybody forward. (Well, actually, and surprisingly, they didn't send the goalkeeper forward... But they still conceded.)
It was the 95th minute, when Fatih Terim's men could finally celebrate.
And here's how deep a squad Galatasaray has. Forget about having players like Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba, and Muslera, Eboue and Altintop, for a minute. There's more:
Their top goalscorer from the Turkish league, and in the Turkish league - until a few weeks ago, when he stopped scoring as much, and he was overtaken by Yilmaz (and a couple of others, from other teams) - Umut Bulut, didn't even play till the 86th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, he put the game beyond the hosts' reach.
Oh, and he probably stopped scoring as much in the Turkish league only because he was put on the substitutes bench.
Highlights:
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Man. U.'s Reserves
How can Manchester United get win after win in the Premier League, by having players in their squad that, when 3-5 crucial main players are not playing, cannot inspire their team to even grabbing one point from teams like Galatasaray and CFR Cluj?!?
Yeah, okay, they're already qualified, but these East European teams are surely no better than Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, maybe even Newcastle. All of these English teams saw Man. U. leave the stadium in which they faced each other in the EPL with full points, this season.
So, then, how come Man. U. screws up such a small percentage of matches in the Premier League, and such a large one in the Champions League?
(In the last two years, in Europe's best inter-club competition, United failed to win 50% of their matches. They lost 25%. In the English Premier League, over the same period of time, they won more than 75% of their matches. Out of 53 matches.)
It's weird. Especially because Man. U. supposedly got an easy CL draw last year, and they got an easy CL draw this year.
I can't fully remember the last time a team got six wins out of six in the Champions League group stage. (Maybe I gotta look back to the PSG team of the early '90s, for that.)
But, anyway, why wasn't Man. U. interested in a record like that, considering the fact that they got to be in the crappiest group, and they could have won all six matches, potentially, if playing at full strength?
...Or could they?
Highlights from Man. U. - Cluj:
Yeah, okay, they're already qualified, but these East European teams are surely no better than Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, maybe even Newcastle. All of these English teams saw Man. U. leave the stadium in which they faced each other in the EPL with full points, this season.
So, then, how come Man. U. screws up such a small percentage of matches in the Premier League, and such a large one in the Champions League?
(In the last two years, in Europe's best inter-club competition, United failed to win 50% of their matches. They lost 25%. In the English Premier League, over the same period of time, they won more than 75% of their matches. Out of 53 matches.)
It's weird. Especially because Man. U. supposedly got an easy CL draw last year, and they got an easy CL draw this year.
I can't fully remember the last time a team got six wins out of six in the Champions League group stage. (Maybe I gotta look back to the PSG team of the early '90s, for that.)
But, anyway, why wasn't Man. U. interested in a record like that, considering the fact that they got to be in the crappiest group, and they could have won all six matches, potentially, if playing at full strength?
...Or could they?
Highlights from Man. U. - Cluj:
More About UEFA's Stupid Rule
Again, I just can't shut up about the stupidity of the people involved in making the decision that teams tied on points at the end of the group stage are to be separated first based on the direct results.
Chelsea fans will back me up in arguing just how stupid, dumb, imbecilic, senseless, absurd, foolish, idiotic, harebrained, etc., this rule proved to be. (CFR Cluj fans, too, would say the same thing, by the way. They go to Old Trafford, beat Man. U., have a better goal difference than Galatasaray, overall, but they don't go through because of just one goal scored by Galata in the 78th minute. Just stupid!)
Getting back to the Chelsea issue, which is even more outrageous, how the fuck was Shakhtar Donetsk more deserving of progressing than Chelsea?
Even the direct results showed that. 2-1 and 2-3. Now just why should this pair of results eliminate the team that did not score two goals in each match, I do not understand. Well, I understand it when there's direct elimnation involved, and the only other option is extra time + PKs, but this is a group, and there are way better and fairer criteria for separating teams that play the results 3-2 and 1-2 between themselves and are tied on points at the end.
Chelsea was overall better than Shakhtar, considering especially how Shakhtar performed in the last few matches, and deserved better. UEFA really screwed up.
More people should complain.
Highlights from Shakhtar - Juventus:
Highlights from Chelsea - Nordsjaelland:
Highlights from Manchester U. - CFR Cluj:
Highlights from Braga - Galatasaray:
Chelsea fans will back me up in arguing just how stupid, dumb, imbecilic, senseless, absurd, foolish, idiotic, harebrained, etc., this rule proved to be. (CFR Cluj fans, too, would say the same thing, by the way. They go to Old Trafford, beat Man. U., have a better goal difference than Galatasaray, overall, but they don't go through because of just one goal scored by Galata in the 78th minute. Just stupid!)
Getting back to the Chelsea issue, which is even more outrageous, how the fuck was Shakhtar Donetsk more deserving of progressing than Chelsea?
Even the direct results showed that. 2-1 and 2-3. Now just why should this pair of results eliminate the team that did not score two goals in each match, I do not understand. Well, I understand it when there's direct elimnation involved, and the only other option is extra time + PKs, but this is a group, and there are way better and fairer criteria for separating teams that play the results 3-2 and 1-2 between themselves and are tied on points at the end.
Chelsea was overall better than Shakhtar, considering especially how Shakhtar performed in the last few matches, and deserved better. UEFA really screwed up.
More people should complain.
Highlights from Shakhtar - Juventus:
Highlights from Chelsea - Nordsjaelland:
Highlights from Manchester U. - CFR Cluj:
Highlights from Braga - Galatasaray:
Friday, 30 November 2012
More Dropped Points for Galata
Galatasaray screwed up again. On home turf.
Only a 1-1 draw against lowly Gaziantepsor (- a team with six defeats in the league thus far -) means that surprise team Antalyaspor could match Cim Bom Bom at the top of the standings, points-wise, again if they win at home against Mersin Idmanyurdu, on Sunday.
Galatasaray have already drawn two of their home matches, in addition to losing one. (Out of seven played on their own field, in Istanbul.)
That's not great form.
And yet they still have a good chance of progressing from their Champions League group, this coming Wednesday. (But not with the same kind of form as the one exhibited today.)
Ibricic scored first, with 21 minutes remaining in regulation, to give the guests the lead at the Turk Telecom Arena. But, luckily for Galata, their top goalscorer Burak Yilmaz was on target once again, only 10 minutes later, to save them from an even bigger embarrassment.
See highlights here.
Only a 1-1 draw against lowly Gaziantepsor (- a team with six defeats in the league thus far -) means that surprise team Antalyaspor could match Cim Bom Bom at the top of the standings, points-wise, again if they win at home against Mersin Idmanyurdu, on Sunday.
Galatasaray have already drawn two of their home matches, in addition to losing one. (Out of seven played on their own field, in Istanbul.)
That's not great form.
And yet they still have a good chance of progressing from their Champions League group, this coming Wednesday. (But not with the same kind of form as the one exhibited today.)
Ibricic scored first, with 21 minutes remaining in regulation, to give the guests the lead at the Turk Telecom Arena. But, luckily for Galata, their top goalscorer Burak Yilmaz was on target once again, only 10 minutes later, to save them from an even bigger embarrassment.
See highlights here.
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Stupid, Retarded UEFA Rules!
I must say, it seems to me that UEFA decision makers are getting dumber and dumber. And no, I'm not talking about the decision to have the next Euros comprise of 24 teams.
I'm talking about having the main tie-breaking criterion between teams tied on points in the Champions League be the direct results between the teams in question.
How moronic is that?
How idiotic is it, huh, Mr. Platini?
Let's look at it, group by group.
Group A is, surprisingly, unaffected by this rule.
In Group B, Schalke can even lose, no matter by what scoreline, as long as Arsenal does not win in the other match, and still win the group. So, a team that might get crushed - it will not happen, by I'm just saying - 7-0 by someone as weak as Montpellier could still win that group. Stupid!
In Group C, Malaga has already won the group, courtesy of their better head-to-head record against AC Milan. So, then, both Malaga and Milan have nothing to play for in the last matchday. Very stupid!
Luckily, as far as the struggle between Zenit St. Petersburg and Anderlecht goes, their direct encounters ended 1-0 and 0-1, so that will be decided by goal difference. They will have to show up and play, if they wish to finish third and continue in the Europa League. Thank God (for almost nothing)!
Group D also has a decided winner, Borussia Dortmund, because of their better record against Real Madrid. Not that Borussia was not the best team of the group so far, but if they lose at home to Manchester City, on the last matchday, nobody would then say that they were, pound-for-pound, the best overall team if Real beats Ajax and gets the same number of points. (You gotta play well all your matches to be most appreciated!...)
Man. City, likewise, cannot not win their last match, if they want Europa League play, even if Ajax loses 200-0 in Madrid.
Extremely dumb!
But Group E is the worst.
You know, someone watching Juventus - Chelsea (3-0), and not having been aware of these fucked-up UEFA rules, might have thought that Juventus kept pressing, even at 2-0 and with 10 minutes left, because they knew every goal would count on the last matchday and Chelsea would have played Nordsjaelland (a team that is very likely to lose 6-7--nil). Actually, though, NO!
Thanks to any kind of win over Chelsea, and with a point in Donetsk in two weeks ' time, Juventus can then be assured of progressing over Chelsea, last year 's winner.
Even a 1-0 victory for Juventus would have been enough to secure that advantage.
3-0 was a result that brought Juventus no more benefits than a 1-0 would have.
And another unfortunate result of this obvious lack of intelligence from UEFA officials is the fact that Shakhtar Donetsk is already in the round of 16. Yes, they have secured their place, because of their direct results over Chelsea (2-1 and 2-3, away-goals rule) and now Chelsea can only at best tie Shakhtar on points.
So, Shakhtar has only first place to play for, on the last matchday, and clearly a draw in their direct match would satisfy both Shakhtar (who would win the group) and Juventus (who would go through, leaving Chelsea out).
How much do Chelsea fans hate UEFA for these senseless rules?
So, so retarded!!!
In Group F, Bayern leads over Valencia, even though Valencia has a better goal difference. (The two teams are tied on points, yes.) And all Bayern needs to do is match the number of points that Valencia gets on the last day, to win that group.
Also, Lille cannot go to the Europa League, even though they are clearly better than BATE at the present time, even if they win their last match by an astronomical score, and BATE loses theirs by an astronomical score, too, to boot. Why? Well, because stupid UEFA said 1-3 and 2-0 means the team that scored the three goals in that one match will beat the other team, no matter what else happens, if they're tied on points at the end.
Also, retarded!
In Group G, Benfica needs to match Celtic's result, but luckily for the surprising Scottish outfit (who beat Barcelona) Celtic plays Spartak at home while Benfica has to take on Barca away.
Group H contains another team that might be seriously screwed by this deficiency in thinking clearly exhibited by UEFA officials: CFR Cluj.
The Romanians have to go to Old Trafford, needing to beat Manchester United. And, even then, they have to hope that Galatasaray does not defeat Braga in Portugal. (And Braga cannot even finish third anymore. They will be bottom, and might only be playing for pride, if even that.)
Potential scorelines Man. U. - Cluj 0-5 and Braga - Galatasaray 2-3 would allow the Turkish team to qualify. If that happens, wouldn't that be fucked-up, retarded, and unfair to Cluj?
Realistically, all the Transylvanian team can hope for is for them to get a point in Manchester, and for Galatasaray to lose to Braga.
They could score, and score, and score, in England, and still get kicked out. Thanks to some serious incompetence from UEFA!
I'm talking about having the main tie-breaking criterion between teams tied on points in the Champions League be the direct results between the teams in question.
How moronic is that?
How idiotic is it, huh, Mr. Platini?
Let's look at it, group by group.
Group A is, surprisingly, unaffected by this rule.
In Group B, Schalke can even lose, no matter by what scoreline, as long as Arsenal does not win in the other match, and still win the group. So, a team that might get crushed - it will not happen, by I'm just saying - 7-0 by someone as weak as Montpellier could still win that group. Stupid!
In Group C, Malaga has already won the group, courtesy of their better head-to-head record against AC Milan. So, then, both Malaga and Milan have nothing to play for in the last matchday. Very stupid!
Luckily, as far as the struggle between Zenit St. Petersburg and Anderlecht goes, their direct encounters ended 1-0 and 0-1, so that will be decided by goal difference. They will have to show up and play, if they wish to finish third and continue in the Europa League. Thank God (for almost nothing)!
Group D also has a decided winner, Borussia Dortmund, because of their better record against Real Madrid. Not that Borussia was not the best team of the group so far, but if they lose at home to Manchester City, on the last matchday, nobody would then say that they were, pound-for-pound, the best overall team if Real beats Ajax and gets the same number of points. (You gotta play well all your matches to be most appreciated!...)
Man. City, likewise, cannot not win their last match, if they want Europa League play, even if Ajax loses 200-0 in Madrid.
Extremely dumb!
But Group E is the worst.
You know, someone watching Juventus - Chelsea (3-0), and not having been aware of these fucked-up UEFA rules, might have thought that Juventus kept pressing, even at 2-0 and with 10 minutes left, because they knew every goal would count on the last matchday and Chelsea would have played Nordsjaelland (a team that is very likely to lose 6-7--nil). Actually, though, NO!
Thanks to any kind of win over Chelsea, and with a point in Donetsk in two weeks ' time, Juventus can then be assured of progressing over Chelsea, last year 's winner.
Even a 1-0 victory for Juventus would have been enough to secure that advantage.
3-0 was a result that brought Juventus no more benefits than a 1-0 would have.
And another unfortunate result of this obvious lack of intelligence from UEFA officials is the fact that Shakhtar Donetsk is already in the round of 16. Yes, they have secured their place, because of their direct results over Chelsea (2-1 and 2-3, away-goals rule) and now Chelsea can only at best tie Shakhtar on points.
So, Shakhtar has only first place to play for, on the last matchday, and clearly a draw in their direct match would satisfy both Shakhtar (who would win the group) and Juventus (who would go through, leaving Chelsea out).
How much do Chelsea fans hate UEFA for these senseless rules?
So, so retarded!!!
In Group F, Bayern leads over Valencia, even though Valencia has a better goal difference. (The two teams are tied on points, yes.) And all Bayern needs to do is match the number of points that Valencia gets on the last day, to win that group.
Also, Lille cannot go to the Europa League, even though they are clearly better than BATE at the present time, even if they win their last match by an astronomical score, and BATE loses theirs by an astronomical score, too, to boot. Why? Well, because stupid UEFA said 1-3 and 2-0 means the team that scored the three goals in that one match will beat the other team, no matter what else happens, if they're tied on points at the end.
Also, retarded!
In Group G, Benfica needs to match Celtic's result, but luckily for the surprising Scottish outfit (who beat Barcelona) Celtic plays Spartak at home while Benfica has to take on Barca away.
Group H contains another team that might be seriously screwed by this deficiency in thinking clearly exhibited by UEFA officials: CFR Cluj.
The Romanians have to go to Old Trafford, needing to beat Manchester United. And, even then, they have to hope that Galatasaray does not defeat Braga in Portugal. (And Braga cannot even finish third anymore. They will be bottom, and might only be playing for pride, if even that.)
Potential scorelines Man. U. - Cluj 0-5 and Braga - Galatasaray 2-3 would allow the Turkish team to qualify. If that happens, wouldn't that be fucked-up, retarded, and unfair to Cluj?
Realistically, all the Transylvanian team can hope for is for them to get a point in Manchester, and for Galatasaray to lose to Braga.
They could score, and score, and score, in England, and still get kicked out. Thanks to some serious incompetence from UEFA!
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Another Surprise Result in the Turkish League
After Orduspor downed Galatasaray, on Friday, it was Kasimpasa's turn to score another surprise win for the minnows of the Turkish SuperLiga.
The name of the winner of this match does not say much to football fans, but Kasimpasa does not have a weak team at the present time.
Among their notable players is a certain Kalu Uche, formerly from Almeria and Espanyol, who scored the first goal of this match with a delicate volley that made the Fenerbahce defenders look unrefined and unprepared.
The second goal was also a good one, in terms of breaking down the Fener defense.
After Orduspor, Kasimpasa also inches closer to Galatasaray. Both the team from Ordu and Istanbul's Kasimpasa are now on 12 points, just one behind the leaders.
Fenerbahce, by contrast, still has only 9 points. And they're going to play Besiktas next.
Highlights:
The name of the winner of this match does not say much to football fans, but Kasimpasa does not have a weak team at the present time.
Among their notable players is a certain Kalu Uche, formerly from Almeria and Espanyol, who scored the first goal of this match with a delicate volley that made the Fenerbahce defenders look unrefined and unprepared.
The second goal was also a good one, in terms of breaking down the Fener defense.
After Orduspor, Kasimpasa also inches closer to Galatasaray. Both the team from Ordu and Istanbul's Kasimpasa are now on 12 points, just one behind the leaders.
Fenerbahce, by contrast, still has only 9 points. And they're going to play Besiktas next.
Highlights:
Monday, 4 June 2012
Turkey - UEFA Club Competitions Participants - 2012-2013
Galatasaray Istanbul --> Champions League Group Stage
Fenerbahce Istanbul --> Champions League Third Qualifying Round
Trabzonspor --> Europa League Play-off Round
Eskisehirspor --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Istanbul B.B. --> Europa League Second Qualifying Round
Notes: Because Besiktas and Bursaspor were banned from international club competitions, for the season 2012-2013, by UEFA, the next teams in the league standings, Eskisehirspor and Istanbul Buyuksehir B., took their spots in the Europa League. All teams above had to play play-offs, for the Champions League and/or Super Lig title (Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Trabzonspor and Besiktas) and for the Europa League (Bursaspor, Eskisehirspor, Istanbul B.B. and Sivasspor).
Fenerbahce Istanbul --> Champions League Third Qualifying Round
Trabzonspor --> Europa League Play-off Round
Eskisehirspor --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Istanbul B.B. --> Europa League Second Qualifying Round
Notes: Because Besiktas and Bursaspor were banned from international club competitions, for the season 2012-2013, by UEFA, the next teams in the league standings, Eskisehirspor and Istanbul Buyuksehir B., took their spots in the Europa League. All teams above had to play play-offs, for the Champions League and/or Super Lig title (Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Trabzonspor and Besiktas) and for the Europa League (Bursaspor, Eskisehirspor, Istanbul B.B. and Sivasspor).
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Galatasaray, Champion with Terim at the Helm
Last season, Galatasaray finished in a very disappointing eighth place.
But Fatih Terim took over, and now they're celebrating their 18th title. (So, Galatasaray is tied, in that regard, with Fenerbahce, as they both have 18 titles won. However, Fenerbahce's last title, last year, could have been stripped away from them, due to the match-fixing investigation, but wasn't.)
Anyway, Fenerbahce attacked more in today's match, but could not find the net. (They had to attack, because a point was enough for the Galata team.)
The biggest chance, in my opinion, came in minute 7, when many fans of Fenerbahce, for sure, had the illusion that the ball went in.
Galatasaray did not play badly, but Muslera, their goalkeeper, was probably their best man on the field.
After the match, seeing how the title was lost, the Fenerbahce fans went berserk.
They started destroying their own stadium, Sukru Saracoglu, by ripping the chairs, throwing them on the pitch, and throwing and crashing whatever else they could.
Fenerbahce did everything right, they attacked, they were a little bit better than Galatasaray on the night, but the only problem was the lack of good luck. For that, they paid and will pay. Literally.
Highlights:
Φενέρμπαχτσε - Γαλατάσαράι 0-0 by buitre9
Video of Fenerbahce fans rioting:
At the end, after the Fener fans were evacuated from the stadium, and they started rioting in the streets, the football officials were able to present the Galatasaray players with the trophy, in a deserted, pitch-black, almost totally silent stadium.
(You gotta wonder why they didn't wait, to do this trophy ceremony in front of a stadium full of Galatasaray fans?!...)
But Fatih Terim took over, and now they're celebrating their 18th title. (So, Galatasaray is tied, in that regard, with Fenerbahce, as they both have 18 titles won. However, Fenerbahce's last title, last year, could have been stripped away from them, due to the match-fixing investigation, but wasn't.)
Anyway, Fenerbahce attacked more in today's match, but could not find the net. (They had to attack, because a point was enough for the Galata team.)
The biggest chance, in my opinion, came in minute 7, when many fans of Fenerbahce, for sure, had the illusion that the ball went in.
Galatasaray did not play badly, but Muslera, their goalkeeper, was probably their best man on the field.
After the match, seeing how the title was lost, the Fenerbahce fans went berserk.
They started destroying their own stadium, Sukru Saracoglu, by ripping the chairs, throwing them on the pitch, and throwing and crashing whatever else they could.
Fenerbahce did everything right, they attacked, they were a little bit better than Galatasaray on the night, but the only problem was the lack of good luck. For that, they paid and will pay. Literally.
Highlights:
Φενέρμπαχτσε - Γαλατάσαράι 0-0 by buitre9
Video of Fenerbahce fans rioting:
At the end, after the Fener fans were evacuated from the stadium, and they started rioting in the streets, the football officials were able to present the Galatasaray players with the trophy, in a deserted, pitch-black, almost totally silent stadium.
(You gotta wonder why they didn't wait, to do this trophy ceremony in front of a stadium full of Galatasaray fans?!...)
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Home Playoff Form... Better?!
No, of course not.
Not for the Turkish leaders.
Galatasaray could not win their third home play-off game, either: 2-2, at home, against Besiktas, with the two goals scored by the guests coming in minutes 86 and 88!
Unbelievable and pathetic!
Still, despite all that, and even though Fenerbahce won today, Galatasaray remains top of the table.
Actually, considering Fenerbahce's win at Trabzonspor, even if Galatasaray had won, Cim Bom would have still had to achieve the same result they have to achieve now, to win the league.
And that is? Well, they have to not lose away to Fenerbahce, in the very last match.
Not for the Turkish leaders.
Galatasaray could not win their third home play-off game, either: 2-2, at home, against Besiktas, with the two goals scored by the guests coming in minutes 86 and 88!
Unbelievable and pathetic!
Still, despite all that, and even though Fenerbahce won today, Galatasaray remains top of the table.
Actually, considering Fenerbahce's win at Trabzonspor, even if Galatasaray had won, Cim Bom would have still had to achieve the same result they have to achieve now, to win the league.
And that is? Well, they have to not lose away to Fenerbahce, in the very last match.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Deja Vu
Remember, on the first and second of February, when Galatasaray again dropped precious points at home (- that time the draw was against Antalyaspor -), first, only to see Fenerbahce respond, the following day, by losing to Samsunspor?
Well, practically the same thing happened yesterday and today.
After Galatasaray drew, at home, 0-0, against Trabzonspor, all Fenerbahce had to do was win to pull even. But they did not win. Just like in February, Fenerbahce lost exactly when they needed to win the most.
Hugo Almeida scored, for Besiktas, on the stroke of half-time, and that was all the scoring on the night.
What a huge break Galatasaray got here!
Very weak from Fenerbahce.
With two matches left, Fenerbahce remains 3 points behind Galatasaray. But the remaining direct encounter between the two teams is scheduled to take place at Fenerbahce's stadium (which I don't know if it's a huge plus for the hosts, considering that Galatasaray seems to be doing way better away from home lately).
Well, practically the same thing happened yesterday and today.
After Galatasaray drew, at home, 0-0, against Trabzonspor, all Fenerbahce had to do was win to pull even. But they did not win. Just like in February, Fenerbahce lost exactly when they needed to win the most.
Hugo Almeida scored, for Besiktas, on the stroke of half-time, and that was all the scoring on the night.
What a huge break Galatasaray got here!
Very weak from Fenerbahce.
With two matches left, Fenerbahce remains 3 points behind Galatasaray. But the remaining direct encounter between the two teams is scheduled to take place at Fenerbahce's stadium (which I don't know if it's a huge plus for the hosts, considering that Galatasaray seems to be doing way better away from home lately).
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Galatasaray in Huge Danger of Losing
Galatasaray again sucked big time, in their second home match of the play-offs.
The first one was a disaster, losing against Fenerbahce, but now, by drawing, 0-0, against Trabzonspor, whom they've beaten just 3 days ago, in Trabzon, Galata is in serious danger of giving up top spot to their fierce rivals.
With only two matches left, Galatasaray better wake up, or they're screwed.
A 9-point lead, gone!
The first one was a disaster, losing against Fenerbahce, but now, by drawing, 0-0, against Trabzonspor, whom they've beaten just 3 days ago, in Trabzon, Galata is in serious danger of giving up top spot to their fierce rivals.
With only two matches left, Galatasaray better wake up, or they're screwed.
A 9-point lead, gone!
Sunday, 22 April 2012
How Pathetic!
Galatasaray dominated the Turkish league this year. They ended the regular season with 9 more points than Fenerbahce. And they started the play-offs well, too, with an away win at Besiktas.
(Also, it should be mentioned that they were able to hold the Fener team, 2-2, on their own stadium, just a few matchdays ago.)
So, it's inexplicable how they could fuck up this game.
But that's exactly what happened.
Fenerbahce won, 2-1, at the Turk Telecom Arena.
Galatasaray played better. They certainly had most of the chances after Ziegler's goal, in the 17th minute. But, at least twice, the ball just would not go in.
After Inan's free-kick equalizer, Galatasaray should have been 2-1 up in a matter of minutes, but Fener goalkeeper Demirel pulled off an amazing point-blank save against Yilmaz's powerful finisher.
And, wouldn't you know it, just a few minutes later, the Galata defense was caught way too advanced, and Stoch punished their inadequate positions.
There was one more header from the home team that could have made a difference, not long after the 80th minute, the minute when Fenerbahce took the lead, but this was a day when everything went badly for Galatasaray.
They still lead in the standings, but Fenerbahce is now only 2 points behind. And Terim's team still has to go to the Kadıköy, on the last matchday. And there are four more matches left, for both teams, including that one.
Highlights:
(Also, it should be mentioned that they were able to hold the Fener team, 2-2, on their own stadium, just a few matchdays ago.)
So, it's inexplicable how they could fuck up this game.
But that's exactly what happened.
Fenerbahce won, 2-1, at the Turk Telecom Arena.
Galatasaray played better. They certainly had most of the chances after Ziegler's goal, in the 17th minute. But, at least twice, the ball just would not go in.
After Inan's free-kick equalizer, Galatasaray should have been 2-1 up in a matter of minutes, but Fener goalkeeper Demirel pulled off an amazing point-blank save against Yilmaz's powerful finisher.
And, wouldn't you know it, just a few minutes later, the Galata defense was caught way too advanced, and Stoch punished their inadequate positions.
There was one more header from the home team that could have made a difference, not long after the 80th minute, the minute when Fenerbahce took the lead, but this was a day when everything went badly for Galatasaray.
They still lead in the standings, but Fenerbahce is now only 2 points behind. And Terim's team still has to go to the Kadıköy, on the last matchday. And there are four more matches left, for both teams, including that one.
Highlights:
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Almost Certain
The 18th title in Galatasaray's history seems almost certain now.
They only need one more point from the next three matches to make sure of it.
This is due to the point Gala achieved at the Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium, which ensures that Fenerbahce remains 9 points behind, with three matches left.
Fenerbahce started the Turkish derby very strongly, and they were up 2-0 within the first 15 minutes.
Moussa Sow (in minute 10), with an acrobatic goal, and Alex de Souza (15), with an even more spectacular effort from outside the penalty box, made Fenerbahce look like they would win easily.
But the experienced Elmander (36) reduced the deficit, to 1-2 at half-time.
The second half was less exciting.
It almost seemed like 2-1 would be the final score.
But, just 7 minutes before the end of regulation time, Hakan Balta made it 2-2, taking full advantage of a Fenerbahce lapse in concentration.
Both teams could have won the game, after this goal, but it ended 2-2.
Although not a win, this practically ensures that the title is going to go to Galatasaray this year.
Both Galatasaray and Fenerbahce would have 18 titles, but Fenerbahce's 2011 title has been severely tarnished by a match-fixing scandal.
Highlights:
Fenerbahce 2-2 Galatasaray by purururur
They only need one more point from the next three matches to make sure of it.
This is due to the point Gala achieved at the Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium, which ensures that Fenerbahce remains 9 points behind, with three matches left.
Fenerbahce started the Turkish derby very strongly, and they were up 2-0 within the first 15 minutes.
Moussa Sow (in minute 10), with an acrobatic goal, and Alex de Souza (15), with an even more spectacular effort from outside the penalty box, made Fenerbahce look like they would win easily.
But the experienced Elmander (36) reduced the deficit, to 1-2 at half-time.
The second half was less exciting.
It almost seemed like 2-1 would be the final score.
But, just 7 minutes before the end of regulation time, Hakan Balta made it 2-2, taking full advantage of a Fenerbahce lapse in concentration.
Both teams could have won the game, after this goal, but it ended 2-2.
Although not a win, this practically ensures that the title is going to go to Galatasaray this year.
Both Galatasaray and Fenerbahce would have 18 titles, but Fenerbahce's 2011 title has been severely tarnished by a match-fixing scandal.
Highlights:
Fenerbahce 2-2 Galatasaray by purururur
Sunday, 26 February 2012
The Race Is Practically Over
In Turkey, Galatasaray is very close of being crowned champion.
Like Fenerbahce, they were also able to defeat Besiktas, at home. But, unlike Fenerbahce, Galatasaray did not lose this weekend, so they are now, thanks to the 3-2 victory over The Black Eagles, 9 points ahead at the top of the Turkish standings.
Galatasaray took the lead three times, including the last one, and saw those leads shattered two times, by scrappy goals, the second one of Besiktas even being an own goal, from Semih Kaya (in minute 73).
But Johan Elmander was the hero for Cim Bom Bom. Not only did he score the first goal, in the 15th minute, but he also scored the winning goal in the last minute, just when the game seemed destined to end 2-2.
There are only six matches left for each team, and it seems unlikely that Galatasaray will not win more than one half of the points still on the table.
Highlights:
Galatasaray 3-2 Besiktas by coppoccop
Like Fenerbahce, they were also able to defeat Besiktas, at home. But, unlike Fenerbahce, Galatasaray did not lose this weekend, so they are now, thanks to the 3-2 victory over The Black Eagles, 9 points ahead at the top of the Turkish standings.
Galatasaray took the lead three times, including the last one, and saw those leads shattered two times, by scrappy goals, the second one of Besiktas even being an own goal, from Semih Kaya (in minute 73).
But Johan Elmander was the hero for Cim Bom Bom. Not only did he score the first goal, in the 15th minute, but he also scored the winning goal in the last minute, just when the game seemed destined to end 2-2.
There are only six matches left for each team, and it seems unlikely that Galatasaray will not win more than one half of the points still on the table.
Highlights:
Galatasaray 3-2 Besiktas by coppoccop
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Fenerbahce Out of the Title Race?
I'm not even going to bother to say "Wow, what a surprise!", because probably Fener fans have gotten used to their team losing away from home this year. (Perhaps they have gotten used to losing by the exact scoreline 2-1, too.)
This time, Eskisehirspor beat them, and quite deservedly so.
The team from Eskisehir dominated the first half, and twenty-five minutes of the second one, with authority.
Final score: 2-1 (1-0).
Now, Galatasaray could go 9 points up, if they beat Besiktas, on Sunday.
Not the easiest of games for Galata, but being nine points ahead, with just six matches left, would be like the championship is already wrapped up, so I'm sure Cim Bom Bom will try hard to do well.
Highlights:
This time, Eskisehirspor beat them, and quite deservedly so.
The team from Eskisehir dominated the first half, and twenty-five minutes of the second one, with authority.
Final score: 2-1 (1-0).
Now, Galatasaray could go 9 points up, if they beat Besiktas, on Sunday.
Not the easiest of games for Galata, but being nine points ahead, with just six matches left, would be like the championship is already wrapped up, so I'm sure Cim Bom Bom will try hard to do well.
Highlights:
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