It was one of the most exciting matches in this year's Champions League. But it might not have ended up the same way if the referee hadn't allowed offside goals to stand.
The winning goal, scored eventually by Felipe Santana, who scored from right on the goal line, fooled uninspired Scottish referee Craig Thomson and his similarly disappointing colleagues.
If they had seen that four Dortmund attackers were offside, they surely would have disallowed the goal that sent the Germans through to the semifinals.
And, also, just like Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp said, at the press conference after the match, Eliseu looked like he was slightly offside when he scored Malaga's second goal, too (with just a hint of Baptista also potentially being offside, when the ball was released towards him).
(But don't believe Klopp when he says the first goal was also offside. When Joaquin scored, the Malaga player that might have been offside did not interfere with the ball trajectory and effect, so the decision to have that goal stand was correct.)
Anyhow, even if there may be extenuating circumstances when it comes to Eliseu's goal, the goal that made it 3-2 contained a clear infringement, and, so, the referees are totally guilty of ruining the result.
People gloss over these decisions too easily. A few weeks, and it's all but forgotten. These referees should be punished. At such a level, with so much money at stake, Craig Thomson and his team should not referee again for 5-10 years, considering what they did. They should have to take regular jobs to be able to continue having money to live, for a good amount of time before returning to refereeing.
Either punish the bastards, or allow live replays that the referees can see and overturn their wrong decisions!
But, if members of the teams' squad or staff complain too much, they are the ones who get in trouble with the officials. Stupid FIFA and UEFA, and their stupid rules that so many times ruin fair play and sportsmanship!
They say they're doing something about it, by talking about introducing goal-line technology for three years now.
Goal-line technology is not enough. That's only for the goal line, of course. But, obviously, referees make a ton of other mistakes, which aren't on the goal line.
The offside which the referees should have caught and dealt with did not occur when Santana pushed the goal in, from the goal line; it came when the ball was first played in behind the Spanish line of defense.
Live replays should be used. How expensive could that be? I'm sure it's cheaper than some technology that would be put on the goal-line, if, as FIFA might suggest, this is about high costs. But, most likely, FIFA and UEFA like to be able to cheat if they want, and that's why they won't use replays. That's also why these bullshit referees aren't punished severely, I think.
In this sense, this match was very disappointing and heartbreaking, for many fans.
But there were some positives, too.
The best thing about this quarter-final, second leg, was seeing Willy Caballero's wonderful saves, in the Malaga goal.
The best goalkeeper, in terms of overall percentage of saves, in the 2012-2013 Champions League saved his team from 2 or 3 almost-as-good-as-given Dortmund goals. This guy should be Argentina's goalie at next year's World Cup.
Too bad that he was left almost alone against 3-4 Dortmund players, for each of the last two goals of the match. Still, he might have prevented the goals, if the Germans did not have the presence of mind to always pass the ball quickly amongst themselves.
One thing coaches should learn from matches such as this one is that: lack of experience in big matches + tendency to play the offside trap instead of working hard in defense = (almost always) elimination.
But for the neutral spectator, this was probably the best and most exciting second-leg encounter.
And, in the end, the more hard-working, attack-minded team progressed over the more pragmatic, opportunistic team.
Highlights:
Showing posts with label Malaga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malaga. Show all posts
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Still All Zeros
Borussia Dortmund still hasn't lost a match in this year's Champions League.
(And a warning to Malaga: They have also won all of their home matches in the competition.)
Additionally, perhaps Dortmund should have ended up winning the match at the La Rosaleda today.
They certainly had the lion's share of the chances, and Lewandowski should probably have been on the scoresheet, as he had a huge chance, only a few meters from goal, in the second half.
Malaga's best goal-scoring opportunity came in the first half, almost on the stroke of half-time, when there were two goal-bound efforts, with the second, a header, cleared almost on the line by the German defense.
But, overall, it was a very cagey affair in Andalusia, so maybe the draw was the fairest result.
And seemingly there is all still to play for in Germany, next Tuesday.
(And a warning to Malaga: They have also won all of their home matches in the competition.)
Additionally, perhaps Dortmund should have ended up winning the match at the La Rosaleda today.
They certainly had the lion's share of the chances, and Lewandowski should probably have been on the scoresheet, as he had a huge chance, only a few meters from goal, in the second half.
Malaga's best goal-scoring opportunity came in the first half, almost on the stroke of half-time, when there were two goal-bound efforts, with the second, a header, cleared almost on the line by the German defense.
But, overall, it was a very cagey affair in Andalusia, so maybe the draw was the fairest result.
And seemingly there is all still to play for in Germany, next Tuesday.
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Portuguese Champions, Out!
FC Porto disappointed probably even more people than their die-hard fans, by being eliminated from the Champions League, in Andalusia, today.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan for them.
They had a win, even though it was a small one, in the first leg, and they hadn't conceded goals.
On top of that, referee Rizzoli clearly offered a helping hand to Porto by whistling Saviola's goal off for a non-existent foul, in the first half.
Regardless, Porto played poorly, and many might say justice was done when Isco scored with a brilliant effort from just outside the box, only 2 minutes before the end of the first half.
Porto goalkeeper Helton, who made errors before both the cancelled goal and the one that stood, could be perceived as guilty for the second valid Malaga goal, too. In the 77th minute, he failed to come out for a corner kick cross, and could not do anything to prevent Santa Cruz's powerful header from only a few metres out.
Thus, Porto is out, and Spain still has three teams left to fight for the Champions League title.
And, for Portuguese fans, it's all about Benfica now, who is still alive in the Europa League.
Highlights:
Everything seemed to be going according to plan for them.
They had a win, even though it was a small one, in the first leg, and they hadn't conceded goals.
On top of that, referee Rizzoli clearly offered a helping hand to Porto by whistling Saviola's goal off for a non-existent foul, in the first half.
Regardless, Porto played poorly, and many might say justice was done when Isco scored with a brilliant effort from just outside the box, only 2 minutes before the end of the first half.
Porto goalkeeper Helton, who made errors before both the cancelled goal and the one that stood, could be perceived as guilty for the second valid Malaga goal, too. In the 77th minute, he failed to come out for a corner kick cross, and could not do anything to prevent Santa Cruz's powerful header from only a few metres out.
Thus, Porto is out, and Spain still has three teams left to fight for the Champions League title.
And, for Portuguese fans, it's all about Benfica now, who is still alive in the Europa League.
Highlights:
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!
Monday, 4 June 2012
Spain - UEFA Club Competitions Participants - 2012-2013
Real Madrid --> Champions League Group Stage
FC Barcelona --> Champions League Group Stage
Valencia CF --> Champions League Group Stage
Malaga CF --> Champions League Play-off Round
Atletico Madrid --> Europa League Group Stage
Levante UD Valencia --> Europa League Play-off Round
Athletic Bilbao --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
FC Barcelona --> Champions League Group Stage
Valencia CF --> Champions League Group Stage
Malaga CF --> Champions League Play-off Round
Atletico Madrid --> Europa League Group Stage
Levante UD Valencia --> Europa League Play-off Round
Athletic Bilbao --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Sunday, 18 March 2012
What a Silly Waste of Two Points!
Real really should have had the game against Malaga in the bag since way before that free kick Santi Cazorla took in injury time.
Mourinho's team was up 1-0 since minute 35, and had numerous chances to make it 2-0, including a miss that only Benzema knows how he was able to squander.
And Real was to rue the missed opportunities, because Cazorla made Casillas look useless with that great finish in minute 92.
So, 1-1 it finished.
Real is still 8 points up on Barca, but that difference could go down to 5 points when they go to Nou Camp, and then you never know.
Besides, if Real wants the record for points total, they have to be practically perfect all the way to the end, now, assuming that they will not win in Barcelona's stadium.
Highlights:
Mourinho's team was up 1-0 since minute 35, and had numerous chances to make it 2-0, including a miss that only Benzema knows how he was able to squander.
And Real was to rue the missed opportunities, because Cazorla made Casillas look useless with that great finish in minute 92.
So, 1-1 it finished.
Real is still 8 points up on Barca, but that difference could go down to 5 points when they go to Nou Camp, and then you never know.
Besides, if Real wants the record for points total, they have to be practically perfect all the way to the end, now, assuming that they will not win in Barcelona's stadium.
Highlights:
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