FC Barcelona --> Champions League Group Stage
Real Madrid --> Champions League Group Stage
Atletico Madrid --> Champions League Group Stage
Real Sociedad San Sebastian --> Champions League Play-off Round
Valencia CF --> Europa League Group Stage
Betis Sevilla --> Europa League Play-off Round
Sevilla CF --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Notes: Malaga was excluded from European competitions, by UEFA, due to unpaid bills. Rayo Vallecano was excluded from European competitions and denied (UEFA) license, by UEFA, for immersion in a creditor contest.
Showing posts with label Valencia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valencia. Show all posts
Friday, 21 June 2013
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
Deserving?
PSG made it to the last eight, in the Champions League, today.
But it wasn't the same. No easy win, like at the Mestalla stadium, three weeks ago. (It was 2-1, but if it had been 4-0, back then, it wouldn't have been an unjust result.)
Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, suspended for two CL matches, PSG seemed content to just pass the ball around and attack (without conviction) whenever they saw an opening.
Looking at the other side, Valencia played better at the Parc des Princes, but not by much.
And this should be a worrying sign for Carlo Ancelotti and his men, because there will be far better teams waiting for them ahead, in the competition.
Still, to break the deadlock, on this day, it took a very inspired shot from the Brazilian Jonas, ten minutes after half-time, to put the visitors ahead on the scoreboard, and to awaken PSG, a little, from their lethargy.
Even though Lavezzi took advantage, on his second try, of Gameiro's ridiculing a couple of Valencia defenders, in the 66th minute, to tie it all up again, Valencia was still only one goal away from prolonging their Champions League campaign (into extra time).
But they failed. The lack of incisiveness that plagued PSG, the team with the best record, match-for-match, in this year's Champions League, was also to be found in the ranks of the Spanish team. Soldado, especially, played badly for Valencia.
So, PSG goes through, in the end; but they were very close to having to play extra time, on their own turf, after winning the first leg, away, quite easily. That's not impressive. And maybe the Reims and Sochaux defeats, in Ligue 1, were not flukes.
Highlights:
But it wasn't the same. No easy win, like at the Mestalla stadium, three weeks ago. (It was 2-1, but if it had been 4-0, back then, it wouldn't have been an unjust result.)
Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, suspended for two CL matches, PSG seemed content to just pass the ball around and attack (without conviction) whenever they saw an opening.
Looking at the other side, Valencia played better at the Parc des Princes, but not by much.
And this should be a worrying sign for Carlo Ancelotti and his men, because there will be far better teams waiting for them ahead, in the competition.
Still, to break the deadlock, on this day, it took a very inspired shot from the Brazilian Jonas, ten minutes after half-time, to put the visitors ahead on the scoreboard, and to awaken PSG, a little, from their lethargy.
Even though Lavezzi took advantage, on his second try, of Gameiro's ridiculing a couple of Valencia defenders, in the 66th minute, to tie it all up again, Valencia was still only one goal away from prolonging their Champions League campaign (into extra time).
But they failed. The lack of incisiveness that plagued PSG, the team with the best record, match-for-match, in this year's Champions League, was also to be found in the ranks of the Spanish team. Soldado, especially, played badly for Valencia.
So, PSG goes through, in the end; but they were very close to having to play extra time, on their own turf, after winning the first leg, away, quite easily. That's not impressive. And maybe the Reims and Sochaux defeats, in Ligue 1, were not flukes.
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, 8 April 2012
Real - Begin to Panic!
Today, Real Madrid played yet another very inefficient game. It was, surely, very uncomfortable for Real Madrid fans to watch.
Not that Mourinho's team lost any other match after the home defeat to Barcelona, but their once-very-impressive 10-point lead over Guardiola's men is now down to only 4 points, with the trip to Camp Nou still to come.
Considering that Valencia is 30 points behind Real, the Madrid team played very, very poorly. However, considering the fact that Valencia was in serious danger of losing third spot, and an automatic Champions League place for next season, it's no surprise that Valencia saw this game as a do-or-die encounter.
But the draw helps neither.
In the match itself, Valencia hit the post, and Real hit the post. Real had chances and Valencia had chances.
But the finishing from Mourinho's attacking men was very, very poor compared to what is generally expected from them. There were many shots and passes gone awry, particularly towards the end.
I don't mean to single out just one player, but I remember very vividly a chance, in the second half, where Benzema, after a pass from Ronaldo, should have done much, much better.
No, make that two huge chances. (There was one in injury time, too.)
Well, at least the Real players did not get sent off in this one, unlike in other previous encounters in which they've dropped points.
So, just four points between Real and Barca now. And seven matches left for each team.
And Real is going to play local rival Atletico Madrid, in just three-days' time, at a point when Barca could be just one point behind Real (because the team managed by Guardiola would have already played, on Tuesday).
Not that Mourinho's team lost any other match after the home defeat to Barcelona, but their once-very-impressive 10-point lead over Guardiola's men is now down to only 4 points, with the trip to Camp Nou still to come.
Considering that Valencia is 30 points behind Real, the Madrid team played very, very poorly. However, considering the fact that Valencia was in serious danger of losing third spot, and an automatic Champions League place for next season, it's no surprise that Valencia saw this game as a do-or-die encounter.
But the draw helps neither.
In the match itself, Valencia hit the post, and Real hit the post. Real had chances and Valencia had chances.
But the finishing from Mourinho's attacking men was very, very poor compared to what is generally expected from them. There were many shots and passes gone awry, particularly towards the end.
I don't mean to single out just one player, but I remember very vividly a chance, in the second half, where Benzema, after a pass from Ronaldo, should have done much, much better.
No, make that two huge chances. (There was one in injury time, too.)
Well, at least the Real players did not get sent off in this one, unlike in other previous encounters in which they've dropped points.
So, just four points between Real and Barca now. And seven matches left for each team.
And Real is going to play local rival Atletico Madrid, in just three-days' time, at a point when Barca could be just one point behind Real (because the team managed by Guardiola would have already played, on Tuesday).
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Derby?... I Think Not!
Barcelona kicked the living crap out of Valencia today.
Sure, Piatti's goal (minute 9) gave them hope, for about 13 minutes, but then we got to watch The Messi Show.
Messi scored four consecutive goals on poor Diego Alves.
Messi's goals came in minutes 22, 27, 76 and 85.
Xavi wrapped the victory by scoring Barcelona's fifth, in injury time.
Barcelona - Valencia 5-1 (2-1) was the final score.
Okay, so Barcelona is clearly way better than Valencia, as the 11-points difference between second and third attests. But there seems to be very little Barca can do about Real Madrid, on the other hand. Real stays 10 points ahead.
It's amazing that the difference between first and third - 21 points - is bigger now than the difference between 3rd and 19th (only 20).
Watch highlights:
Barcelona v Valencia by spinolaz
Sure, Piatti's goal (minute 9) gave them hope, for about 13 minutes, but then we got to watch The Messi Show.
Messi scored four consecutive goals on poor Diego Alves.
Messi's goals came in minutes 22, 27, 76 and 85.
Xavi wrapped the victory by scoring Barcelona's fifth, in injury time.
Barcelona - Valencia 5-1 (2-1) was the final score.
Okay, so Barcelona is clearly way better than Valencia, as the 11-points difference between second and third attests. But there seems to be very little Barca can do about Real Madrid, on the other hand. Real stays 10 points ahead.
It's amazing that the difference between first and third - 21 points - is bigger now than the difference between 3rd and 19th (only 20).
Watch highlights:
Barcelona v Valencia by spinolaz
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Does Valencia's Surprise Loss Count as Big News?
It seemed that, if any team could make a feeble attempt to compete with the giants, Real and Barcelona, for the title in the Primera Division, it would be Valencia.
They were clearly the most consistent team except for the two colossi.
And nobody expected them to lose at home to Real Sociedad, especially their fans. (Just look, if you watch the highlights, how persistent they are in asking for a resignation at the end of the game.)
But does anybody care, really?
Valencia couldn't even secure their place in the second round of the Champions League...
Primera Division is a two-horse race this year, again.
But, hey, third place still leads to the Champions League, doesn't it?
This link has streaming highlights.
They were clearly the most consistent team except for the two colossi.
And nobody expected them to lose at home to Real Sociedad, especially their fans. (Just look, if you watch the highlights, how persistent they are in asking for a resignation at the end of the game.)
But does anybody care, really?
Valencia couldn't even secure their place in the second round of the Champions League...
Primera Division is a two-horse race this year, again.
But, hey, third place still leads to the Champions League, doesn't it?
This link has streaming highlights.
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