UEFA Cup 2007/08

[RedWine]

http://www.uefa.com/ml/images/uefacup/header.jpg


FC Bayern München will take on CF Os Belenenses in their first UEFA Cup tie for a decade while AFC Ajax, another of the three clubs to have won all three major European club trophies, were paired with NK Dinamo Zagreb in Friday's first-round draw in Monaco.

Champions return

Bayern were last in this tournament in 1996/97 as holders, while Ajax and Dinamo are among 16 clubs who transferred from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, all hoping to gain one of the 40 places on offer in the group stage. Tottenham Hotspur FC, who lifted the first UEFA Cup in 1971/72 and repeated the feat 12 years later, will play Cypriot qualifiers Anorthosis Famagusta FC. Of the other former winners, Galatasaray SK have been drawn against FC Sion and RSC Anderlecht will meet two-time UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finalists SK Rapid Wien.

Holders in draw

Ajax and Bayern's fellow former European champions Hamburger SV - one of nine survivors from the UEFA Intertoto Cup - and FK Crvena Zvezda will face PFC Litex Lovech and Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski respectively. The UEFA Cup winners for the last two seasons, Sevilla FC, were also in the draw due to the postponement of their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round second leg at AEK Athens FC due to the death of the Spanish side's midfielder Antonio Puerta. The losers of that tie will face 1993/94 runners-up FC Salzburg.

Road to final

The first-round ties are played on 20 September and 4 October. Five days after the second legs the draw will be held for the group stage, the fixture dates for which are 25 October, 8 November, 29 November, 5 December and 19/20 December. The top three from each of the eight groups will be joined by the eight third-placed teams in the UEFA Champions League for the Round of 32 in February, with the eventual aim a place in the final at England's City of Manchester Stadium on 14 May.

2007/08 UEFA Cup first round

Team named first at home first (reversals tbc)

1st leg: 20 September

2nd leg: 4 October

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FC Midtjylland (DEN) v FC Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS)

FC Groningen (NED) v ACF Fiorentina (ITA)

FK Rabotnicki (MKD) v Bolton Wanderers FC (ENG)

Sevilla FC (ESP, holders) / AEK Athens FC (GRE) v FC Salzburg (AUT)

1. FC Nürnberg (GER) v AFC Rapid Bucuresti (ROU)

Everton FC (ENG) v FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)

FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) v R. Standard de Liège (BEL)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) v UD Leiria (POR)

Villarreal CF (ESP) v FC BATE Borisov (BLR)

FC Sion (SUI) v Galatasaray SK (TUR)

Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) v Kayseri Erciyesspor (TUR)

FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA) v Tampere United (FIN)

Panathinaikos FC (GRE) v FC Artmedia Petržalka (SVK)

AC Sparta Praha (CZE) v Odense BK (DEN)

FC Zürich (SUI) v Empoli FC (ITA)

FC Sochaux-Montbéliard (FRA) v Panionios GSS (GRE)

SK Rapid Wien (AUT) v RSC Anderlecht (BEL)

FC Paços de Ferreira (POR) v AZ Alkmaar (NED)

UC Sampdoria (ITA) v Aalborg BK (DEN)

FC Spartak Moskva (RUS) v BK Häcken (SWE)

Hammarby (SWE) v SC Braga (POR)

Larissa FC (GRE) v Blackburn Rovers FC (ENG)

FK Mladá Boleslav (CZE) v US Città di Palermo (ITA)

NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v AFC Ajax (NED)

Stade Rennais FC (FRA) v PFC Lokomotiv Sofia (BUL)

SK Brann (NOR) v Club Brugge KV (BEL)

FC Bayern München (GER) v CF Os Belenenses (POR)

Aberdeen FC (SCO) v FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR)

SC Heerenveen (NED) v Helsingborgs IF (SWE)

Toulouse FC (FRA) v PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL)

Hamburger SV (GER) v PFC Litex Lovech (BUL)

FK Sarajevo (BIH) v FC Basel 1893 (SUI)

FK Austria Wien (AUT) v Vålerenga IF (NOR)

AIK Solna (SWE) v Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)

Aris Thessaloniki FC (GRE) v Real Zaragoza (ESP)

FC Dinamo 1948 Bucuresti (ROU) v IF Elfsborg (SWE)

Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG) v Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP)

RC Lens (FRA) v FC København (DEN)

Getafe CF (ESP) v FC Twente (NED)

Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski (POL) v FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)

[RedWine]

Thursday, 20 September 2007

UEFA Cup



AEK Athens 3-0 SV Red Bull Salzburg

Aberdeen 0-0 Dnipro

Anderlecht 1-1 Rapid Vienna

Aris Salonika 1-0 Real Zaragoza

Artmedia Bratislava 1-2 Panathinaikos

Atletico Madrid 4-0 Kayseri Erciyesspor

Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Uniao Leiria

Bayern Munich 1-0 Belenenses

Dinamo Bucuresti 1-2 IF Elfsborg

Dinamo Zagreb 0-1 Ajax

Empoli 2-1 FC Zurich

Everton 1-1 FC Metalist Kharkiv

FC Groningen 1-1 Fiorentina

FC Midtjylland 1-3 Lokomotiv Moscow

FC Sion 3-2 Galatasaray

FK Austria Magna 2-0 Valerenga

FK Sarajevo 1-2 Basle

Getafe 1-0 FC Twente

Groclin Dyskobolia 0-1 Crvena Zvezda

Hammarby 2-1 Braga

Hapoel Tel-Aviv 0-0 AIK

Heerenveen 5-3 Helsingborgs IF

Larissa 2-0 Blackburn

Lokomotiv Sofia 1-3 Rennes

Mlada Boleslav 0-1 Palermo

Nurnberg 0-0 Rapid Bucuresti

Pacos Ferreira 0-1 AZ

Rabotnicki Kometal 1-1 Bolton

SK Brann 0-1 Club Brugge

Sampdoria 2-2 AaB

Sochaux 0-2 Panionios

Sparta Prague 0-0 Odense BK

Spartak Moscow 5-0 BK Hacken

Tampere United 2-3 Bordeaux

Tottenham 6-1 Anorthosis Famagusta

Toulouse 0-0 CSKA Sofia

Villarreal 4-1 BATE

Zenit St Petersburg 3-0 Standard Liege

[abadani69]

French striker Nicolas Anelka said an upset of UEFA Cup favourites Bayern Munich by Bolton would put the Premiership club on the map as a European force, following Tuesday's group stage draw.

Bayern Munich, who have had a continual presence in the Champions League for a decade and a half, are in the second-tier UEFA Cup this time and would look a tough draw but Anelka saw the positive side of playing the German giants.

Anelka told the Bolton club website they had nothing to lose when they go to Munich next month: "I would love to go there and upset the world of football by winning. It would put Bolton on the map in terms of being a European force.

"Bayern Munich are the best team in the competition and will give us a great test in Munich. I have played at the old Olympic Stadium many times and the atmosphere is amazing.

"The new Allianz Arena, where they play now, is one of the best stadiums in the world. I haven't played there before but I'm looking forward to it. Bayern have some great players that will be a threat to us.

"My international team-mate Franck Ribery joined them from Marseille this season and he is a great talent, who has the ability to change a game."

In Group F, Bolton have home games against Portugal's Braga and Greeks Aris Salonika before trips to Bayern Munich and Red Star Belgrade, who won the competition in 1991.

"The match against Red Star will be very intimidating," Anelka added. "They always seem to raise their game in European competition and their fanatical fans are always very passionate at home. It will be a great atmosphere in Belgrade and one that the Bolton fans will look forward to."

Meanwhile Tottenham Hotspurs have been drawn against Belgians Anderlecht, the team they beat in the 1984 final, in Group G while Everton are up against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in Group A.

In Group B, Scotland's Aberdeen meet Greeks Panathinaikos and Atletico Madrid.

Each team will play two matches at home and two away with the group stage starting on 25 October and the top three of the five go through. They will be joined by eight third-placed teams from the Champions League groups for the knockout round.

UEFA Cup group stage:-

Group A

AZ Alkmaar (NED)

Zenit Saint-Petersburg (RUS)

Everton (ENG)

Nuremberg (GER)

Larissa (GRE)

Group B

Panathinaikos (GRE)

Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)

Atletico Madrid (ESP)

FC Copenhagen (DEN)

Aberdeen (SCO)

Group C

Villarreal (ESP)

AEK Athens (GRE)

Fiorentina (ITA)

Mlada Boleslav (CZE)

IF Elsborg (SWE)

Group D

FC Basel (SUI)

SV Hamburg (GER)

Rennes (FRA)

Dynamo Zagreb (CRO)

Brann Bergen (NOR)

Group E

Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

Sparta Prague (CZE)

Spartak Moscow (RUS)

Toulouse (FRA)

FC Zurich (SUI)

Group F

Bayern Munich (GER)

Bolton (ENG)

Braga (POR)

Red Star Belgrade (SRB)

Aris Salonika (GRE)

Group G

Anderlecht (BEL)

Tottenham (ENG)

Getafe (ESP)

Hapoel Tel Aviv (ISR)

Aalborg (DEN)

Groupe H

Bordeaux (FRA)

Austria Vienna (AUT)

Galatasaray (TUR)

Panionios (GRE)

Helsingborg (SWE)

[abadani69]

دو باشگاه بايرن مونيخ و هامبورگ خواستار افزايش مدت استراحت ميان ديدارهاي اروپايي و رقابت*هاي ليگ دسته اول باشگاههاي اين كشور
(بوندسليگا) شدند.

به*گزارش خبرگزاري آسوشيتدپرس، هر دو تيم روز پنجشنبه گذشته در جام يوفا بازي داشتند. هامبورگ دو روز بعد (شنبه) ‪۲‬ بر‪ ۱‬مقابل وردربرمن شكست خورد كه به بهاي از دست دادن شانسش براي صدرنشيني تمام شد.

"هوب استيونس" سرمربي هامبورگ مدعي است برمن برتري نسبت به تيمش نداشت فقط بازيكنان تحت رهبري وي خسته بودند.

استيونس گفت: بدن هيچ بازيكني در مدت ‪ ۴۳‬ساعت نمي*تواند پاسخگوي يك مسابقه سطح بالاي ديگر باشد. به اعتقاد من شرم*آور است كه يك مسابقه مهم و سرنوشت ساز در حد تعيين قهرمان ليگ، به اين شكل برنامه ريزي شده است.

"فرانك روست" دروازه بان هامبورگ بعد از باخت به وردربرمن به شدت عصباني بود.

وي اظهارداشت: آنهايي كه كراوات مي*زنند آنقدر انعطاف ناپذيرند كه حتي نمي*توانند برنامه را عوض كنند.

در ماه نوامبر، بايرن مونيخ تساوي ‪ ۲- ۲‬برابر بولتون در چارچوب رقابتهاي جام يوفا را عاقبت استراحت دادن به پنج بازيكن اصلي خود دانست كه مي*بايست ‪ ۴۳‬ساعت بعد در يك ديدار بسيار مهم بوندسليگا بازي كنند.

"كارل هاينس رومنيگه" رييس باشگاه بايرن در اين خصوص معتقد است:
برنامه ريزي مديران بوندسليگا مضحك است. خيلي زود بايد اين برنامه تغيير يابد چون تحريف واقعي در مسابقات است.

از سوي ديگر مسئولان بوندسليگا همه انتقادات را متوجه يوفا (اتحاديه فوتبال اروپا) مي*دانند كه روزهاي سه*شنبه و چهارشنبه را به جام قهرمانان باشگاههاي اروپا (چمپيونزليگ) اختصاص داده و هيچ گزينه*اي جز پنجشنبه برايشان باقي نمانده است.

يكي ديگر از عوامل مشكل ساز، قراردادهاي مختلف پخش تلويزيوني مسابقات بوندسليگاست.

دو سال قبل، براساس توافق باشگاهها، بوندسليگا قراردادي امضا كرد كه به موجب آن يك مسابقه در روز جمعه و دو بازي روز يكشنبه برگزار شود.

شش ديدار نيز براي روز شنبه برنامه ريزي شد.

"ريچارد راوبال" رييس بوندسليگا با كنايه به حضور ‪ ۱۰‬ساله بايرن مونيخ در رقابتهاي باشگاهي اروپا اظهارداشت: در دسامبر سال ‪ ،۲۰۰۵‬بايرن مونيخ قطعا تصور نمي*كرد كه به خاطر جام يوفا با مشكل زمان بندي مواجه مي شود چون منتظر جام قهرمانان بودند.

راوبال در خاتمه قول داد در مورد تغيير زمان مسابقات با شبكه*هاي تلويزيوني مذاكره خواهد كرد.

[RedWine]

Aberdeen 2-2 Bayern Munich

Benfica 1-0 Nuremburg

Bolton 1-0 Atletico Madrid

FC Zurich 1-3 Hamburg

Rosenborg 0-1 Fiorentina

Slavia Prague 1-2 Tottenham

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Wednesday, 13 February 2008

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AEK Athens 1-1 Getafe

Anderlecht 2-1 Bordeaux

Galatasaray 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen

Marseille 3-0 Spartak Moscow

PSV 2-0 Helsingborgs IF

Rangers 0-0 Panathinaikos

SK Brann 0-2 Everton

Sporting 2-0 Basle

Werder Bremen 3-0 Braga

Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 Villarreal

[RedWine]

The Rangers manager Walter Smith said reaching the Uefa Cup final in Manchester would be one of the defining moments of his career after his side last night booked their place in the semi-final with victory over Sporting in Lisbon.
"I've been proud of the team all season and the way they've handled the pressure of having to win these games," Smith said. "It will be [one of my proudest moments] if we manage to get to the final.


We have had a terrific response from everyone in our group in recent weeks. It takes the profile of the club up again, which is terrific. It's one of the things we've got to do so we're delighted in that respect. It's great for everyone concerned with Rangers to get to the semi-finals of a major European tournament."
The Rangers midfielder Steven Whittaker said he has never scored a better goal than his 90th-minute strike against Sporting, but insisted that the team is focusing on the matches against Fiorentina on April 24 and May 1 - Rangers' first European semi-final for 36 years - rather than the prospect of a final in Manchester.

"I'm over the moon and all the boys have said it was a great goal," said Whittaker, who is in his debut season at Ibrox after moving from Hibernian last summer. "There were boys to my left but I just kept running and running to the right and I had the goalkeeper to beat. It went in the far corner and it is the best goal I have scored because of the scale of the game."

"Manchester will be mentioned because we have got through this tie," Whittaker added, "but we have Fiorentina to play first."

Rangers dropped down to the Uefa Cup after being eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage, but Smith believes that disappointment could help the team when they face the the Italian side.

"They have gained in confidence over the season. It's not often we have to play 16 European games and it will be 18 now. They have not only gained a togetherness as a team but also a confidence that they can compete against decent sides. Personally, I'm delighted for them - they are a great bunch to work with."

Rangers' captain Barry Ferguson will miss the first leg against Fiorentina after picking up a booking for dissent, but said he was happy to reach the last-four stage for the first time.

"It's my first semi-final in a European competition and it gets better as I get older even though I do miss the first leg. I'm disappointed [but] the ref has had no option. You never know what might happen. We've got a confident squad and we've got a great attitude. It's a happy place and it shows you what a difference a year and a half makes."

The Scottish side broke the deadlock against Sporting on 60 minutes when Jean-Claude Darcheville slotted the ball home, and the striker said victory at the Jose Alvalade stadium represented the highlight of the season so far for Rangers. "This is our best performance and result," the Frenchman claimed. But Rangers have a daunting fixture list ahead, with four games - the double header against Fiorentina, Celtic and Hibernian - in eight days. The SPL leaders could have to play 14 matches in the final six weeks of the season if they stay on course for success in the Scottish and Uefa cups.

[RedWine]

The Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni scored two goals in the last five minutes of extra time to earn the Bundesliga leader a 3-3 draw at Getafe and a place in the semifinals of the UEFA Cup.

The unheralded Spanish club seemed to have made it through when Javier Casquero and Braulio Nobrega scored in the first three minutes of extra time on Thursday night, but Toni earned the four-time European champion a 4-4 aggregate draw and a place in the next round on away goals.

"They were sensational," said Bayern's coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld. "They were about to achieve a sensational result and humiliate Bayern Munich. But they were a bit short. They were the better team."

Bayern will next meet Zenit St. Petersburg. The Russian team progressed past Bayer Leverkusen on aggregate, 4-2, despite a 1-0 home loss.

Fiorentina won at PSV Eindhoven, 2-0, to go through, while Glasgow Rangers upset host Sporting Lisbon, 2-0.

Getafe had earned a 1-1 draw at Bayern last week to give itself a shot at progressing, and Cosmin Contra put the Spanish team ahead Thursday in the 44th minute with his second goal of the series.

The Romania international cut inside from the right wing and made it into the penalty area to hit a swerving shot past the German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn.

But the France winger Franck Ribéry earned Bayern another shot to advance with a minute of regular time remaining when he collected a deflected flick by Toni and scored.

That seemed to give Bayern a psychological edge, but Casquero made it 2-1 in the first minute of extra time with a shot from Braulio's pass, and the substitute appeared to have secured an upset victory two minutes later with a close-range shot.

But Toni got a goal back for the Bundesliga leaders with five minutes remaining and, in the last moments, scored with a downward header at the far post from a cross by José Ernesto Sosa.

[RedWine]

زنيت قهرمان جام يوفا شد


در استاديوم شهر منچستر، زنيت تيم برتر ميدان بود
در مسابقه نهايي جام يوفا در شهر منچستر، زنيت سن پيترزبورگ با پيروزي 2-0 مقابل گلاسكو رنجرز به مقام قهرماني دست يافت.
اين تيم روسي در نيمه اول تيم غالب ميدان بود، هرچند تهديدي جدي متوجه دروازه رنجرز نساخت.

اما در ميانه نيمه دوم، يك حمله سريع بازيكنان زنيت و "يك-دو" ميان آندري آرشاوين و دنيسوف فضايي ميان مدافعان رنجرز باز كرد كه دنيسوف با استفاده از اين فضا، گل اول را در دقيقه 72 به ثمر رساند.

زنيت كار را در آخرين لحظات وقت اضافه نيمه دوم تمام كرد كه نفوذ بازيكنان اين تيم از سمت چپ دروازه رنجرز به كنستانتين زيريانوف امكان داد توپ ارسال شده به ميانه محوطه جريمه را با بغل پا درون دروازه تيم اسكاتلندي قرار دهد.

حضور تماشاگران پرشمار رنجرز و زنيت، فضايي پر شور ايجاد كرده بود، و با وجود آنكه تاكيد بيشتر والتر اسميت، مربي رنجرز بر اصول دفاعي بر همگان مشخص بود، تماشاگران هماهنگ رنجرز از تيم خود يك صدا گل مي خواستند و بالا و پايين مي پريدند.

رنجرز نه تنها دوباره رو به تاكتيك دفاعي آورد، بلكه بجاي تاكتيك هميشگي خود در بكار گرفتن يك هافبك دفاعي، اين بار از دو هافبك دفاعي استفاده كرده بود.

اما بازگشت آرشاوين پس از سپري كردن محروميت از حضور در بازي نيمه نهايي (مقابل بايرن مونيخ) توان تهاجمي مضاعفي به زنيت داده بود و عملكرد كند و ساكن براهيم حمداني، بازيكن اهل الجزاير رنجرز شرايط را براي رنجرز دشوارتر ساخته بود.


آرشاوين (چپ) خطرساز بود و حمداني ساكن بازي مي كرد

با اين حال مشكل رنجرز كه در برابر فيورنتينا هم تنها به لطف 120 دقيقه دفاع ممتد و در ضربات پنالتي پيروز شد، تنها به يك بازيكن خلاصه نمي شد.

هرچند رنجرز زنيت را به حملات و ضربات از راه دور محدود ساخته بود، اما اين موضوع زنيت را از زدن ضربات راه دور باز نداشت و در نهايت آمار شوت دو طرف 19 به 8 به سود زنيت بود.

زنيت كه در نيمه نهايي بايرن مونيخ قهرمان بوندسليگا را 4-0 شكست داده بود در اكثر لحظات، بازي را در اختيار داشت و در نهايت با اين پيروزي توانست پس از زسكا مسكو در سال 2005 دومين باشگاه در تاريخ فوتبال روسيه لقب گيرد كه به مقام قهرماني جام يوفا دست يافته است.

تيم زنيت كه ديك ادووكات، مربي سرشناس هلندي مربي گري آن را بعهده دارد، هرچند در فصل گذشته براي دومين بار در تاريخ اين باشگاه (اولين بار 1984) به مقام قهرماني باشگاه هاي روسيه دست يافت، اما در فصل جاري از ضعيف ترين تيمهاي روسيه بوده است.

با اين حال اين تيم به واسطه حمايت مالي شركت گازپروم، بزرگترين شركت از نظر استخراج گاز طبيعي جهان، تيمي ثروتمند محسوب مي شود.