Champions League

A penny saved is worth a penny earned but Manchester United not only saved a penny but earned one too to take a crucial 1-0 advantage over their arch rivals Chelsea in the first leg of the quarter-finals of Champions League at Stamford Bridge.

Football was not at its very best during the initial opening of the match but just after the clock ticked past twenty minutes the Red Devils set up an exciting counterattacking football to strike first blood. A superb cross from Carrick allowed Giggs to pull up all his experience as a left winger as he throttled past Chelsea’s defense to leave it for the team striker Wayne Rooney to finish off. Wayne Rooney has been hitting the news daily and again he will with a master finish. Chelsea were no pushovers as their dominance looked solid. They looked vulnerable whenever they attacked as they gave room for a counterattack. The expected magic did not work out between Drogba and Torres leaving Nicholas Anelka as an unsung hero. However Chelsea’s best chance came when Drogba’s cross and Torres back-heel was denied by the woodwork and Evra’s defensive awareness kept Chelsea at bay. The ambitious strike from Michael Essien in the 69^th minute was another highlight. Chelsea was unlucky in the 90^th minute though a clear cut penalty was called off when Evra tackled and he luckily escaped a send-off. Torres pushed his game into a higher level trying to earn a penalty by performing a fake but sadly that only fetched him a yellow card. Clearly, nothing was going the Blues’s ways but their effort will not go in vain as they still have a game to stay alive in the Champions League.

Another match turned out to be a one-sided affair as Barcelona hammered Shakthar 5-1 at Camp Nou stadium. Shakthar moved in with lots of hopes but Iniesta could not wait long as he struck the match opener under 2 minutes. Even though Shakthar scored in 59^th minute making it 1-3, it only took seconds for Barcelona to make it 4-1. Barcelona finished on a high note with some great display of skill from Daniel Alves to give his captain Xavi to nail the fifth goal and that was good night for Shakthar.

It will be a game to watch out for when Chelsea move to Old Trafford for the second leg and that will decide the fortunes with which one bows out. But another legendry semi-final clash awaits as Barcelona are moving closer dying to meet Real Madrid.

Tags: Champions League, Chelsea, Football, Manchester United, Stamford Bridge, UEFA Champions League, Wayne Rooney