UEFA Cup Semi Final Result Man City 2 Hamburg 1 (aggregate 3-4)

UEFA Cup Semi Final Result Man City 2 Hamburg 1 (aggregate 3-4)

Manchester City started with great spirit and determination, with their awesome fans making the right noise for this UEFA Cup tie. It was Guerrero that in the 12th minute tried to ruin the Eastlands party on the break with a cool finish to make it 1-0 to Hamburg.

Ireland, Elano and Robinho definitely gelled in the first half with slick passing moves getting them into the right areas to push on. Elano scored the equaliser as a result of a handball in the Hamburg box, the Man City forward finished emphatically to get the home team to 2-4 on aggregate.

It was Elano who threatened Hamburg again in the first half with a spectacular 20+ yard free kick, which ricocheted violently against the cross bar sending the ball away from goal. All in all, a good half but boss Mark Hughes will be desperate for the goals.
City started the second half well and then moved up a gear to made when Caicedo made it 2-1 with a neat bit of manoeuvring to get himself a bit of space to coolly steer the ball into the bottom left corner.
Then...unbelievable – Elano hits the word work yet again. This time he rattles the post with a Beckham type free kick that just curled a fraction too much; it left the ‘keeper standing like a spectator. Man City kept piling on the pressure, Caicedo skied the ball from point blank range, Robinho came close also as the home team bossed the game in an attractive, attacking manner. Caicedo was then correctly judged to have been in an offside position when he dribbled around the Hamburg keeper and put it into the net.

Captain Richard Dunne plays the game hard, after riding his luck in the first half received a second yellow card which knocked the stuffing out of Man City. Instantly Hamburg soaked up more possession and created some decent chances.

Micah Richards had a pretty decent chance from a rampage from his right back position, the England defender played upfront for the last 5 but it wasn’t enough and its Hamburg that clinch the UEFA Cup semi final spot.

As a Spurs supporter, I did feel a little chuffed for the well liked Martin Jol – a real gentleman of football who in my opinion can get success at the highest level.

UEFA Cup News 16th April

Ex Premier League manager Martin Jol returns to the UK as visitors Hamburg look to build on their 3-1 lead on Manchester City at Eastlands tonight in the UEFA Cup quarter final second leg. Jol’s German team are third in the Bundesliga, only 3 points off of top, so his objective will be the winning the double. They’ll fancy their chances against an off form Manchester City, that’s for sure.

Strange season for Manchester City really. Loaded with their new owners, Mark Hughes perhaps wouldn’t have rushed into Brazilian virtuoso Robinho who doesn’t look happy. It has been suggested that he is an ‘icing on the cake’ player, that he would have been more suited to a well established team like Chelsea. That said, he is more than capable of wondrous footballing feats, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he scores a goal or creates one tonight. Stephen Ireland has probably been their player of the season and Hughes has bought well but City aren’t performing right now. Defensively, Man City could be exposed tonight and Hamburg in the last half hour will look to counter attack but overall will be looking to stifle the home fans by regimented German defending and playing the possession game.

Hamburg have captain David Jarolim back strengthening the German side that lost on the weekend without him. I think this could be a draw.

FA Cup News

Unless you've been living in a cave, you'll know that last night's Champion League action has set the scene nicely for an all English semi final. Looking at the stats, the two legs of the tie, on 29 April at Old Trafford and 5 May at the Emirates, will be the first time the two fierce rivals have met on the European stage. However in all other competitions the 2 managers have met 37 times, with the spoils split pretty much evenly (United 14, Arsenal 15, draws 8). Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-1 at The Emirates earlier this season, and the teams will meet at Old Trafford on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season. Both teams are currently playing well in the FA Cup and the League, with cup semi-finals 10 days before the Old Trafford encounter and challenging end-of-season run-ins.

Arsenal's next match is at Wembley on Saturday, when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals and they are also playing Liverpool and Middlesbrough in the league before they face Ferguson's team. Both these matches are likely to be tough, with Liverpool desperate to catch Man United at the top to secure some silverware this season and Boro fighting for sheer survival. Arguably United have the slightly easier run in, meeting Everton this weekend in the last four of the FA Cup before facing Portsmouth and Tottenham in the league.



Currently both teams and managers are professing their pleasure at meeting domestic opposition in the Champion's League and are very complementary about each other. However as we approach the ties, I'm sure that the niceties will be replaced with the usual media warfare. Unfortunately the 2 clubs also have a history of conflict on the pitch, with large fines and bans being handed out to Arsenal in Autumn 2003 after certain Gunners decided to rough up Van Nistelrooy for his part in getting Viera sent off. The following year saw "Pizzagate" (also known as "battle of the buffet") when allegedly a slice of Pizza was thrown in the tunnel at Ferguson. Over the years the 2 managers have also let their emotions spill over, but as Wenger once said "What would I do if Sir Alex wasn't around? I would have no one to keep me on my toes or to fight. I enjoy our rivalry. It is good for Arsenal, good for Manchester United and good for both of us."



It is certainly good for the neutral!