United’s Second String Stroll to Champions League Final with 4-1 Win over Schalke

A considerably weakened Manchester United side romped home to a 4-1 victory over German side Schalke 04 in their Champions League Semi-Final Second-Leg encounter at Old Trafford last night, setting up a clash with Spanish giants Barcelona in the Final at Wembley later this month.

In a match in which the outcome had virtually already been established through United’s 2-0 First-Leg victory in Germany last week, Sir Alex Ferguson made nine changes to the side that won at the Veltkins Arena. Although the United boss admitted to being slightly anxious about taking such a risk in what was still a Champions League Semi-Final encounter, his nerves were to be proved unfounded as his team easily overcame what must be the weakest Semi-Final opponents in the history of the competition.

Antonio Valencia celebrating his
goal against Schalke last night.

United scored with their first real effort on goal after 26 minutes through Antonio Valencia, who latched on to an alluring ball from Darron Gibson before finishing calmly past the onrushing Schalke ‘keeper Manuel Neuer. The Red Devils doubled their lead just five minutes later when Gibson turned from provider to scorer. The Republic of Ireland international fired a shot at Neuer from just inside the area, with the German number one demonstrating after last week’s heroics that he is human after all, fumbling the shot and allowing the ball to cross the line at his near post.

Four minutes later it was Schalke who responded with arguably the goal of the game from Spanish midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado. Picking up the ball from a ricochet off a United defender, he rifled home a shot past United ‘keeper Edwin van der Sar in the top corner of the net, sending the visiting Schalke fans into raptures. However, the muted celebration from the Spaniard said it all; the goal was all too little, too late from the German side who despite having the majority of the possession at Old Trafford, failed to truly test the United goal.

United have the prospect of
facing the seemingly
unstoppable Lionel Messi
in the final at Wembley. 

The second half was a fairly uneventful affair; with both sides realising the outcome of the game had long before been decided. On 72 minutes, Manchester United restored their two-goal lead on the night thanks to another mistake by Neuer. United’s impressive Brazilian midfielder Anderson was rewarded for his persistence after his initial shot following a ball from Nani was blocked by Schalke defender Atsuto Uchida, before turning and striking a left-footed shot through the hands of Neuer and into the Schalke net. Four minutes later the rout was complete, with Anderson again on the score sheet. Dimitar Berbatov was set free on the right-hand side before powering into the area and sliding the ball unselfishly to Anderson who passed the ball home from just inside the six-yard box.

Schalke did have a goal ruled out for off-side in the closing stages – a correct decision it has to be said – but the German side lacked the quality to ever really cause a threat to United and over the two-legs, the Red Devils’ 6-1  aggregate victory was justly deserved.

Manchester United will now face an undoubtedly tougher challenge in the shape of Barcelona in the Champions League Final at Wembley on May 28; in what will be a rematch of the 2009 Final in which Pep Guardiola’s side eased to a 2-0 win. The match will mark 43 years since United won their first European Cup at the old Wembley stadium and Sir Alex Ferguson’s side may just need that sense of destiny in order to overcome a Barcelona team described as one of the best in the history of the game. 

There’s Nothing Quite Like Derby Day

Every year when the forthcoming season’s fixtures are released, the two matches that you first go looking for are those against your local rivals. In terms of the league, they may not be the most important fixtures when it comes to hunting at the top for promotion and the play-offs, or indeed scrapping at the bottom to avoid the dreaded phrase of relegation, but for pure excitement, nerves, passion and exhilaration, there’s nothing quite like derby day.

Norwich City striker Grant Holt
scored a hat-trick last time out
against Ipswich Town.

Many of you will have seen last night’s thrilling North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane. It was a game that had just about everything, as you can read about in the match report below, and epitomised the very essence of a contest between two bitter rivals. The work rate and commitment of both sides was there for all to see and the atmosphere inside the stadium was incredible, it was certainly a real feast for the neutral football fan. However, when it is your own team that it is participating in a derby, as it will be for me tonight, you will be hoping for a match far less strenuous on your blood pressure.

In just a few hours time my team, Ipswich Town, will take on local rivals Norwich City in the so-called ‘Old Farm’ derby. It will be the 97^th time the two sides will have faced each other and the game at Portman Road is set to be a cracker. But tonight I am not really interested in the quality of the game. I am not really interested in the goals. I am not really interested in anything to tell you the truth. The one thing that I am only interested in is the result, and that is a positive result in Ipswich Town’s favour.

Ipswich Town youngster Josh
Carson will be looking to keep up his
good run of form against local
rivals Norwich tonight.

For years fans all over the world boast that their team’s derby is the greatest in the world. El Classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Milan derby between Inter and AC, the Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers. Yes, undoubtedly all of these are fantastic rivalries and produce some fantastic matches for neutral supporters to observe, but the only derby that really matters is the one that consists of your local team.

A local derby is unrivalled in the football calendar and victory in such a match rewards you with the delight of bragging rights for the next six months. Yes tonight’s ‘Old Farm’ derby may not be the most glamorous in the world of football, but it does not matter. For the supporters of Ipswich Town and Norwich City, tonight is their cup final, just as last night was the cup final for the fans of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. There truly is nothing quite like derby day. 

What are your views and opinions on tonight's game between Ipswich Town and Norwich City? Share your thoughts on that and great football rivalries in the comments box below.

Champions League Quarter-Final Draw

Former England international Gary Lineker served up a set of cracking ties as he performed the draw for the Champions League quarter-finals in Switzerland this morning.

The highlight of the draw was when Tottenham Hotspur, a team in which Lineker himself previously played for, were drawn against Spanish giants Real Madrid in what will sure be a thrilling contest. It seems as though Spurs just don’t do easy draws in what is their inaugural season in the Champions League. After dispatching seven-time European Cup winners AC Milan in the previous round, the team from North London will now face the competition’s all-time record-holders, who have not only won the European Cup nine times, but are also coached by Jose Mourinho, a manager who has won the Champions League twice in six years with two different teams and as recently as last season with former club Inter Milan.

Inter Milan striker Goran Pandev celebrates scoring an
88th minute winner against Bayern Munich that saw
his side progress through to the quarter-finals.

In the remainder of the draw, Mourinho’s former club Inter will face Schalke after beating last year’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich and Spanish side Valencia respectively. 2009 Champions League winners Barcelona have a tricky draw against Shakhtar Donetsk, with the Ukrainians unbeaten at home in 31 months in all competitions. The fourth and final quarter-final sees a re-run of the 2008 Champions League final as three-time European Cup winners Manchester United face fellow Premier League side Chelsea.

This morning’s quarter-final draw was followed by the draw for the semi-finals and Lineker again did not fail to disappoint. The winners of the match between Manchester United and Chelsea will face either Inter Milan or Schalke, while the winners of the game between Real Madrid and Tottenham will play either Barcelona or Shakhtar Donetsk, setting up a possible El Classico in the Champions League semi-finals.

The first legs of the quarter-final ties will be played on the 5^th and 6^th of April, with full reviews of all the games right here on Can We Play You Every Week.