|
|
Champions League Play-off results: Udinese crash out on penalties as Malaga survive Greek test
Aug 28, 2012 10:50:00 PM
The Italians exited the competition after Maicosuel’s chipped penalty miss in the shoot-out, following a tight encounter in Udine, while the Spaniards edged past Panathinaikos
| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £23.75 | Draw £36.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £30.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £24.00 | Draw £34.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £28.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £23.00 | Draw £34.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £29.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £22.50 | Draw £35.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £30.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Malaga £23.70 | Draw £34.00 | Deportivo La Coruña £28.70 |
|
Champions League Play-off Results |
 Results/Fixtures |
 ANDERLECHT |
(3) 2 | 0 (2) |
 AEL LIMASSOL |
 |
|||
| AEL's quest to follow in the footsteps of fellow Cypriots APOEL has ended in heartbreak after a late 2-0 loss to Anderlecht in Beglium. The minnows had gone into the second leg holding a narrow 2-1 lead, but with the threat of John van den Brom's side's away goal looming, they sat back in an effort to hold on to what they had. Tom De Sutter squandered a great chance for the hosts within the first 10 minutes, before the same player narrowly missed the target after inadvertently diverting Guillaume Gillet's cross goal-wards. At the other end, Rui Miguel forced an instinctive block from Silvio Proto and Jorge Monteiro sent an effort into the side-netting seconds later. They were made to pay for their wastefulness when Dieumerci Mbokani smashed the ball home with just 10 minutes to spare. Oleksandr Yakovenko made the points safe soon after with a curled effort to send the hosts through to the group stages. |
|||
 I. KIRYAT SHMONA |
1 (1) |
1 (3) |  BATE |
| BATE also secured their place in the Champions League proper with a 1-1 draw against Ironi Kiryat Shmona in Israel. The Belarusians had held a commanding 2-0 advantage heading into the second leg thanks to their 2-0 win over their opponents in Borisov a week ago, and made a comfortable start to the encounter without making much progress into the Ironi half. Eventually, the hosts began to craft chances, with Laszlo Lencse and Ravid Gazal both missing decent opportunities. But they were made to wait until the second half for the breakthrough. Artsyom Radzkow brought down Lencse, and the Hungarian was on hand to curl the resulting free kick into the top corner. The hosts desperately went in search of a goal to send the tie to extra time, but were unable to produce a moment of magic, and were undone on the break when Aleksandr Pavlov scored a tie-securing equaliser. |
|||
 PANATHINAIKOS |
(0) 0 |
0 (2) |  MALAGA |
 |
|||
| Stricken Liga outfit Malaga managed to see out their trip to Athens to face Panathinaikos and book a group stage place. The Spaniards had taken a convincing 2-0 lead into the Greek capital thanks to goals from Martin Demichelis and Eliseu, and immediately set out in pursuit of a third goal to effectively end the tie. Fabrice squandered a chance after a matter of seconds, before Isco sent an effort narrowly wide. The hosts' best opportunity to pull one back came after 20 minutes when Lazaros Christodoulopoulos sent a free kick straight into the wall. As the match wore on, Malaga became more content to sit back, but the Greeks were unable to craft any openings, and Manuel Pellegrini's men had done enough to progress. |
|||
 MARIBOR |
(1) 0 | 1 (3) |
 DINAMO ZAGREB |
| Dinamo Zagreb saw out their short trip to Slovenia to face Maribor, and booked their place in the group stage thanks to a narrow 1-0 win. The Croatians had held a slender 2-1 advantage, but the hosts failed to take the encounter by the scruff of their neck, allowing their visitors to get a foothold in the encounter. Before too long, their dominance began to take effect. Jasmin Handanovic was forced into an acrobatic save to prevent Duje Cop's effort from flying into the top corner and was on hand to deal with the resulting corner. On 12 minutes, Ante Cacic's men finally took the lead when Sammir's cross was turned back across the face of goal by Cop, leaving Tonel to bundle the ball home. The hosts picked up the pace after the break, but failed to craft any clear opportunities, and Sammir could have put the visitors ahead with a one-on-one as the match wore on. In the end, the one strike proved to be enough for the Croatians to progress. |
|||
 UDINESE |
(2) 1 | 1 (2) |
 BRAGA (4-5 pens) |
 |
|||
| Udinese's dream of reaching the Champions League group stages ended in heartbreak as Francesco Guidolin's men crashed out of the competition on penalties against Braga. Things started well for the Italians, with Pablo Armero putting his side 2-1 up on aggregate with a powerful header, and the Colombian could have put the tie to bed soon after, only to send a powerful volley straight at Beto. However, after the break, Braga then started to find their feet on the night and created a string of chances. Hugo Viana sent a shot well over the bar from a decent position, before Zeljko Brkic was forced into a smat save to deny Alan. The Serbian goalkeeper repeated the trick soon after when Ismaily sent a powerful effort towards goal, but the hosts' resistance was broken on 72 mins when Ruben Micael nodded home with Brkic standed. Armero had comically fallen over his feet when through on goal soon before and the Friulians looked to be disorientated, but they managed to hold out until extra time. Armero missed one more inviting chance, but neither side was able to grab a decisive goal. In the shoot-out, Maicosuel turned out to be the villain, dinking a chipped penalty straight into Beto's hands, and Ruben Micael was there to net the winning spot kick. |
|||
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets |
|
| Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached! |
|
| Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET! |
|
Make Your Prediction
Malaga - Deportivo
Malaga
Deportivo
Prediction Submitted
Most Popular Predictions
-
Malaga 2-0 Deportivo
- 17.58 %
-
Malaga 3-1 Deportivo
- 13.94 %
-
Malaga 2-1 Deportivo
- 9.09 %
Live!
Champions League final - LIVE!
German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.
5:42 PM BST
Right, just over two hours to go until kick-off, so let's check in with our man Jay Jaffa, who says the atmosphere is already building at Wembley.
"Jurgen Klopp said in his pre-match press conference that were he to never make another Champions League final, he could die happy knowing that he took a team to the home of football - Wembley.
"And I can tell you as I look at the sea of yellow, black and red that fans of both sides feel similar - there are hordes of Dortmund and Bayern supporters already congregating around the national stadium, eagerly lapping up some late afternoon sun."
"Jurgen Klopp said in his pre-match press conference that were he to never make another Champions League final, he could die happy knowing that he took a team to the home of football - Wembley.
"And I can tell you as I look at the sea of yellow, black and red that fans of both sides feel similar - there are hordes of Dortmund and Bayern supporters already congregating around the national stadium, eagerly lapping up some late afternoon sun."
5:38 PM BST
It is this increasingly bitter rivalry between Bayern and Dortmund that almost guarantees fireworks at Wembley tonight, according to Bayern defender Dante, who spoke exclusively with Goal earlier this week.
5:34 PM BST
The aforementioned Gotze deal, and the way in which it was leaked to the press on the eve of Dortmund’s Champions League semi-final, first-leg clash with Madrid, has only intensified the antipathy between the two clubs, while, as you can see from the photo below, the man at the centre of the transfer has inevitably been caught in the crossfire. This is all nothing new, of course. Bayern may have loaned a cash-strapped Dortmund money a decade ago but the pair have been locked in a vicious – but entertaining – war of words in the wake of die Schwarzgelben’s subsequent re-emergence as a major force, and Daniel Buse and Enis Koylu have catalogued the best quotes here.
5:23 PM BST
Right, still plenty of time to go until kick-off, so why not get involved in our Champions League quiz on Twitter? Here's one to start you off:
After tonight, how many Champions League/European Cup finals will Bayern Munich have played in?
After tonight, how many Champions League/European Cup finals will Bayern Munich have played in?
5:18 PM BST
Bayern, as already alluded to, are desperate to atone for defeat against Chelsea 12 months ago and one man who knows all about the agony and ecstasy of Champions League finals is former die Roten defender Samuel Kuffour. The Ghanaian beating the ground in fury after seeing his side concede twice in injury time at the end of the 1999 tournament decider against Manchester United remains one of the most memorable images in the competition’s history, so check out our exclusive interview with Kuffour, who would achieve redemption just two years later when Bayern edged out Valencia on penalties.
Inside Goal.Com
-
Champions League Final Preview: Dortmund - Bayern
Jurgen Klopp's side will be eager for vengeance after watching their Bundesliga title slip into the hands of the Bavarian giants this term
-
The Dossier: Stop Martinez, stop Bayern
With the Mario Gotze missing through injury, Marco Reus will be charged with the task of stopping Javi Martinez from dictating proceedings in the middle of the park
-
'Mario, you will never redeem yourself'
Mario Gotze's injury means the playmaker has now played his final game for Borussia Dortmund. In an open letter, a fan tells of his emotion at his controversial switch to Bayern
-
BVB's rise from the abyss to European contenders
BVB have recovered from teetering on the edge of bankruptcy to take their place on Europe's grandest stage, humbling their opponents on Saturday, Bayern Munich, along the way
-
Top 10 all-time Champions League scorers
As the competition moves within days of its much-anticipated conclusion at Wembley, Goal profiles the most prolific players in its history
