Euro giants back on glory trail (FIFA.com) Monday 13 February 2012 Print

Euro giants back on glory trail
(FIFA.com) Monday 13 February 2012
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Nine different countries are represented in the Round of 16 of the sUEFA Champions League, which begins on Tuesday and Wednesday with the first four first-leg matche. The round’s remaining first legs will be played next week, with the return fixtures taking place between 6 and 14 March.

For the eighth season running Italy have three representatives in the last 16 (Napoli, Inter and AC Milan), more than any other nation. That honorary title usually goes to England, who have just two teams left in the running (Arsenal and Chelsea), the first time that has been the case at this stage of the competition since 1999-2000.

Also of note is the fact that five of the teams who came through the qualifying rounds are still going strong (Bayern Munich, Benfica, Lyon, Arsenal and APOEL Nicosia), and that the Cypriot underdogs are making their first appearance at this stage of the competition along with Napoli and Zenit St Petersburg.

This week’s fixtures
Tuesday 14 February
Lyon-APOEL Nicosia
Bayer Leverkusen-Barcelona

Wednesday 15 February
AC Milan-Arsenal
Zenit St Petersburg-Benfica

Match of the day
Bayer Leverkusen-Barcelona, Bay-Arena, Leverkusen, 20:45
The European champions and their star asset Lionel Messi go into this game under something of a cloud, having seen their form in the league desert them and Real Madrid pull away at the top of the table. Judging by the much-changed team he sent out in the 3-2 defeat at Osasuna on Saturday, one that contained a clutch of youngsters deputising for the likes of Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Xavi, Pep Guardiola is now channelling his resources into successfully defending Barça’s European title and winning the Copa del Rey. Iniesta and Xavi are likely to return against the Germans, restoring some balance to the side.

For their part, Bayer saw a six-game unbeaten run come to a sticky end against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, a match coach Robin Dutt began with a 4-4-2 formation before switching to a three-man front line (Andre Schurrle, Stefan Kiessling and Karim Bellarabi), while leaving Michael Ballack on the bench for the third time running.

The Germans won all three of their home games in the group phase, while Barcelona won their three away matches. The Catalans also have a formidable record against German opposition in the tournament, going undefeated in 15 matches, with 12 wins and three draws.

The other matches
AC Milan-Arsenal
Though not the superstitious type, Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri had good reason to grimace when his side were paired with the Londoners. The Italians have lost their last three home ties against English opposition (Arsenal in 2008, Manchester United in 2010 and Tottenham last season) in the knockout rounds of the competition. Nevertheless I Rossoneri are nothing if not resilient, as they showed in winning 2-1 at Udinese at the weekend to move back to the top of Serie A, all in spite of the absence of several first-teamers. Arsenal also won by the same scoreline on their visit to Udine in qualifying for the group phase of this year's competition. Despite losing centre-half Per Mertesacker to injury, they also earned a morale-boosting 2-1 win at Sunderland on Saturday to climb back into the top four in the Premier League. That result sets them up nicely for a game in which most eyes will be on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie, two of Europe’s top strikers.

Lyon-APOEL Nicosia
Through to this stage of the tournament for the ninth time running, Lyon will not be underestimating the unfancied Cypriots, especially after only scraping into the knockout phase with a 7-1 win at Dynamo Zagreb. Key to the chances of Remi Garde’s side will be the form of Lisandro Lopez, the man who makes them tick. APOEL have an impressive record in this season’s competition, winning six of their 12 games so far, drawing four and losing only two. Notable victors at Porto and Zenit St Petersburg in the group phase, the Cypriots owe much of their success to striker Ailton and his seven goals, and the consistency of Nuno Morais and Marcelo Oliveira, the only players to have appeared in all their Champions League outings so far.

Zenit St Petersburg-Benfica
The fourth Russian club to reach the Round of 16, Zenit have been out of action since qualifying at the expense of Porto at the end of the previous round, the midwinter break in Russia keeping them sidelined for the last few weeks. Their preparations for this game have been hindered by the long-term injury suffered by Portuguese attacking midfielder Danny in training. Coached by Luciano Spaletti, who has just renewed his contract, Zenit find their path to the last eight blocked by a Benfica side back in the knockout phase for the first time since 2006 and riding high in the league, eight points clear of second-placed Porto.

Player to watch
Arsenal’s leading all-time goalscorer, with 229 goals, Thierry Henry is set to play what will almost certainly be the last European match of his career before rejoining New York Red Bulls. The 34-year-old French striker has had a productive loan spell with the Gunners, scoring three goals in all, two of them turning out to be winners. “His performances show that talent never dies,” said Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. “I hope he will add to his legend in the Champions League.”

The stat
2 - The number of teams England, France and Germany still have in the competition. Curiously, the reigning league champions from all three countries (Manchester United, Lille and Borussia Dortmund) have all been knocked out.

What they said
“Some people have rated me up there with the very best, while others have given me a lot of criticism. The key is not to attach too much importance to comments like that, whether they’re positive or negative,” Pablo Aimar, Benfica’s Argentinian playmaker.

Have your say
Can Bayer Leverkusen cause an upset against the reigning champions?

Mweene: Zambia's most important win

Mweene: Zambia's most important win
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Kennedy Mweene is obviously a man who can handle pressure. Already a household name amongst South African football fans, the Zambian international plays his club football for Free State Stars. At the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, he proved to be an inspirational match-winner in Zambia's semi-final victory, where he saved Asamoah Gyan's penalty. He followed that up with another top-drawer performance against Côte d’Ivoire in the final, where he not only saved another spot-kick but also scored from the spot during the decisive penalty shoot-out.

The 27-year-old discussed Zambia's first continental triumph with FIFA.com shortly after the Chipolopolo secured an 8-7 result in the shoot-out after 120 scoreless minutes.

FIFA.com: When did you first start believing that you could win the competition and the final?
Mweene: I always thought that it would be our day. We all had faith in ourselves and belief in our strength. We knew that we could do it and we were very determined.

Côte d’Ivoire were awarded a penalty in the 68th minute after Gervinho was brought down. What were your thoughts when it was awarded and when Ivorian captain Didier Drogba blasted it high into the Libreville night?
My first thought was that I did not think that it was a penalty. I thought it was a harsh decision. But after the miss, I thought that it was going to be a good day. Sometimes when you concede a penalty and the other side misses it, you just know that it is your day and that is what happened.

Many were surprised how Zambia went into the game and controlled the ball. As a result, the Elephants really struggled to get into the game. Was that planned?
Yes, that was our strategy. We wanted to 'ball them'. We wanted to play a ball game with them, and then when they got frustrated because they did not get much of the ball and were not at full concentration, then we would hit them going forward. That was our plan, even if it did not work out completely.

Especially in the first half, your side seemed to really just be relishing the opportunity to play in the final.
Yes, we had no reason to be nervous. We were not under pressure, all the pressure was on them. We did not have anything to lose and before the game our coach told us we just have to go out and enjoy whatever happens, well and good.

Do you think you deserved to win the match in regulation time?
Yes, I think we did. We had three really good chances, which we could not convert, but at the end of the day, we won on penalties, so what can you say.

What did you think when you saved the penalty in the shoot-out, but the referee said it had to be retaken?
He told me that I had moved off my line. I was not too worried as I knew that I was going to save other penalties. We have been practising penalties and I knew that even if we were going to go 12 or 15 each side, I was going to save enough of them.

And then when you stepped up to take your side's fifth, knowing that if you failed to score you would lose, was that difficult?
No, I was very confident that I would not have a problem scoring, and I did not. I just chose my spot and hit the ball there.

What significance does this victory have for Zambian football?
We are the first generation that has won the Cup of Nations for Zambia, but I hope we are not the last as it is a great thing. We have started winning something and those who come after us will want to achieve more, just as we wanted to do more than players like Kalusha Bwalya, who was in the final in 1994. But first we want to qualify for the World Cup and achieve more success.

During the week, the players laid flowers at the spot where the plane carrying the national team in 1993 went into the sea and 18 players lost their lives. How important is it that this victory was achieved in Libreville, which is the very place where the plane went down?
This is the most important thing that could have happened for our football. Before we came to Gabon, people in Zambia told us that we should try to win the cup so that those who died in the plane crash could rest in peace. We fought for them, and I am glad that we achieved that.

Henry hoping to go out with a bang

Henry hoping to go out with a bang


Thierry Henry will be looking to give the club he loves a farewell gift as he makes his final appearance for Arsenal against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Henry's second spell at the North Londoners is set to come to an end on Thursday when he will return to the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.

And having bowed out of his Premier League commitments on Saturday with a vital winning goal at Sunderland, Henry will be hoping to leave an equally lasting impression at the San Siro.

These two sides meet at this stage of the competition for the second time in four years. Back in 2008/09 Milan came away from the Emirates with a goalless draw but two goals in the final six minutes in Italy from Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor saw Arsenal triumph 2-0 on aggregate.

That was the start of a miserable run for the Rossoneri who were also knocked out at the second round stage by English opposition in the next two years with Manchester United and Tottenham both winning at the San Siro as well. Until that juncture Milan had never lost at home to an English side but now they will be looking to end this run of three successive reverses.

And they will have to keep an eye on Henry who at 34 proved during his six-week spell with Arsenal that he can still cut it at the top level, even though he was mostly used as a substitute.

Having twice already been a match-winner for the Gunners in the last six weeks, French manager Arsene Wenger is hoping his compatriot has one more trick up his sleeve before he leaves. "I hope he will add some more (goals) in the Champions League on Wednesday. Certainly he got us the three points in a very difficult game (at Sunderland)," said Wenger.

Milan boost
Arsenal may be boosted by the Frenchman's presence but Milan are also looking set for an increase in playing resources.

Star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns to the team after a domestic suspension while Kevin-Prince Boateng, Alessandro Nesta, Mathieu Flamini and Pato have all resumed training with their team-mates following injuries. The return of Boateng is particularly welcome given how his forward thrusts from midfield have been missed.

More important than that for coach Massimiliano Allegri, though, has been Milan's improved fighting spirit. Until Saturday's 2-1 win at high-flying Udinese Milan had gone three games without a win, surrendering meekly to Lazio in the league and Juventus in the Cup along the way.

But in Udine at the weekend, Allegri was a far happier man. "The spirit is what made the difference. When we have the right nastiness we don't concede goals," he said. "We saw that from the last piece of action at a corner where we had the desire to get rid of the ball."

Milan will have to be alert at the back, particularly against a forward line that knocked seven goals past Blackburn recently and for whom Robin van Persie has been in clinical goalscoring form with 22 league strikes already this season.

In truth Milan have shored up a backline that was leaking goals alarmingly at the beginning of the campaign, drawing chief executive Adriano Galliani to publicly rebuke his coach and tell him that the best defence usually wins the league.

Herbert signs on for Brazil 2014

Herbert signs on for Brazil 2014
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New Zealand football coach Ricki Herbert has signed a contract extension tying him to the All Whites until the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ campaign.

The deal means Herbert, who took over in 2005, is set to become the All Whites' longest serving coach, New Zealand Football (NZF) said.

"We believe Ricki is the man to see us through the qualifiers and, if things go to plan, on to another Confederations Cup and World Cup," NZF chief executive Grant McKavanagh said.

Herbert's All Whites team was the only side to remain undefeated at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, securing three draws in the group stages but failing to advance to the knockout phase.

To reach the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, New Zealand need to top the Oceania qualification rounds, then win a home-and-away play-off against the fourth placed team in CONCACAF, covering North and Central America and the Caribbean.