AC Milan and Barcelona played out a 1-1 draw in their UEFA Champions League group stage match in Italy on Tuesday night. Milan thought that they had made the perfect start when Sulley Muntari slid the ball under Victor Valdes eight minutes in off of a pass from Robinho but the offside flag denied him. The Italians were on the charge though and a minute later Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano misjudged a bouncing ball which allowed Robinho to get onto it and he fired home after exchanging passes with Kaka. Barca would slowly find their way into the game with Lionel Messi firing just wide in the 19th minute before Xavi, Neymar and Alexis Sanchez combined to open Milan up but the final cross from Messi was too close to the goalkeeper. The Argentina star remained heavily involved though and two minutes later he was slipped in by Andres Iniesta, and although it looked like he took too long to get his shot off, he got the ball out from underneath his feet and powered a shot into the bottom corner. Philippe Mexes had a terrific chance to restore Milan's lead in the 28th minute from a corner but he sent his header wide of the post with Valdes in all sorts of trouble. Neymar then went close for Barca on the stroke of half-time with a crisp volley that flashed past the far post. Robinho should have made it 2-1 eight minutes after the interval when Muntari fired a perfect cross into the Brazilian but he chose to go for a dummy with nobody in support and the goal gaping. Iniesta was denied at the other end two minutes later after he latched onto a pass from Xavi while Adriano smashed an effort wide with 20 minutes to go after some composed passing by the Catalans. Milan closed up in the final few minutes as Barca pressed for a late winner but in the end they had to settle for a point each.
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Milan Hold Barca
AC Milan and Barcelona played out a 1-1 draw in their UEFA Champions League group stage match in Italy on Tuesday night. Milan thought that they had made the perfect start when Sulley Muntari slid the ball under Victor Valdes eight minutes in off of a pass from Robinho but the offside flag denied him. The Italians were on the charge though and a minute later Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano misjudged a bouncing ball which allowed Robinho to get onto it and he fired home after exchanging passes with Kaka. Barca would slowly find their way into the game with Lionel Messi firing just wide in the 19th minute before Xavi, Neymar and Alexis Sanchez combined to open Milan up but the final cross from Messi was too close to the goalkeeper. The Argentina star remained heavily involved though and two minutes later he was slipped in by Andres Iniesta, and although it looked like he took too long to get his shot off, he got the ball out from underneath his feet and powered a shot into the bottom corner. Philippe Mexes had a terrific chance to restore Milan's lead in the 28th minute from a corner but he sent his header wide of the post with Valdes in all sorts of trouble. Neymar then went close for Barca on the stroke of half-time with a crisp volley that flashed past the far post. Robinho should have made it 2-1 eight minutes after the interval when Muntari fired a perfect cross into the Brazilian but he chose to go for a dummy with nobody in support and the goal gaping. Iniesta was denied at the other end two minutes later after he latched onto a pass from Xavi while Adriano smashed an effort wide with 20 minutes to go after some composed passing by the Catalans. Milan closed up in the final few minutes as Barca pressed for a late winner but in the end they had to settle for a point each.
Mou Praises Torres Attitude
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has praised striker Fernando Torres' attitude after he scored a brace in their 3-0 win over Schalke on Tuesday. The Spain international was given the nod ahead of Samuel Eto'o for the encounter and on his 100th start for the Blues, he inspired them to a comfortable win. Mourinho says that he has been impressed with Torres' attitude since taking over this summer, saying that although all his performances have not been great, he gives his all every time. "Sam [Eto'o] played well in the last game and Fernando also did today," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "I prefer to say we have strikers who work for the team and can score goals. Them and Demba [Ba] have enough quality to play for us. "[Torres] is a hard worker, he's not the kind of guy to hide behind the fee paid for him. He's had some not so good times since he came here, but he always kept his professionalism and since I arrived he's always positive. "Sometimes not playing so well, but always trying hard." The result on Tuesday took Chelsea to the top of Group E and was also the heaviest defeat handed to Schalke in Gelsenkirchen in the Champions League.
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