Thursday, 3 April 2014

Manchester United 1-1 Bayern Munich 1-Apr-2014


Bastian Schweinsteiger scored a vital away goal as Bayern Munich drew 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, and was later sent off.

Nemanja Vidic opened the scoring with a brilliant second-half header but United's shock lead did not last long, with Schweinsteiger's crisp volley soon levelling proceedings.

The Germany international would not finish the game, however, as he shown a second yellow card late on after a rash challenge on Wayne Rooney.

He will, therefore, miss the second leg on April 9, along with his defensive team-mate Javi Martinez, who picked up a booking of his own for a cynical foul on Javier Hernandez.
The hosts were under the cosh for almost the entire match but captain Vidic grabbed the opening goal 13 minutes into the second half as Europe's premier club competition continued to represent a bright spot in United's otherwise troublesome campaign.
Despite their fall from grace domestically, the Premier League champions had won all four of their European ties at Old Trafford this season prior to Tuesday and that run looked set to continue when the Serbian produced a header of the highest quality from Wayne Rooney's corner.
Vidic, departing for Inter at the end of the season, gave United the platform for victory but they were unable to build on it as the recently-crowned German champions equalised through Schweinsteiger just eight minutes later.
The away goal will make life that bit harder for United when they make the trip to Munich, with Pep Guardiola's side holding a slight advantage as the Spaniard looks to replicate predecessor Jupp Heynckes in securing a treble.
However, Guardiola will be without Schweinsteiger for the second leg after the midfield lynchpin picked up a second yellow card late on for a foul on Rooney.
Danny Welbeck thought he had opened the scoring early on, only to be penalised for a high foot in the build-up.
After a fairly even opening 10 minutes, Bayern began to assert their quality, dominating possession and creating a succession of half-chances.
However, the hosts stood firm and did well to deny their opponents any clear sights of goal.
Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were involved in much of Bayern's best work but even they were unable to manufacture an opportunity until the Dutchman brought a stunning save from David de Gea with a curling left-footed effort from just outside the penalty area.
Welbeck then tested Manuel Neuer from range and went on to waste the best chance of the half after being put through one-on-one.
The England international attempted to beat Bayern's goalkeeper with a cheeky lofted effort, but Neuer was not fooled and palmed the ball away with his right hand.
The second half continued in much the same vein, with Bayern keeping possession and probing to little effect. 
Bayern were made to pay for their inability to break down United when Vidic headed his side in front - angling a header past Neuer after Rooney had delivered a corner from the left.
Their joy was shortlived, however, as Schweinsteiger rifled home a knockdown from substitute Mario Mandzukic to bring the atmosphere at Old Trafford down a notch.
While Guardiola's men were unable to clinch a second away goal, they will remain heavy favourites to progress, although Moyes can take heart from the recent performances of Premier League rivals Manchester City and Arsenal at the Allianz Arena.
City won 3-2 in Munich in this season's group stage while Arsenal have picked up a draw and a win on their last two visits to Bavaria.


Source : http://www.goal.com/en-gh/match/133140/manchester-united-vs-fc-bayern-münchen/report

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Manchester City in Driver's Seat for the English Premier League Match against Southampton

Surprises are in plenty for the English Premier League 2013-14 fans. Manchester City has climbed to the third spot in place of Arsenal which has gone down to number 4 position. City now stands just below Chelsea and Liverpool on the points table. The team will now face Southampton this week in the EPL.


 Manchester City Has a Busy Schedule
The Manchester City vs Southampton match on April 05, 2014 promises to have a full packed Etihad Stadium. Manchester has 21 wins out of 30 games losing only 5. Southampton on the other hand stands at number 8 position just below Manchester United. Southampton has 13 wins out of 32 games with 48 points. The EPL is turning out to be a competitive series day by day. City had a draw against Arsenal in their last match with 1-1 score. The team after the match against Southampton are still to play against Liverpool, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, West Bromwich and Aston Villa before the season finishes.

Manchester City Looking Strong
Manchester City has won 8 out of the last 10 matches, instigating the sale of Manchester City tickets for the loyal fans. Southampton has won a 4-0 victory against Newcastle setting the team tempo high, as they have won 2 out of their last 5 matches. The online websites are gradually reporting good sale of online Southampton tickets by the fans after the performance against Newcastle.

Stay tuned in for further updates.