Image courtesy of UEFA.
The quarterfinal fixtures begin tomorrow.
Tuesday, 01 April 2008 (Return leg on 09 April)
AS Roma 0 x Manchester United 2
Manchester United 1 x AS Roma 0
Schalke 0 x Barcelona 1
Barcelona 1 x Schalke 0
Wednesday, 02 April 2008 (Return leg on 08 April)
Arsenal 1 x Liverpool 1
Liverpool 4 x Arsenal 2
Fenerbahce 2 x Chelsea 1. Deivid achieved a rare feat: He scored for both teams.
Chelsea 2 x Fenerbahce 0
Next round: 22 April to 29 April.
Liverpool x Chelsea
Barcelona x Manchester United
Final in Moscow on 21 May.
Current News In World Football
Video Bar: Luca Toni of Bayern Munich and Italy
Who will win Euro 2008?
Monday, March 31, 2008
UEFA Matchday 9 and 10: Quarterfinal Round
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Giornata/Week 31: Serie A Preview and Results
Video Highlights
Image courtesy of Goalvideoz.
Please click the image to view a
video highlights menu after the games,
along with a Serie A table.
Image courtesy of 101 Great Goals.
Another great source for
Serie A videos. Please click the image.
Image courtesy of Serie A TV.
Please click the image for
free video previews and
selected clips after the games.
- Serie A TV on YouTube has highlights after the games.
Quotes of the Week in Italian Calcio
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
"You base footballer."
“It is not true that I refused to play against Liverpool. I have never in my career refused to play, even if it was just for five minutes.” --- Luis Figo of Internazionale
But what about for six minutes against Liverpool, Luis?
“As I left the field I expressed my disappointment for the substitution and the chances I had missed, but I never said anything insulting towards the Coach.” --- Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Internazionale
Only because Roberto Mancini does not understand Swedish or Serbo-Croatian.
Courtesy of Football Italia.
Giornata/Week 31:
Saturday, 29 March
- For live scores during the games, please click here.
- For a live game tracker called Match View from the Gazzetta dello Sport, which has very detailed statistics and graphical displays, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to list a full fixture list.
Cagliari 1 x AS Roma 1
Lazio 1 x Internazionale 1
Sunday, 30 March
AC Milan 1 x Atalanta 2
Udinese 3 x Fiorentina 1
Juventus x Parma (Postponed).
Genoa 2 x Reggina 0
Empoli 0 x Sampdoria 2
Livorno 0 x Siena 0
Catania 1 x Torino 2
Napoli 1 x Palermo 0
- For more news in English about Italian football, please visit mCalcio.
- For a live radio stream (subject to availability) from RAI, please click here.
- For video highlights and live radio commentary in Italian, please visit Lucalcio.com.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Spain 1 x Italy 0: Italy Loses for the First Time in 6 months
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
Due to a great left-footed volley by David Villa in the 77th minute, Spain defeated the Azzurri, 1 x 0.
It was a spirited game played under very windy conditions at Elche, which is near Alicante. In the 12th minute, an apparent goal headed in by Luca Toni was whistled offsides. Mauro Camoranesi created a few other chances, and in the 51st minute, from a very precise cross by Fabio Grosso, he beat Iker Casillas with a first time strike but not the crossbar.
Overall, a good effort by the Azzurri against one of the favorites at Euro 2008. They could meet in the quarterfinal round.
To read a more detailed game report, please visit mCalcio by Marco Pantanella. It is a great site about Italian football.
Italy has two more friendlies scheduled against Croatia and Hungary, respectively, before Euro 2008 begins in early June.
Notes
- Fabio Cannavaro made his 115th appearance for Italy.
- It was a rare friendly that featured two captains (Cannavaro and Casillas) who play for the same team, Real Madrid.
- Spain extended its unbeaten streak to 14 games. They have won 12 in that period.
- Mister Donadoni, according to RAI, has used 59 different players during his tenure.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Alessandro Del Piero Ties Juventus Appearance Record
Image courtesy of Paul Blank
of www.postproduktie.nl.
Last night in Milan against Internazionale, Alex Del Piero, the captain, symbol, and legend of Juventus FC, set another record in his illustrious career.
He played in his 552nd game for Juventus, which tied the record set by the legendary Gaetano Scirea. With 231 goals, Alex is the all-time goal scorer for La Vecchia Signora.
Some players wear the captain's armband for 90 minutes. Others, such as Scirea and Del Piero, wear it for a lifetime.
In His Own Words
552 partite, con la stessa maglia. Sono arrivato in cima, nella storia della Juventus con Gaetano Scirea. Ecco cosa intendo quando dico che conta il "come". Come Gaetano Scirea. A volte mi chiedo come mi vedono i ragazzi, i bambini. E penso che vorrei mi vedessero come io vedevo lui. Parlo dell' uomo, non solo dello straordinario giocatore. Perché questo, per me, vuol dire entrare nel cuore della gente, lasciare qualcosa che vada oltre i numeri.Source: Alessandrodelpiero.com
"552 games with the same shirt. I have arrived at the summit in the history of Juventus with Gaetano Scirea. Here is what I intend to say how getting there counts. Like Gaetano Scirea. Many times I ask myself how young children see me. And I think that I would like to be seen as I used to see him. I speak of the man, not only the extraordinary player. Because this means to enter into the heart of people, to leave something that goes beyond numbers."
Marcello Lippi on Alex
"Del Piero is a champion with extraordinary technical ability and wonderful characteristics. When he is selected he never disappoints. He is an example to us all."
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Fabio Capello Names His Roster for England
Image courtesy of realmadrid.pl.
International friendly: France x England at Stade de France, Paris.
Time: 2100.
Goalkeepers
David James (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Kirkland (Wigan Athletic)
Defenders
Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton), John Terry (Chelsea), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Beckham: 100th cap if he plays (LA Galaxy), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)
Strikers
Michael Owen (Newcastle United), Wayne Rooney, (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Italy Roster for Friendly Against Spain on 26 March
Image courtesy of FIGC.
International Friendly: Spain x Italy at el Estadio Luis Valerio de Elche.
Time: 2200.
Goalkeepers
Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Defenders
Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Fabio Grosso (Olympique Lyon), Marco Materazzi (Internazionale), Massimo Oddo (AC Milan), Christian Panucci (AS Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona)
Midfielders
Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Simone Perrotta (AS Roma), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)
Strikers
Marco Borriello (Genoa), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich).
Friday, March 21, 2008
Giornata/Week 30: Serie A Preview and Results
Video Highlights
Image courtesy of Goalvideoz.
Please click the image to view a
video highlights menu after the games,
along with a Serie A table.
Image courtesy of 101 Great Goals.
Another great source for
Serie A videos. Please click the image.
Image courtesy of Serie A TV.
Please click the image for
free video previews and
selected clips after the games.
- Serie A TV on YouTube has highlights after the games.
Quotes of the Week in Italian Calcio
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
"You base footballer."
“We have to evaluate if we need a striker of his characteristics. We are very close to him as a person, but the choice depends on tactical considerations, not whether we like him or not.”
---Carlo Ancelotti, manager of AC Milan, on Andrij Shevchenko of Chelsea FC.
“I am glad that he said I would never return because his predictions are always wrong. Everyone knows that Pelè isn’t any good at forecasting things – the exact opposite always happens.”
---Ronaldo of AC Milan.
Courtesy of Football Italia.
Giornata/Week 30:
Saturday, 22 March
- For live scores during the games, please click here.
- For a live game tracker called Match View from the Gazzetta dello Sport, which has very detailed statistics and graphical displays, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to list a full fixture list.
Sampdoria 1 x Cagliari 1
Atalanta 0 x Catania 0
AS Roma 1 x Empoli 0
Palermo 2 x Genoa 3
Fiorentina 1 x Lazio 0
Udinese 2 x Livorno 0
Torino 0 x AC Milan 1
Reggina 1 x Napoli 1
Siena 2 x Parma 0
Internazionale 1 x Juventus 2: Il Derby D'Italia.
- For more news in English about Italian football, please visit mCalcio.
- For a live radio stream (subject to availability) from RAI, please click here.
- For video highlights and live radio commentary in Italian, please visit Lucalcio.com.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
John J. Fisher to Bid on AS Roma?
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, the American clothing and sports entrepreneur, John J. Fisher, is prepared to make an offer for AS Roma.
Mr. Fisher, who already owns the clothing giants The Gap and Banana Republic, also has ownership interests in the Oakland Athletics (MLB), San Jose Earthquakes (MLS), and Celtic Glasgow (3.4% of the shares in the Scottish club since late last year).
La Gazzetta quoted figures of 250 million euros, along with taking over 370 million euros in debt. According to the article, Mr. Franco Sensi would remain the honorary President of Roma. His daughter, Rosella, presently runs the daily operations.
Here is my translation of a partial portion from the article:
"RE DEL CASUAL - Da qualche mese, John vuole la Roma. John J. Fisher, la J. sta per Joseph, in onore del pediatra che gli salvò la vita. Californiano di San Francisco, 46 anni, ultimogenito di Donald, il fondatore di Gap e Banana Republic, due colossi dell’abbigliamento casual americano, con un patrimonio personale che Forbes ha stimato in 1,5 miliardi di dollari. È lui il magnate americano che ha deciso di investire nel calcio italiano, scegliendo la Roma, un nome e un marchio conosciuti in tutto il mondo anche più delle sue camicie."
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport, 18 March 2008.
"King of Casual - For some months, John wants Roma. John J. Fisher, the "J: is for Joseph, in honor of the pediatrician who saved his life. A Californian from San Francisco, age 46, last child of Donald, the founder of Gap and Banana Republic, two colossal firms of American casual wear, with a personal net worth that Forbes has estimated at 1.5 billion dollars. He is an American magnate that has decided to invest in Italian soccer, choosing Roma, a name and brand known throughout the world better than his shirts."
Giornata/Week 29: Serie A Preview and Results
Video Highlights
Image courtesy of Goalvideoz.
Please click the image to view a
video highlights menu after the games,
along with a Serie A table.
Image courtesy of 101 Great Goals.
Another great source for
Serie A videos. Please click the image.
Image courtesy of Serie A TV.
Please click the image for
free video previews and
selected clips after the games.
- Serie A TV on YouTube has highlights after the games.
Quotes of the Week in Italian Calcio
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
"You base footballer."
“It’s not true that there aren’t any journalists with technical knowledge, but there are possibly a few." But what about coaches with journalistic knowledge?
“After the latest episode I gave him some time to cool down and then we spoke and he (Antonio Cassano) immediately told me he had been a cretin – he used that exact word." Antonio is well-known for using very exact phrases. Such as "Vai a f------!"
“Football is different abroad... The Italian game is beautiful in so many ways, but we can still learn a lot from others." As Ian Rush of Wales said, "Playing in Italy was like being in a foreign country."
--- Roberto Donadoni, manager of the Azzurri, as quoted by Football Italia.
Giornata/Week 29: All games kick-off at 2030 local time.
Wednesday, 19 March
- For live scores during the games, please click here.
- For a live game tracker called Match View from the Gazzetta dello Sport, which has very detailed statistics and graphical displays, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to list a full fixture list.
Cagliari 1 x Atalanta 0
Empoli 0 x Juventus 0
Napoli 2 x Fiorentina 0
Genoa 1 x Internazionale 1
Parma 2 x Palermo 1
Livorno 1 x Reggina
AC Milan 1 x Sampdoria 2 (First win against Milan at the San Siro in 11 years).
Catania 0 x Siena 0
Torino 0 x Udinese 1
Lazio 3 x AS Roma 2 (Il Derby della Capitale).
- For more news in English about Italian football, please visit mCalcio.
- For a live radio stream (subject to availability) from RAI, please click here.
- For video highlights and live radio commentary in Italian, please visit Lucalcio.com.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Discovering a Professional Player Nobody Knew About: Gonzalo Peralta by Jim Riggio
Image courtesy of Jim Riggio.
by Jim Riggio for World Football Commentaries.
One of the most satisfying roles of being a local sports writer is seeing one of the athletes you once covered become a professional.
I spent a number of years covering high school sports in an area just north of downtown Los Angeles and was fortunate enough to see a few who have gone on to make a living in their respective sport.
One of those was Gonzalo Peralta, who I saw play when he was a ninth grader during the 1995-96 school year. Peralta, who had just moved from Argentina, was a shy kid who was learning English and initially didn’t even start the season on his high school varsity team.
His high school, Burbank High, at the time was involved in lots of chaos surrounding a sex scandal with the school’s American football team that was like a soap opera. Thus Peralta, like current Pittsburgh Pirate star Freddy Sanchez, were just two star athletes that didn't receive much attention.
Eventually, Adam Saldana, Burbank’s coach at the time, realized Peralta’s talent and moved him up to the varsity.
Although Peralta played well, his team was mediocre, going 11-9-1 overall and 5-5 in league play. It did not make the playoffs. I remember watching Peralta, and I could see he came from a completely different school of football or soccer. Growing up with Rio Platense, Peralta understood the team game and believed in passing the ball to all of his teammates. Unfortunately, most of these players were lacking in game knowledge, having only played in youth or park league games, where the emphasis was strictly recreational.
At the end of the season, our newspaper picked an all-area team. This consisted of selecting the best players from about eight to 10 high schools.
I had made a plea for Peralta. But I knew it would be difficult, as two teams in the area had won CIF Southern Section championships, the highest honor one can get. La Canada High School was the No. 1 rated team in the United States and many of the players selected to the all-area team played for the Spartans. St. Francis, located adjacent to La Canada, also won a section championship, and was led by future U.S. Under-23 international and now longtime Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder, Peter Vagenas.
With scholarships lined up to schools like UCLA, Duke, Maryland, UC Berkeley and others for La Canada players, and with little support from fellow coaches in the Foothill League, in which Peralta played, I wasn’t sure Peralta would even make our all-area team. I was convinced all along that he would be a professional player, so I remember begging to get him on the all-area second team.
A year later, in his sophomore year, Peralta began the season with the Burbank High team. But early into the season, saw that his career was going nowhere if he continued to play high school soccer. His vision of the game was better than some at the professional level. So he decided to drop out of high school, and said he planned on going to Italy. I wrote a story about him going to test his waters overseas. He had an interest in playing for either AS Roma, which was coached by Argentine Carlos Bianchi at the time or for Napoli, where Argentine legend Diego Maradona once played. Before I left his house in interviewing him, I asked my photographer to take some pictures of me with him, because I knew he would some day be a professional.
I never saw Peralta again. Some had told me he didn’t end up going to Italy and moved back to Argentina.
Over the last few years, I had once or twice typed his name into the search engine Google, and thought I saw he was playing in the lower ranks of Argentina football. But I was not certain because I figured Gonzalo Peralta might be a common name.
Then, in January, I was shocked to see a player who played on second division Argentine champion Almirante Brown named Gonzalo Peralta had signed as a senior international with D.C. United of Major League Soccer. I also found on a message board confirming that he did live in Burbank, California for two years in the 1990s.
At last, I felt I had discovered a star. And sure, enough I opened up a drawer at home and found about 3 or 4 photos taken of me with Peralta.
It was after the story on Peralta that I began to start to follow Italian soccer again. The Internet was a new thing, I was finishing up college and I remember learning from a fellow Italian classmate in a journalism class how to look up Italian soccer news online.
Since then, Italian soccer has become my passion, as I follow the sport as if I was a beat writer living in Italy.
It’s amazing how things happen in the world, and to see Gonzalo Peralta playing in Major League Soccer is certainly a pleasant surprise for me.
About the Author
Jim Riggio has written about Italian and international soccer for ESPN/Soccernet, and was an interviewee for my column at AC Cugini Scuola Calcio. After the 2006 World Cup, he contributed an interview with Gianluca Zambrotta of FC Barcelona and the Italian National team for my World Football site.
On 21 February 2008, Mr. Riggio was interviewed by Diane Scalia, also known as Chef Di, for the SportsBites segment about the Champions League on GrandSlamGourmet.com.
Giornata/Week 28: Serie A Preview and Results
Video Highlights
Image courtesy of Goalvideoz.
Please click the image to view a
video highlights menu after the games,
along with a Serie A table.
Image courtesy of 101 Great Goals.
Another great source for
Serie A videos. Please click the image.
Image courtesy of Serie A TV.
Please click the image for
free video previews and
selected clips after the games.
- Serie A TV on YouTube has highlights after the games.
Quotes of the Week in Italian Calcio
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
“Inter’s victories do not depend on Roma. The trouble is they don’t depend on Inter, either.” ---Daniele De Rossi of AS Roma
Inter play against imaginary opponents, and have Luciano Moggi working behind the scenes...
“Against Liverpool only those who can give 100 per cent and run for 120 minutes will be allowed to play.” --- Roberto Mancini of Internazionale
Because of Fernando Torres, 10/11ths of Inter only had to give 75% for 90 minutes. ;-)
“Inter are known throughout the world as the prestige team of Milan, not only for what they have won, but because they have never had any problems with the law.” ---Massimo Moratti, President of Internazionale
They are also known for what they have lost compared to the other team in Milan. According to Christian "Bobo" Vieri, Inter will have problems with the law very soon for spying on him. ;-)
Giornata/Week 28
Saturday, 15 March
Udinese 2 x Lazio 2
AS Roma 2 x AC Milan 1
- For live scores during the games, please click here.
- For a live game tracker called Match View from the Gazzetta dello Sport, which has very detailed statistics and graphical displays, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to list a full fixture list.
Sunday, 16 March
Cagliari 3 x Torino 0
Fiorentina 3 x Genoa 1
Internazionale 2 x Palermo 1
Livorno 1 x Parma 1
Reggina 4 x Siena 0
Sampdoria 3 x Catania 1
Juventus 1 x Napoli 0
- For more news in English about Italian football, please visit mCalcio.
- For a live radio stream (subject to availability) from RAI, please click here.
- For video highlights and live radio commentary in Italian, please visit Lucalcio.com.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Blame it on Tom Cruise? Real Madrid Fooled by Italian Actor
Last week during the Champions League tie between Real Madrid and AS Roma, an Italian actor, Paolo Calabresi, successfully duped the club.
They thought he was the American actor, Nicholas Cage.
Due to the celebrity interest in David Beckham, Tom Cruise was seen last June during Madrid's triumphant La Liga victory celebration at the Bernabeu.
This actor should be ashamed of himself, but when you view the video, you can't blame President Ramon Calderon. He was only being a very gracious host.
This interesting story was reported by 101 Great Goals.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
UEFA Champions League: Match Day 8. The last spot is up for grabs at the San Siro
Image courtesy of UEFA.
Tuesday, 11 March
Internazionale 0 x Liverpool 1 (aggregate 0 x 3)
Will history repeat itself? (No). In 1965, Inter overcame a 1 x 3 deficit to advance in the European Cup against Liverpool.
One away goal by the Reds should end this tie, but Inter, who celebrated their centenary over the weekend, will be keen to make this another memorable night at the San Siro.
Fernando Torres has been on excellent form, and may be the decisive element in this match. Here were some comments made by his captain, Steven Gerrard, in Football Italia."I feel England suits him even better than Spain. He suits the constant flow and the rough and tumble of the Premier League better than the stop-start technical La Liga.
Esteban Cambiasso of Inter provided his viewpoint: (Also from Football Italia).
When you look at the impact he has made in just seven months here, it means that no-one now can make excuses about needing time to settle."
“The key will be our defence, not our attack. It is imperative that we don’t concede and then we can create lots of chances.Notes after the game
Our fans at San Siro will put a lot of pressure on our opponents. We should avoid one-on-one duels and play with our brains rather than our hearts.”
- The winning goal by Fernando Torres was clinical. Inter failed to convert on many opportunities. Specifically, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Julio Cruz.
- For the first time in the history of the UCL, four teams from the same country advance to the quarterfinals.
- I have never seen the referee touched as frequently by players as occurred tonight. Usually, that behavior results in a card or worse. The referee, Mr. Tom Ovrebo, is a psychologist from Norway.
- ESPN showed passing statistics for teams and players. For example, Javier Mascherano of Liverpool made 30 successful passes for a 70% rating. This type of statistic should be shown more with more frequency. Especially to North American audiences.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Eduardo da Silva: "They fabricated everything."
A few weeks ago, a horrible tackle by Martin Taylor of Birmingham City on Eduardo da Silva of Arsenal made global headlines. Many in the British media stated that Martin Taylor apologized for his actions, and went to the hospital to see Eduardo da Silva. The naturalized Croatian said it was not true.
According to Simona Marchetti of the highly respected, La Gazzetta dello Sport, who wrote a story dated 07 March 2008 from London.
"I giornali hanno scritto che lui è venuto a trovarmi in ospedale – ha raccontato l’attaccante croato ai microfoni della tv di casa, Hrvatskoj Televiziji – ma non è vero nulla. Si sono inventati tutto, compresa la mia intervista. Taylor non è mai venuto in ospedale e, soprattutto, non mi ha mai chiesto scusa"."Tell the truth and shame the Devil."
"The newspapers wrote that he (Martin Taylor) came to see me in hospital" -- recounted the Croatian attacker to the television microphones from home, Hrvatskoj Televiziji -- "but it wasn't true. They fabricated everything, including my interview. Taylor never came to the hospital and, above all, he never apologized to me."
---William Shakespeare
Liam Brady Joins Back Room Staff at the Republic of Ireland
To read my article on Soccerlens about Mr. Brady, the Arsenal and Irish legend, please click here.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Giornata/Week 27: Serie A Preview. Internazionale Celebrates their Centenary
Image courtesy of Goalvideoz.
Please click the image to view a
video highlights menu after the games,
along with a table, from Goalvideoz.
Image courtesy of 101 Great Goals.
Another great source for
Serie A videos. Please click
the image.
Serie A videos. Please click
the image.
- Serie A TV has a free preview video each week.
- Serie A TV on YouTube has highlights after the games.
Internazionale 2 x Reggina 0
Palermo 1 x Udinese 1
- For live scores during the games, please click here.
- For a live game tracker called Match View from the Gazzetta dello Sport, which has very detailed statistics and graphical displays, please click here.
Sunday, 09 March
Empoli 1 x AC Milan 3
Lazio 2 x Livorno 0
Napoli 0 x AS Roma 2. Il Derby del Sole. The Derby of the Sun.
Parma 1 x Sampdoria 2
Siena 1 x Fiorentina 0
Torino 1 x Atalanta 0
Genoa 0 x Juventus 2
- For more news in English about Italian football, please visit mCalcio.
- For a live radio stream (subject to availability) from RAI, please click here.
- For video highlights and live radio commentary in Italian, please visit Lucalcio.com.
Monday, March 3, 2008
UEFA Champions League: Matchday 8
Image courtesy of UEFA.
Tuesday, 04 March
AC Milan 0 x Arsenal 2 (Aggregate 0 x 2) Milan lost for the first time against an English club at the San Siro.
Barcelona 1 x Celtic 0 (Aggregate 4 x 2)
Manchester United 1 x Lyon 0 (Aggregate 2 x 1)
Sevilla 3 x Fenerbahce 2 AET (Aggregate 5 x 5: Fenerbahce advances 2 x 3 after the penalty kick shootout for their first appearance in the quarterfinals).
Wednesday, 05 March
Chelsea 3 x Olympiacos 0. (Aggregate 3 x 0).
Porto 1 x Schalke 0 AET (Aggregate 1 x 1: Schalke advances 2 x 4 after the penalty kick shootout for their first appearance in the quarterfinals).
Real Madrid 1 x AS Roma 2 (Aggregate 2 x 4). A clinical display by Roma. Congratulations to my two favorite Romanisti: Bill and Dennis.
Tuesday, 11 March
Internazionale x Liverpool at 2045 CET. (Aggregate 0 x 2).
Notes:
- Away goals count double in the UCL.
- Four away sides advanced from the initial seven games.
- Real Madrid again fails to advance from the round of 16.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
AC Cugini Scuola Calcio Announces Summer Youth Camp with ACF Fiorentina
Image courtesy of
AC Cugini Scuola Calcio.
Each year, AC Cugini Scuola Calcio (Soccer/Football School) takes young players on tours of Italy where they compete against Italian teams. This summer, there will be an added bonus: 5 days with ACF Fiorentina, one of the oldest clubs of the Serie A.
AC Cugini is located outside of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia. Since 2000, they have been a positive influence in youth player development. They are the only Italian soccer school to be officially recognized by the Italian FA (FIGC), along with the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). The founder of this club, Fabio Diletti, was a former goalkeeper for a professional team, Ascoli Calcio.
Image courtesy of ACF Fiorentina.
According to Executive Director, Lisa Cherubini:"The club recently added a 5-day training camp with world-renowned professional club ACF Fiorentina to our June 2008 tour and tournament play in Italy, at no extra cost to our participants! For those who may not know, ACF Fiorentina plays in Italy's premier league - Serie A - along with Juventus, Inter, AC Milan. Fiorentina is considered one of the most powerful clubs in the entire world having participated at the top-tier of Italian soccer for the majority of their 82-year existence. In fact, only four clubs have played in more Serie A seasons."
On a personal note, a few years ago, Fabio and Lisa gave an unknown writer his first opportunity at football journalism. Yours truly. They do important work for many children and families. I am very pleased to witness their continued growth as youth player development becomes an important theme in North America.
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