Champion's League: Night of The Greeks

Two Greek teams surprised everyone last night scoring a combined six goals and picking up four points from stiff competition. Werder Bremen fell to Panathinaikos 3-0 while Inter Milan, down 3-2 to Anorthosis well into the match, managed to salvage a point and finish 3-3.

OK, so I blew the call on the Inter-Anonthosis match but I think keepers Julio Cesar (Inter) and Arian Begaj (Anorthosis) combined for one of the most noteworthy goalkeeping displays we've seen this year.

Check out a few of their great saves here:





As for Roma putting three past Chelsea, that too was a real surprise, especially given the giallorossi's league form lately. Roma looked more confident than normal while Chelsea looked tired from the early going (the muggy weather in Rome pobably didn;t help). Now if Roma could just play consistently on the road (a problem the past few years), they could make a run for the Scudetto (and perhaps more). I'm not holding my breath.

And the rest of the scores:

CFR Cluj 1-2 Bordeaux
Roma 3-1 Chelsea
Anorthosis 3-3 Internazionale
Bremen 0-3 Panathinaikos
Sporting 1-0 Shakhtar
Barcelona 1-1 Basel
Liverpool 1-1 Atlético
Marseille 3-0 PSV

Full highlights on the night here:

Dresden Fans Show Their Discontent

This week, the players of German 3rd division club Dynamo Dresden had an unpleasant surprise waiting for them on Monday at practice. After their 3-0 loss against SC Paderborn on Sunday, some supporters apparently entered the training grounds at night and dug eleven grave-like holes into the training pitch, marking them with wooden crosses. The club reported the incident to the local police .

Sometimes its a challenge to explain to people back home just how deep the passion runs at many clubs in Europe, and as this illustrates, its not just limited to the big teams.

Champion's League Predictions For Tonight

Its been quite awhile since I've done match predictions so here goes:

Inter 2 Anaorthosis 0
Roma 1 Chelsea 1
Bordeaux 2 Cluj 0
Werder Bremen 2 Panthanakos 1
Barcelona 3 Basel 1
Sporting Lisbon 1 Shakhtar 1
Liverpool 2 Atletico Madrid 1
Marseilles 2 PSV Eindhoven 2

Szetela, Brescia Fall To Livorno

Brescia missed a chance to move into 6th place in Serie B after falling to Livorno 2-0 last night at the Stadio Armando Picchi. Szetela saw only the final seven minutes of the game, replacing Fabrizio Zambrella. Brescia is currently in 7th place on 19 points and will be looking for a win this weekend at home against 16th place Piacenza.

Altidore Scores In Villarreal Romp Over Bilbao

Young forward Jozy Altidore became the first American ever to score in the Spanish top flight yesterday, opening his scoring account last night in a 4-1 romp over cellar dweller Bilbao. His fellow New Jersey native Giuseppe Rosssi opened scoring for the Yellow Submarine in the 22nd minute before Bilbao managed to equalize five minutes later, a score which stood until the half.

Second half goals by Robert Pires and Santi Cazorla put Villarreal on top 3-1. Altidore came on in the 89th minute a scored not even a minute later to make it 4-1. He told Spanish sports daily Marca: "I am very pleased with the goal and with the victory for my side in such a difficult place as San Mamés."

Bocanegra, Rennes Top Sochaux

American defender Carlos Bocanegra went the distance for Stade Rennais in a 1-0 win over Sochaux this afternoon. The win vaulted Rennes into 6th place after a slow start to the season.

Elsewhere in France, AS Monaco topped Havre AC 3-2 without Freddy Adu even on the bench. The win, Monaco's first on the road this season, moved the club into mid-table after spending the last 12 weeks hovering just above the bottom of the table.

In Italy, Gabe Ferrari did not dress for Perugia in their 2-1 loss to Paganese. Danny Szetela and Brescia take on Livorno in a Monday night match while Vincenzo Bernardo is on the road with the Napoli reserves after recently battling against their first team in a 4-1 loss.

Speaking of Bocanegra, he'll now go down in history as the first American player to have a car named after him (see below) after Spanish carmaker Seat unveiled its Bocanegra concept car a few months ago. The Bocanegra is set to be the mini-compact replacement for their popular Ibiza model.

The car was designed by former Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke who probably attended a few Fulham matches and remembered the name....not!

Actually, the car is named Bocanegra since the whole front bumper made out of black plastic, just like a 1970s SEAT model, the 1200 Sport, nicknamed the Bocanegra because of its black front end.

OK, so that does it for digressions to discuss Spanish car designs - I promise not to do them again until the Altidore model comes out. Of course references to obscure Soundgarden B-sides are always open game.

Happy Birthday Diego!

Perhaps it is fitting that on Diego Maradona's 48th birthday, his old club Napoli (which he led to two Serie A titles) is currently second in the Italian top flight, only behind Udinese on goal differential. At the same time the Argentina legend, who led his country to the 1986 World Cup title, has also been named the new national team coach.

He remains beloved in this city by the sea where the locals will tell you that he, not Pele', is the greatest player of all. Whether the once great player is up to the task of guiding his team to glory at the 2010 World Cup remains to be seen, given his colorful and turbulent past off the pitch.

Franz Beckenbauer, who has been succesful as both player and coach seems skeptical, telling Sportal.de: "Maybe this comes in time for Maradona so he can find a break from his turbulent lifestyle. Managing the team is completely different to playing in it. You have to be more responsible. The lifestyle is also important but Maradona's life hasn't really been tranquil by any means over the years. In any case I am happy for him and I am looking forward to meeting him when he comes here to see Di Michelis."

Perhaps Fiorentina's Alberto Gilardino was just giving a salute to Maradona last weekend when he did his best "Hand of God" imitation against Palermo. The goal counted but later led to a two-game suspension. Watch it here:



Of course Maradona's original version to beat England's Peter Shilton in Mexico City at the 1986 World Cup counted and led not to a suspension, but to a championship:



Still, one thing Maradona will command from the players immediately is respect, given his long list of accomplishments and his enduring touch on the ball (even at 48). The question is whether he can manage the side through qualification and to take Argentina to where they feel they rightfully belong (given their quality and pedigree); the World Cup final match.