Football/Soccer

[Ciaran]

Have always had a soft spot for Real. I was at their Champions League final victory over Valencia in 2000 in Paris and the celebrations in Paris that night were immense.

The only time I've seen Bayern live was the 1999 Champions League final versus Manchester United in Barcelona .... of course, Bayern were able to exorcise that ghost a few years later.

Whatever happens in the semis, it will be a final between two top teams (notwithstanding Chelsea's lack of historical pedigree and their indifferent season) ....... however, it would be great to see an El Clasico final with Real putting Barca to the sword !!!

[Ciaran]

2012 League Champions .... yesterday, we had Linfield clinch the Northern Irish league title and Glasgow Celtic crowned as Scottish champions.

Any other European leagues have their title winners confirmed yet?

[EnderD_503]

Not sure if there are any other title winners yet. Whoever wins the next match between Bayern and Dortmund will likely take the Bundesliga. I think all the other major leagues are still duking it out. Will be interesting to see if Madrid manages to stay on top of Barça, though.

Very excited for the 17th. I see Bayern taking the first match at home (I'd predict a 2-1 or 3-2 score for Bayern), they don't often lose there. Just a matter of dominating in Madrid.

[Ciaran]

Manchester United are very close to wrapping up the English title after today's results. They won, whilst their nearest challengers, Manchester City, lost. This means United are now eight points clear and have an easier run-in.

[EnderD_503]

Bayern and Dortmund currently playing. 0-0 still at the half, but it's been an exciting game. Kroos has had some good opportunities and Neuer is in fine form...but the Dortmund strike off the crossbar nearly gave me a heart attack.

[EnderD_503]

Yep, 2-1 for die Bayern! Suspenseful and entertaining game for sure! Now onward to play Madrid at home! All we need is a tie, damnit! Dortmund will more than likely take the Bundesliga at this point, but if we get the Champions League, it'll have been well worth it.

[Ciaran]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

Yep, 2-1 for die Bayern! Suspenseful and entertaining game for sure! Now onward to play Madrid at home! All we need is a tie, damnit! Dortmund will more than likely take the Bundesliga at this point, but if we get the Champions League, it'll have been well worth it.

Given the profile, and financial awards, the Champions League has eclipsed all domestic leagues in terms of importance. Chelsea versus Barcelona in the other semi with Chelsea now in good form after a poor season. They defeated fellow London side Tottenham 5-1 in the English domestic cup semi-final on Sunday.

[dykeumentary]

Newcastle vs Man City is on now, and it's a great game. Newcastle needs to win today, and Chelsea to lose to Bayern then hopefully they can play Champions League.

[Ciaran]

Originally Posted by dykeumentary

Newcastle vs Man City is on now, and it's a great game. Newcastle needs to win today, and Chelsea to lose to Bayern then hopefully they can play Champions League.

Man City did really well in the end .... an excellent second half performance with Toure outstanding. If City win against QPR next week, they'll win the league for the first time in 44 years.

Incredible comeback after being 8 points behind local rivals Man Utd just 5 weeks ago and all seemed lost.


Chelsea won the FA Cup Final (the domestic English cup competition) on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Liverpool. It, too, was a great game of football to watch. Chelsea were 2-0 up and in cruise control until a late Liverpool fightback made a real game of it.


Some of the recent football I've seen has made me look forward all the more to the forthcoming Euro 2012 Championships.

[EnderD_503]

The final CL match is going to be suspenseful as hell. Though given Chelsea's final performance against Barcelona, I don't think they have much of a chance. How Chelsea managed to pull that game off I don't know, given the extent to which Barcelona dominated. But that's football.

But now it's time for Bayern to take the reward that's been long coming. Thwarted by Inter two years ago, but we won't be again! And given how this season has panned out for Bayern, I'm also very excited to see how Germany does this summer. Gomez, Schweini, Müller, Kroos, Neuer, Lahm, Boateng and Badstuber will be flying high after this season, we'll see how that translates into the national team. Can't wait to see Germany vs. Spain this year.

[UofMfan]

Spain Defeats Italy, 4-0, In Euro 2012 Final: David Silva, Fernando Torres Among Goal Scorers

[Ciaran]

Very comfortable win for Spain - I've never seen a team so dominant in the final of one of the main international tournaments.

Also deserving of this side to make history, being the first national side to win three consecutive tournaments. Some good news for the Spanish nation against a backdrop of economic hardship and austerity.

[dykeumentary]

Crazy first half in the Champions League. Neither Chelsea, MU nor Barcelona are leading)?

[Kätzchen]

Futbol siting today:
Midfielders
Jules Klinsmann
St. Pauli Pirates
World Cup Soccer
and hanging from street lamps like a monkey...

[MarquisdeShey]

We will be back... *s

[EnderD_503]

Anyone watching U21? More than impressed by Norway, atm.

[dykeumentary]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

Anyone watching U21? More than impressed by Norway, atm.

I stand with the cultural boycott of Israel.
This huge international sporting event should have never been held in a place that treats Palestinians as non-humans.
I wish the international soccer/football community had pressured UEFA to get real about opposing racism.
http://redcardapartheid.weebly.com/

[EnderD_503]

Since the triple we've managed to start off the season pretty well with 3 wins in 3 games. But it becomes more and more clear that Pep doesn't belong with Bayern, and neither do Götze or Thiago. Proven very well today. Anyways, excited for October to come and also Bayern v Chelsea match. Bundesliga has been off to an exciting start!

In other news I heard Poldi rescued Arsenal today.

[Kätzchen]

Greetings to Ender, Ciaran, Dykumentary and all others:

Just thought I would leave a note here today and say that after all the years I've spent trying to keep up with dancing on a soccer field, I still don't know much of anything except the beauty of dancing on a soccer field, tip-kic and following the pursuits of a favorite team in Hamburg -- The Hamburg Pirates.

I am still a soccer addict, after all these years.

Not to tip the ball one way or another, but in other news:

I am an ardent fan of the Seattle Sea-Hawks.

*GoOoOoOoOoooo Hawks!!! *

I hope this finds all of you in good standing and if not, please, pull your socks up.

[Ciaran]

Kätzchen

Thank you for re-starting this thread.

Football wise, it's a good year for me. In particular, in three weeks time, I travel to Madrid to watch the Real Madrid versus Elche match at the Bernabéu stadium. Looking forward to that.


More generally, and more importantly, it's appropriate now for me to disclose my sporting love. Many on this site would assume that my main sporting interest is the NY Yankees but that's not the case - albeit I love the Yankees' history of the 1920s an 1930s.


Rather, my team is a football (soccer) team. Belfast Celtic. They haven't played since 1949 but there's not a day goes by that I don't think of this team.


The video below is a documentary produced in 1989, 40 years after Celtic retired from football. To a non-Northern Irish person, it probably has a slow start but is well worth watching. It's my team.


If you know your history .....