The champions league semi-final line up in now drawn up where for the first time in the history three English clubs are present along with the perennial favorites AC Milan. Let’s see how they progressed from Quarterfinals to the Semi-finals.
Liverpool Vs PSV Eindhevon
The match was done and dusted in the first leg when Liverpool went 3 goals up in the first hour at Philips Stadia in Eindhoven. Gerrard. Riise and Crouch sealed the deal for the Mersyside club.
The return leg was mere formality with Liverpool winning it one goals to nil by Peter Crouch goal in the second half.
Chelsea Vs Valencia
This was one of the most entertaining ties on card as Valencia is loaded with some of the players which Jose Mourinho wanted to buy in the previous season. The first leg at Stamford Bridge was an entertaining affair with Valencia going up by a wonder strike from Silva which caught Peter Cech on backfoot.
After spoiling numerous chances Chelsea got back in the game when drogba headed home an Ashley Cole punt in the second half. This left the game evenly poised for return fixture in Valencia.
The return League was not a spectacle but a brutally physical affair with both sides exchanging kicks for kicks. In the hard tackling football Valencia took the lead through Morientas when he lost his marker in the six yard box. At half time with the score line one nil, Jose Mourinho had just 45 minutes to keep the dream of four trophies going.
Second half started with a bang for Chelsea as they did all the early running and created chance that was converted by Schevchenko. With the game on even keel both teams tried hard to break the deadlock but none made any significant progress. As more often than not these matches are decided on either a moment of magic or moment of sheer madness. Amazingly both of these moments came from one man, Cannizares the Valencia’s goalkeeper. He made a miraculous save from Ballack header to keep Valencia in the game and then in the 90th minute miscalculated and beaten by Essien shot on the near post.
The late strike kept the Chelsea dream intact and left the Mourinho side to fight another day against their arch rival in Champions League Liverpool.
Alan Scott writes managing technology and organizational behavior articles, journal and columns for Knowledge Weekly