Champions League Video Highlights

Goal highlights:

Lyon 1-1 Real Madrid (Gomis) - SEE IT HERE!

Lyon 0-1 Real Madrid (Benzema) - SEE IT HERE!

FC Copenhagen 0-2 Chelsea (Anelka) - SEE IT HERE!

FC Copenhagen 0-1 Chelsea (Anelka) - SEE IT HERE!

_______________________________________________

As it happened:

21:52 - Full Time Blackpool 3-1 Tottenham

21:51 - Goal! Blackpool 3-1 Tottenham (Pavlyuchenko)

21:41 - Goal! Blackpool 3-0 Tottenham (Ormerod)

21:40 - Full Time FC Copenhagen 0-2 Chelsea

21:39 - Full Time Lyon 1-1 Real Madrid

21:26 - Goal! Lyon 1-1 Real Madrid (Gomis)

21:17 - Drogba comes on for Anelka. Ancelotti desperate for Torres to get on the scoresheet.

21:15 - So, both away teams winning in the CL. Interesting.

21:09 - Goal! Lyon 0-1 Real Madrid (Benzema)

21:05 - Underway by the way at Blackpool. They lead 2-0 against Tottenham.

21:01 - Is that game, set and match? Chelsea look to be cruising as Anelka doubles their lead.

20:57 - Goal! FC Copenhagen 0-2 Chelsea (Anelka)

20:50 - We are underway in both CL games.

20:48 - Tottenham's top 4 chances are taking a real blow tonight.

20:47 - HT Blackpool 2-0 Tottenham

20:40 - Goal! Blackpool 2-0 Tottenham (Campbell)

20:32 - HT Lyon 0-0 Real Madrid HT FC Copenhagen 0-1 Chelsea

20:30 - The chances keep coming for Chelsea, but only one goal for Carlo Ancelotti's men so far.

20:28 - Very open in Denmark, Chelsea pushing for the killer second away goal.

20:20 - Goal! Blackpool 1-0 Tottenham (Adam Pen)

20:18 - Lyon are by far the better team in France.

20:11 - Things just aren't happening for Fernando Torres at the moment.

20:08 - Chelsea dominating procedings.

20:04 - Great goal from Nicolas Anelka, who runs at goal and slides the ball into the back of the net from 18 yards. First blood Chelsea.

20:03 - Goal! FC Copenhagen 0-1 Chelsea (Anelka)

20:00 - 15 minutes played in both games, no clear cut chances as of yet.

19:53 - First chance for Chelsea, and it falls to Fernando Torres, but his first touch let him down allowing the goalkeeper to smother.

19:52 - Lyon also start lively against Real Madrid

19:50 - This is by no means an easy game for Chelsea. Bright start by their opponents.

19:46 - Both games kick off. Lyon vs Real Madrid and FC Copenhagen vs Chelsea. Come on!

19:42 - Teams in the tunnels at both CL stadiums.

19:40 - Great scenes as FC Copenhagen fans hold up banners as Chelsea fans hold up scarves. Great atmosphere.

19:38 - Don't forget, we will upload video's of any goals in the big games tonight, something you don't get anywhere else.

19:31 - "Drogba payed 2 hours on Saturday so I left him on the bench as Torres and Anelka is fresh" - Carlo Ancelotti.

19:30 - Just under 15 minutes until kick-off.

19:28 - Carlo Ancelotti is under pressure tonight. He needs the likes of Fernando Torres to perform. Carlo has recently stated that "Chelsea aren't dead". Defiant.

19:27 - Former Chelsea winger Jesper Gronkjaer starts for Copenhagen.

19:24 - My prediction for tonight is FC Copenhagen 1-2 Chelsea. Cold cold night in Denmark.

19:19 - Copenhagen come into the game having not played a competitive game for 11 weeks. Tough, tough game for the Danish team tonight.

19:15 - For now, we will concentrate on Chelsea's game at FC Copenhagen. Updates from elsewhere as and when they are required, of course.

19:13 - Big game in the English Premier League taking place from 20:00. It's Blackpool vs Tottenham

19:11 - So, Didier Drogba dropped again. What do you think of this?

19:09 - Champions League full teams are as follows:
Copenhagen: Wiland, Pospech, Jorgensen, Antonsson, Wendt, Bolanos, Kvist, Claudemir, Gronkjaer, Santin, Ndoye. Subs: Christensen, Bengtsson, Kristensen, Zohore, Vingaard, Hooiveld, Delaney.
Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Anelka, Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Drogba, Mikel, Zhirkov, Ferreira, Kalou, McEachran.
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Oldenzaal)

Lyon: Lloris, Reveillere, Cris, Lovren, Cissokho, Michel Bastos, Gourcuff, Toulalan, Kallstrom, Delgado, Gomis. Subs: Vercoutre, Gassama, Diakhate, Briand, Pjanic, Gonalons, Pied.
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Arbeloa, Di Maria, Alonso, Khedira, Ozil, Ronaldo, Adebayor. Subs: Adan, Kaka, Benzema, Diarra, Granero, Marcelo, Albiol.

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

19:05 - Where do I begin? A packed schedule tonight. Our big game is FC Copenhagen vs Chelsea. Domestic action too, so stay with us.

19:02 - If you want to get involved tonight, you can via twitter @SideNettingBlog

19:01 - Some big games tonight. Champions League games are above, watch them live if you wish.

19:00 - Welcome to Football Live on sidenetting.blogspot.com

Champions League Preview

Uefa Champions League Last 16 First Leg


FC Copenhagen vs Chelsea (KO 19:45)
Fernando Torres is expected to make his European debut for the blues tonight, but fellow newcomer David Luiz is cup-tied.
Nicolas Anelka, Jose Bosingwa and Michael Essien all return after missing Saturday's FA Cup defeat to Everton.
Copenhagen, who have not played a game for 2 months because of the winter break, will have former Chelsea favourite Jesper Gronkjaer available to face his old club.

Lyon vs Real Madrid (KO 19:45)
Lisandro Lopez will be missing for Lyon tonight after pulling his hamstring in training.
Bafetimbi Gomis will play the lone striker role, with playmaker Yoann Gourcuff playing just behind him.
Real Madrid have a full strength squad, so manager Jose Mourinho will have the luxury of chosing between Karim Benzema and Emmanuel Adebayor to play upfront.

Sunday Round-up

Goal of the Day:

Barclays Premier League:

West Brom 1-1 Wolves

FA Cup:

Fulham 0-1 Bolton
Leyton Orient 1-1 Arsenal
Man City 5-0 Notts County

Scottish Premier League:

Celtic 3-0 Rangers
St Mirren 0-1 Hibernian


<b>Football </b> 

The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON Quarter Final Draw

The draw for the Quarter Finals of the The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON is as follows:

Stoke City vs Burnley/West Ham United
Manchester City vs Reading/Everton
Birmingham City vs Fulham/Bolton Wanderers
Manchester United vs Leyton Orient/Arsenal

Ties to be played on 12th / 13th March 2011

Celtic vs Rangers Match Report & Video Highlights

Full Time: Celtic 3-0 Rangers

70 Mins: GOAL! Celtic 3-0 Rangers (Kris Commons)

Half Time: Celtic 2-0 Rangers

28 Mins: GOAL! Celtic 2-0 Rangers (Gary Hooper)

17 Mins: GOAL! Celtic 1-0 Rangers (Gary Hooper)

Celtic vs Rangers (12:30pm Sky Sports 1)

Sunday's big game sees the Old Firm go head to head in what could be a vital game at the top of the SPL. Rangers are currently 5 points behind rivals Celtic, however they do have 2 games in hand.

Watch this space for up-to-the-minute updates, the match report and the video highlights.

Is the Magic Fading?

Manchester United vs Leeds United, Stevenage Borough vs Newcastle United, hell, even Chelsea vs Everton. Much has been made about the magic of the cup in the last few years (well, if you watch ITV's coverage at least) but with attendances dwindling and the top sides putting out weaker and weaker teams, the question must be asked, is the magic still alive or is it simply a case of holding on to past glories for the FA Cup?

There have been calls of late for a complete overhaul of the FA Cup. For it to be revamped and changed beyond recognition in an attempt to bring back some of the spark that it has been missing during the Premier League years.

Many of these proposals, be they eliminating replays, changing the times of kickoffs or even handing a Champions League place to the winners, have come under fire from fans and journalists alike however the question must be asked, if there is so much love for the cup in its current incarnate why are fans not attending? For Wednesday's replay between Bolton and Wigan a frankly embarrassing attendance of 7,515 was recorded. This is a match between 2 of the (relatively speaking) best sides in the country and only 7500 decided to go along.

There are many possible reasons for this lack of support; recession, increase in ticket price, work commitments etc etc but the point remains that attendances for league matches (which are often more expensive) are continually considerably higher than in the cup leading to lower gate receipts and generally devaluing the competition.

Obviously there are the few exceptions, Portsmouth's cup win in 2008 was a truly magical day for the club (and provided the fans with one last hurrah before seeing it crumble) and the huge upsets that are seen every now and again do bring a smile to every football fan's face. But these small moments are few far between and are not enough to justify keeping up the facade.

In this reporters opinion, the traditionalists need to realise that the FA Cup is not what it was. Gone are the days of the Royal Family attending and “Its a Cup Final Knockout” on a sunny Saturday afternoon. What the FA Cup needs is a total overhaul. Give the teams something to play for, as no football fan wants to spend 20 of their hard earned pounds watching two reserve sides go at it. When the Football Association attempt to make a change, these need to be greeted with open arms and adulation and the realisation that unless they want the FA Cup to take the same path down in the realms of mockery as the League Cup, then something has got to give.

Richard Allum

Video Preview : Man United vs Crawley

The ultimate David and Goliath battle. The sort of fixture usually only seen in the 3rd round has captivated the competition.

Prior to this round Manchester United defeated rivals Liverpool 1-0.

Whilst Crawley scraped a 1-0 away victory against League 2 Torquay

 Can Crawley do the impossible and continue this brilliant run, find out live on ITV at 17:30.

Coaching 101

Football can easily be touted as the king of all sports. Almost every nation on this planet is associated with the football body, FIFA. Such a huge popularity of this sport carries with itself the intense competition at all levels.

Therefore, it becomes quite imperative that players are well trained to compete in this global arena. Thus, coach's role comes into play. It is very important that the coach devises a properly planned training program so that his players' efficiency and skills can be developed.

Coaches around the world employ various drilling exercises. Some of them are mentioned below:
Drills:

1) Ball Control: Ball control is the first and foremost important thing that a budding soccer player has to develop if he/she wants to play at professional level. First touch is an integral part of keeping the ball in your possession. You must move towards the ball, reducing the chances of ball interception. Your body weight must be on the non kicking foot while getting behind the ball. As the ball comes to you, withdraw your kicking foot slightly on impact. Never rush. Repeat this exercise over and over again to gain control over the ball.

2) Passing: Using the inside of the foot is the best way to pass the ball, as it is the flattest part of the foot. Make sure that your knees are bent. Weighing, i.e. the force with which you kick the ball determines the accuracy of the pass. A well balanced movement and eyes on the ball till the very last moment would go a long way in improving your passing.

3) Heading: Heading is an important skill that you must develop to control the ball when it's air borne. Using your forehead is the best way to head the ball as it gives you a better control over the ball. Never take your eyes of the ball while heading as it would lead to inaccuracy. The key element is your positioning. Get in line with the ball while keeping your head, neck and back in straight line. Attack the ball rather than waiting for the ball to come to you.

4) Shooting: Combination of power and accuracy determines the effectiveness of your shot. Top part of the foot is the best place to hit the ball with power. The non kicking foot plays the anchor role while shooting. It is this foot which provides balance. Try standing on your non kicking foot for several seconds to improve the skill. Keep this foot as close to the ball as possible while taking a shot. Approach side on. Timing and control should be developed first as power will follow. Make sure that you practice shooting with both feet.

5) Dribbling: Dribbling is the most sought after skill among football players as it helps them to steer pass the defense. Body swerve is one such skill. While moving with ball inside of your foot, change your foot position in such a manner that it falls on the outside of your foot. Begin this exercise with standing position and then as you gain confidence, try this while running with ball. Develop the skill and you'll find it much easier to change direction leaving the defender of the opposite team confused.

Remember, you cannot develop these skills over a day's time. Practice, practice and more practice - that's the mantra to become a great football player.

matt @ Football Coaching Drills

Football Injuries

Due to the high number of terrible injuries that have been taking place recently in football, a lot of investigation has begun about whether it is due to the football boots worn by the players which causes them. They are trying to inquire whether it is due to the blades that are fitted in football boots these days or because of the regular studs worn.
One case of severe injury was that of Antonio Valencia who plays for Manchester United, as he ended up with his foot trapped while trying to tackle the ball. While going through a challenge with Kirk Broadfoot, one could notice after watching several replays that his leg got snapped instantly, so much that the bone started protruding out of the skin.
A lot of blame is also put on the turf being used these days, as it is a lot more firm than and not as fragile as it should be. Moreover, the tough turf and studs being used together must be causing the problem.
The reason why bladed studs are preferred by most people is because of the fact that they provide more acceleration while sprints. However while on a firmer ground, a lot prefer using the traditional studs.
The only case when players are supposed to wear a particular kind of shoe is when they are being sponsored by the brand. Other than that they can wear any brand of their choice, as there will not even be any advice about which shoes would be more stable and resistant.
A lot of professionals go for custom made kinds of shoes that have a touch of the stud layout along with blades and circular studs. The more combinations that you will have, the more difficult it will become for one to monitor it.
Nike is probably the only brand around which takes this issue under consideration. Their range of boots is especially designed in such a way to have great stability, high speed and control. But they would also let the natural loss of balance and grip take place.
Another concern that is kept into mind is that of making the boots light weighted so you can move around very well. This is done by using a material that is very light and easy to maneuver in. However a lot of players still tend to have foot injuries, such as David Beckham. Therefore, it is very important that the shoe works for you.

Allie Watkins - http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Allie_Watkins