The first leg of the Champions quarterfinals is over and there were some interesting results.
Barcelona 1 Schalke 04 0
In Germany Barcelona scored the precious away goal and blanked Schalke 04 1-0, as they head back to Spain. Barcelona scored in the 12th minute, as Schalke goalie Manuel Neuer could not hold onto a shot from Thierry Henry, which went right back to Henry, who sent a low ball across the net, where an unmarked Bojan Krkic easily found the back of the net giving Barcelona a 1-0 lead. Barcelona dominated the first half but did not score again. Schalke 04 came to life in the second half with a couple of chances but could not even the score. Schalke 04 will have a hard time in Barcelona, facing a tough home crowd.
Manchester United 2 AS Roma 0
In Rome Manchester United scored a crucial 2-0 away win, which will make it extremely hard for AS Roma to move into the semifinals. In the 39th minute Cristiano Ronaldo came out of nowhere on a Man U corner to head a ball into the net with so much pace that AS Roma had no time to react. This gave Man U a 1-0 lead. In the second half Wayne Rooney scored in the 67th minute after a mix up with the Italian defense, which Rooney took advantage of to give Man U a 2-0 lead. AS Roma had their chances but Man U’s defense was stellar on the evening.
Fenerbahce 2 Chelsea 1
In perhaps the biggest shock of the quarters Fenerbahce defeated Chelsea 2-1. Chelsea scored first on an own-goal in the 13th minute, as a powerful cross from Chelsea’s Florent Malouda was shanked by Fenerbahce’s Deivid right into their own net giving Chelsea a 1-0 lead. Colin Kazim-Richards came on in the second half for Fenerbahce and evened the score on a powerful shot from outside the box. In the 80th minute Deivid made up for the earlier own goal and sent a scorching 35 yard shot to the top corner of the net to give Fenerbahce a 2-1 lead, which was the final score. Chelsea had their opportunities but could not capitalize in front of a hostile crowd.
In a controversial game Arsenal and Liverpool battled to a 1-1 draw. Arsenal scored first in the 23rd minute on a powerful header by Emmanuel Adebayor. Liverpool evened the score in the 26th minute as a low cross went across the Arsenal net and Dirk Kuyt buried the short shot. Arsenal dominated the game, but every time they went on the attack Liverpool had 10 defenders, as their forwards came back on defense. The controversy came in the 65th minute when Arsenal’s Alexander Hleb weaved into the Liverpool box and was taken down from a pull from behind from Dirk Kuyt, but the ref did not see the penalty and gave Arsenal the corner. I watched this game and it was a horrible call, as it was an obvious penalty. In the latter part of the second half Arsenal had a few chances, even a sure goal that was blocked by another Arsenal player, but they could not find the back of the net again. The game ended 1-1, as they head to Liverpool for the last leg.
