Celtic 0-3 Juventus: Champions League Highlights

Juventus eased past a battling Celtic side to all but book their place in Champions League Quarter Finals.

Juventus all but clinched their place in the last eight of the Champions League after a clinical display from the Italian champions earned them a 3-0 win over Celtic at Parkhead here on Tuesday.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon surprised everyone before kick-off as he handed Efe Ambrose a starting place despite the defender playing in Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations final win over Burkina Faso on Sunday.

But the gamble went horribly wrong with the defender at fault for two of Juve’s deadly away goals.

Celtic got off to a nightmare start when Ambrose was caught out by the flight of Federico Peluso’s long ball in the third minute, allowing Alessandro Matri to get in behind him and fire the ball over the line despite Kelvin Wilson’s desperate attempted clearance on the line.

The Hoops then showed the intensity they had produced to pick up a famous win over Barcelona in the group stages as they laid siege to the Juve goal, with Victor Wanyama and Kris Commons both testing Gianluigi Buffon with strikes.

But the Italians weathered the storm and increased their lead in the 77th minute when Marchisio smashed past a shot past Fraser Forster.

Mirko Vucinic finished low through Forster’s legs in the 83rd minute after Ambrose had been caught in possession by Marchisio as Juventus ended any remaining Celtic hopes.

Things could have been different for the home side, however.

Celtic had forced a corner within 60 seconds as Buffon pushed a thunderous strike from Wanyama round the post, and Ambrose then tried his luck with a long-range strike that went harmlessly wide as the hosts swarmed forward in the early stages.

But their good work quickly came undone as a lapse of concentration from Ambrose allowed Matri to give Juve a third-minute lead.

Celtic rallied after the goal and Buffon had to be alert to stop a fiercely-drilled Wanyama strike from 25 yards.

The SPL leaders continued to press forward and Kris Commons was inches away from an audacious equaliser in the 28th minute when his overhead kick from Mikael Lustig’s cross bounced just wide with Buffon beaten.

Ambrose missed a golden chance to atone for his lapse at the Juve goal at the hour mark when Charlie Mulgrew’s cross from the left found him lurking in the box, but the Nigerian sent his weak header bouncing into the turf and straight to the grateful Buffon.

Juventus looked content to defend deep and hit Celtic on the counter-attack but they served the home side a warning in the 66th minute when Vucinic connected perfectly with a cross from the left and Wilson brilliantly blocked his shot in the six-yard box.

The home side didn’t heed the warning, though, and Juventus grabbed a killer second with a well-worked goal.

Matri flicked a pass into the path of Marchisio, who cut inside Scott Brown and smashed a shot beyond Forster at his near post.

Ambrose had only arrived back in Glasgow from South Africa early on Tuesday morning, but the Celtic fans must have been wishing he had missed his flight when he was again at fault as the visitors landed a knock-out blow.

Marchisio caught the defender in possession and played an excellent through ball to Vucinic, who clipped the ball through the legs of the helpless Forster.

Goodison Park boss could replace Roberto Mancini at the Etihad Stadium.

Old Trafford crowd favourite sets sights on getting manager’s job.

Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has set his sights on becoming manager at Old Trafford and succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson.

fanatix tickets- Sunderland vs Manchester United tickets are on sale from £27 for the match on March 30th at the Stadium of Light.

Solksjaer is a crowd favourite at Old Trafford having spent 11 years at the club as a player, a time which included scoring the winning goal in 1999 Champions League final, and then a period as reserve team manager.

The man known as the ‘Baby Faced Assassin’ has subsequently proven to be a huge success as manager of Molde in his native Norway having guided the club to back-to-back titles in the Tippeligaen in his first two season in charge.

He was set to be appointed as Aston Villa manager in the summer having been given permission to talk the Villa Park club, but turned the job down in favour of staying with Molde and continuing his development.

The 39-year-old has, however, admitted that he dreams of returning to Manchester United and taking charge of the club, who paid just £1.5million to buy him from Molde as a player back in 1996, when Ferguson calls time on his career.

“Maybe it sounds stupid but my dream is to manage United,” he is quoted as saying by The Sun. “But I am not saying it is going to happen.

“I worked with Alex Ferguson for 15 seasons as a player and then as reserve-team coach. His methodology has influenced my philosophy. Almost everything I know I learnt from Sir Alex. Both of us believe in ourselves, we always want to win and we put our faith in youngsters and work hard.”

He added: “To succeed Sir Alex you need to have a strong personality and be a winner.”

Goodison Park boss could replace Roberto Mancini at the Etihad Stadium.

Goodison Park boss could replace Roberto Mancini at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City are considering appointing Everton boss David Moyes as their new manager should Roberto Mancini be dismissed at the Etihad Stadium.

Mancini’s future came under even more scrutiny after Manchester City’s limp defeat at Southampton on Saturday, which all but ended their hopes of retaining the Premier League title they won last season.

And, according to the Sunday Mirror, Moyes has emerged as a serious candidate to take over the reins from Mancini at the Etihad Stadium if the Italian is axed in the summer.

Moyes, who is also under consideration for the Chelsea manager’s job – a decision on which is likely to be made in the summer, has yet to sign an extension to his contract at Everton which is due to expire in the summer.  

He is attempting to guide Everton into the Champions League by securing a top-four finish, which would go a long way to persuading him to sign a new deal at Goodison Park.

The Scot, meanwhile, has revealed that he was interviewed for the position as assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 1999 but missed out on the job to Steve McClaren and instead continued in his position in charge of Preston.

“I met Fergie in the year they won the Champions League,” Moyes said in the Mail on Sunday. “He asked me to have a cup of tea with him. He was looking for an assistant. I met him but he gave the job to (Steve) McClaren.

“I was fine with that because I was enjoying what I was doing at Preston, but if that opportunity had come I wouldn’t have turned it down. Maybe it was a good decision not to do it. They went on to win the European Cup and have been very successful since but I’m happy with the way it’s worked out for me.”

Real Madrid CF vs Manchester United FC wednesday feb 13,2013

Real Madrid CF and Manchester United FC will square off in a much-anticipated last-16 showdown lent extra spice by the presence of Old Trafford old boy Cristiano Ronaldo in the home ranks.

• The sight of Ronaldo facing United for the first time since his departure adds another layer of intrigue to a contest pairing clubs who have met in four previous European Cup ties – with the winners going on to lift the trophy on three occasions.

• It is also an opportunity for José Mourinho to renew his rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson. Although United reached the round of 16 as Group H winners, Group D runners-up Madrid have won eight of their last nine UEFA Champions League home fixtures and can draw further encouragement from the fact United have conceded first in their last five European outings and have won only twice in 20 visits to Spain.

Previous meetings
• Madrid came out on top in three of the clubs' four previous encounters – in the semi-finals in 1956/57 and quarter-finals in 1999/2000 and 2002/03 – with United prevailing in the 1967/68 semi-finals.

• Madrid triumphed 6-5 on aggregate in their most recent encounter. Vicente del Bosque's side emerged 3-1 winners from the first leg at the Bernabéu, Luís Figo and Raúl González (2) scoring before Ruud van Nistelrooy pulled a goal back.

• The Brazilian Ronaldo struck a hat-trick in the Old Trafford return where United fought back to win 4-3 through two goals from substitute David Beckham on a night when Van Nistelrooy and Iván Helguera (own goal) also found the net.

• The lineups from that last meeting on 23 April 2003 were:
Man Utd: Barthez, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre (P Neville 79), Verón (Beckham 63), Butt, Keane (Fortune 82), Giggs, Van Nistelrooy, Solskjær.
Madrid: Casillas, Salgado, Hierro, Helguera, Roberto Carlos, Zidane, McManaman (Portillo 69), Figo (Pavón 88), Makelele, Ronaldo (Solari 67), Guti.

• In the 1999/2000 quarter-finals, eventual champions Madrid advanced 3-2 on aggregate as they followed up a goalless home draw by taking a 3-0 lead in Manchester through Roy Keane's own goal and a Raúl double, before Beckham and Paul Scholes replied for the then holders. Ryan Giggs and Iker Casillas also featured.

• United have a history of comebacks in this fixture. After George Best had scored the only goal of their 1967/68 semi-final first leg at Old Trafford, they trailed Madrid 3-1 at half-time in the return but goals by David Sadler and Bill Foulkes earned a 4-3 aggregate victory and United went on to lift the trophy for the first time.

• Madrid won the first-ever meeting 5-3 on aggregate to reach the 1956/57 final. The Merengues overcame Matt Busby's men 3-1 at home and then led 2-0 away before United battled back to 2-2.

Match background
• Madrid have already got the better of United's neighbours in this season's group stage. Mourinho's side earned a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Manchester City FC at home on matchday one, Ronaldo delivering the 90th-minute winner, then drew 1-1 away.

• The Spanish champions' home record against England clubs is W6 D4 L2. The last English visitors to beat them were Liverpool FC, 1-0 victors at this stage in 2008/09.

• United exited last term's UEFA Europa League after home and away defeats by Athletic Club, and also lost their most recent UEFA Champions League encounter with Liga opposition – 3-1 against FC Barcelona in the 2011 final at Wembley.

• United's record away to Liga clubs is W2 D8 L10. Their last success came at Valencia CF in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage, Javier Hernández scoring the only goal.

• Madrid lost the 1981 European Champion Clubs' Cup final to Liverpool and the 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup final to Chelsea FC.

• United lost UEFA Champions League finals against Barcelona in 2009 and 2011 having beaten the same opponents in the 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

• Sir Alex oversaw Aberdeen FC's 2-1 defeat of Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup final – his first continental trophy.

Team ties
• Mourinho has faced United twice before at this stage of the UEFA Champions League, starting with Porto's success in the 2003/04 round of 16 en route to winning the trophy. A side including Ricardo Carvalho earned a 2-1 advantage at home before securing a 3-2 aggregate win as Costinha cancelled out a Scholes goal with a 90th-minute equaliser in Manchester.

• Mourinho's FC Internazionale Milano lost to United in the 2008/09 last 16. After a goalless first leg, Inter succumbed 2-0 at Old Trafford, Nemanja Vidić and Ronaldo scoring.

• In between, Mourinho enjoyed a good run of results against United as Chelsea manager, his Stamford Bridge reign starting with a 1-0 home victory over Sir Alex's United on 15 August 2004. During three years in London, Mourinho's record against United was W5 D4 L1, with the FA Community Shield in August 2007 counting as a draw having finished 1-1 before United prevailed on penalties.

• Mourinho's Chelsea team, including Michael Essien, were 1-0 extra-time winners against United in the 2007 FA Cup final. Rio Ferdinand, Vidić, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Scholes, Giggs and Wayne Rooney all played for United.

• Ronaldo spent six seasons with United between 2003 and 2009. He scored 118 goals in 292 games, winning one UEFA Champions League and three Premier League titles, as well as one FA Cup and two League Cups.

• Ronaldo played in two UEFA Champions League finals with United. He scored in the 1-1 draw against Carvalho and Essien's Chelsea in Moscow in 2008, where United triumphed on penalties although Ronaldo failed from the spot. Twelve months later, his final United appearance ended in defeat by Barcelona in Rome.

• Essien was in the Olympique Lyonnais side that met United in the 2004/05 group stage, earning a 2-2 home draw before a 2-1 away loss.

• Xabi Alonso had to wait until his fifth and final season with Liverpool, 2008/09, before tasting victory over United – his solitary success in seven attempts. Álvaro Arbeloa lost all three games against United as a Liverpool player.

• Luka Modrić won none of his eight meetings with United while at Tottenham Hotspur FC between 2008 and 2012. In his first campaign he lost the League Cup final on penalties and scored to put Spurs 2-0 up at Old Trafford in a league match they eventually lost 5-2.

• Kaká was in the Milan side that overcame United in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League round of 16 and, two seasons later, scored three goals as Milan defeated United 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

• As a Club Atlético de Madrid player, David de Gea conceded 11 goals in five straight derby losses to the Merengues.

• Spain's Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Alonso won the 2010 FIFA World Cup final at the expense of Robin van Persie's Netherlands. The following season Van Persie faced Barcelona with Arsenal FC in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, scoring in a 2-1 first-leg victory but receiving a red card in a 3-1 second-leg defeat.

• Wayne Rooney was in the England side beaten 4-1 by Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil's Germany in the round of 16 of the 2010 World Cup. Khedira and Özil had previously helped Germany win the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with a 4-0 final triumph over England in which Özil scored.

• Jonny Evans's Northern Ireland frustrated Ronaldo and Pepe's Portugal in a 1-1 2014 World Cup qualifying draw in Porto in October.

• Brazil's Rafael made his senior international debut in a May 2012 friendly against Denmark alongside Marcelo.

Google Packed British Schools with Raspberry Pi

The search giant has recently written a cheque to provide British schools over 15,000 free microcomputers. The company’s chairman Eric Schmidt and Raspberry Pi co-founder Eben Upton explained that the move should help raise a new generation of computer scientists and encourage kids to take up coding.

Google has said before that the schools of the United Kingdom were undermining the IT industry by rejecting to produce students who could create technology. Eric Schmidt is worried that current information and communications technology teaching is insufficient preparation for future jobs in technology.

The partnership and the initiative were announced at Chesterton Community College in Cambridge, where kids were given a coding lesson by Eric Schmidt and Eben Upton. Raspberry Pi co-founder hoped that his company’s cooperation with Google will become a significant moment in the development of computing education in the United Kingdom.

Upton believed it would be possible to turn around the constant decline in the numbers and skill sets of students applying to read computer science at university. Within the last decade, the numbers of people studying computer science in the country decreased by 23% at undergraduate level.

Eric Schmidt, when announcing Google’s Raspberry Pi giveaway, said that the UK’s innovators and entrepreneurs have changed the world and now the company should inspire the next generation of computer genius. Google hoped that its donation would go some way towards that. In the meanwhile, Google is also sponsoring ICT teacher training through a scheme in conjunction with the Teach First charity.