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Spain vs. England Bayern, Galatasaray challenge in Champions League elite
LONDON (AP) -- For the second season in a row, three Spanish clubs can make it to the semifinals of the Champions League -- only this time there's a difference. They may have to beat three English teams to get there. Despite the survival of three-time titlist Bayern Munich and last season's UEFA Cup winner Galatasaray from Istanbul, the final stages of the Champions Cup seems to have come down to Spain vs. England. Defending champion and eight-time winner Real Madrid, last season's runner-up Valencia and Spanish league titlist Deportivo de La Coruna all topped their groups and therefore avoid each other in Friday's quarterfinal draw in Switzerland. Likewise, English champion Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds finished runners-up in their groups and can't meet each other either. The runners-up have the slight disadvantage of having to play the away legs second. Because Manchester United and Valencia were in the same group in round two, they can't face each other when the quarterfinals are played April 3/4 and 17/18. Likewise with Real Madrid and Leeds, and Arsenal knows it has to face a Spanish team because it was in the same group as Bayern. The draw could easily wind up as Real Madrid vs. Manchester United, Valencia vs. Leeds and Deportivo vs. Arsenal, leaving Bayern Munich to face Galatasaray. Deportivo, which is chasing Real Madrid in this season's Spanish league title race, hasn't met an English team yet. But coach Javier Irureta added some spice to the draw by saying he wanted to meet all three. "I prefer Leeds, Arsenal and then Manchester United in that order," the Deportivo coach said, hoping that his team would meet Alex Ferguson's team in the May 23 final in Milan after beating David O'Leary's Leeds in the quarters and Arsene Wenger's Arsenal in the semis. "Leeds is also the most typical English team of the three given that Manchester United and Arsenal both have plenty of foreign stars," he said. The general feeling is that Real Madrid and Manchester United, both in impressive domestic form, are the teams to avoid. But Bayern Munich stars Steffen Effenberg and Giovane Elber said they would like to meet the Reds now to get them out of the way. "Then we'd have the game behind us already in the quarterfinals," said Bayern captain Effenberg. Elber added: "If we beat Manchester, we could go all the way in the Champions Cup." Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, whose team has just returned to the top of the Bundesliga after a rocky spell, said he was delighted how his players responded to last week's 3-0 upset loss at Lyon by scoring a 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Wednesday. "We played with full concentration for the entire 90 minutes," he said. "I wish we could stay so concentrated in other matches as well. "We got 13 points and left the other teams in the group far behind us. We belong to the best eight teams in Europe and we can compete with any team. I hope that it will give us a push for the Bundesliga as well." Manchester United captain Roy Keane said it didn't matter whether his team faced Real Madrid, Deportivo or Bayern. "It's going to be hard whoever we get and the last eight teams are all capable of winning the European Cup," the Irish midfielder said. "Hopefully whoever gets us, it will be a hard game for them." Real Madrid hopes to get Turkey's Galatasaray to try and make up for last season's loss which cost the Spanish powerhouse yet another trophy. "I hope we can get Galatasaray so that we can exact revenge for the Super Cup defeat," said Real forward Fernando Morientes, referring to the annual matchup of the Champions League and UEFA Cup winners. Coach Vicente Del Bosque said the appearance once more of three teams in the last eight underlined the strength of Spanish soccer. "Spanish soccer is giving Europe an exhibition of how to play," he said. "Hopefully the three teams can make it to the semifinals." Arsenal midfielder Lauren, who was on the Cameroon team that beat Spain in the Olympic soccer final, said he would like to face the defending champion. "I would prefer Real Madrid," he said. "The other two Spanish teams are very strong and it's very difficult to score against them." Leeds manager O'Leary, who makes a habit of under-playing his team's chances in every competition to take the pressure off the players, said his team was just happy to be in the last eight. "I never thought we would get this far," the Irishman said. "Let's just hope the adventure continues, with the aim now to get into the semifinals. "But looking at the teams we know we can face [Valencia, Bayern Munich or Deportivo] we know we are in for a hard game." At least Leeds and Arsenal avoid another meeting with Galatasaray. There was violence when the Turkish team met the English clubs in last season's UEFA Cup, with two Leeds followers stabbed to death in Istanbul and rioting in the streets of Copenhagen when Arsenal met Galatasaray in the final.
Champions League success boosts English gameLONDON -- English football has moved to another level after Arsenal and Leeds United joined Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The Premier League has long been damned with faint praise by being described as the most exciting league in Europe. The implication was that the goal-filled, frenetic matches which perpetuate in England's top flight thrilled the fans but lacked the technical skill level of the Italian and Spanish leagues. That argument now looks decidedly flimsy after Arsenal took a place alongside the two Uniteds in the strongest-ever showing by English teams in Europe's premier club competition. Arsene Wenger's side reached the last eight for the first time in 29 years on Wednesday, despite losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in Germany. Olympique Lyon's failure to win in Moscow meant Arsenal qualified by finishing in second place in their group, joining Manchester United and Leeds who had both already qualified before this week's final round of second phase matches. Impressive achievement "It's a big boost," said former England international Trevor Brooking, now a television and radio analyst for the BBC. "We should acknowledge it as a pretty impressive achievement to get three sides through. It's important now for them to go on and make that next stage." Wenger, who admitted his side had "sneaked through" to the last eight after a disappointing showing in Germany, says the progression is clear. "We were lucky but it means that English football has taken a huge step forward in the past three years," said the Frenchman. "Now there are three English clubs there and none from Italy." The facts justify his assessment. In 1999, Manchester United won the competition with a dramatic victory over Bayern Munich. Last season it and Chelsea made it through to the last eight, and this season England has a treble chance of progressing even further. Manchester United's achievement in reaching the quarterfinals was the minimum requirement for the runaway league leaders. But Leeds' progress -- despite facing teams of the caliber of Real Barcelona, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Lazio -- was beyond even manager David O'Leary's wildest dreams. Galatasaray avoided The gods also appear to be smiling on the English trio off the field. Because they all finished second in their group, Friday's quarterfinal draw can only pair them with one of the four group winners, not the other team which finished second. That team is Galatasaray, and there had been fears of a repeat of the serious violence which marred games between the Turkish side and both Leeds and Arsenal in last season's UEFA Cup. Galatasaray fans were also involved in violence which left 56 people injured after Tuesday's game against Paris St Germain. Galatasaray's 2-0 defeat meant they lost their group leaders' spot and the threat of another English-Turkish security headache is on hold -- at least until the semifinals. As the last eight teams cannot play an opponent they faced in the second group phase, Arsenal will face one of Spain's three teams -- Real Madrid, Deportivo Coruna or Valencia. Manchester United will play either Deportivo, Real or Bayern Munich, while Leeds face either Deportivo, Bayern or Valencia. Germany fears losing spotBERLIN -- The success of English clubs in the Champions League this season has raised fears in Germany that the Bundesliga might lose one spot in Europe's showcase club competition.Premier League sides Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds United are through to the quarterfinals of this season's competition, while only one German side -- Bayern Munich -- made it through to the last eight. "It's a catastrophe for all of us," Schalke 04 commercial manager Rudi Assauer said on Thursday, assuming Germany would lose its third place in the UEFA rankings to England. If that happened, two German clubs would still go straight into the Champions League but only one, instead of two, would play in the qualifying round from the 2002-2003 season. England would meanwhile have two clubs in the qualifying round -- one more than now. "The Bundesliga will not be competitive any more," Assauer added. "At some stage we will disappear from the European scene and end up where Belgium and the Netherlands are at the moment." UEFA spokesman Mike Lee said the situation would not change for next season with Spain leading from Italy and Germany in the rankings, which are based on results by national clubs over the past five years. He refused to speculate on what would happen from the 2002-2003 season, saying no announcement would be made until next June, when the calculations for this season are completed. Poor showing But UEFA sources said it was correct to assume that England would climb up and Germany would slide down while Italy's ranking could also be affected by the poor showing of Italian clubs this season. Germany's ranking is boosted by Borussia Dortmund's European Cup triumph in 1997 and Schalke 04's victory in the UEFA Cup that same year. England and Spain, who also have three clubs through to the quarterfinals, are the strongest nations in the showcase Champions League event this season. Of the top European leagues, Italy and France are the big losers as neither has any club left in the competition. "English football has made considerable progress over the last three years," Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said after his side advanced to the last eight, despite a 1-0 defeat to Bayern in Munich on Wednesday. "I think England have a real chance this season. It's not every year that you have Champions League quarterfinals without Juventus, Lazio and Barcelona." If England overtook Germany in the UEFA rankings, only the top five Bundesliga clubs as opposed to the first six currently would play in Europe from the 2002-2003 season, meaning less revenue for the German league as a whole. "A total seven out of eight Spanish clubs are in the quarterfinals of both European club competitions," former German international and former Real coach Jupp Heynckes told German sports television channel Premiere World. "This shows the level of football being played there but it also indicates that the Bundesliga is no longer as strong as it used to be." Kaiserslautern, playing PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of their quarterfinal tie later on Thursday, is the only German club left in the UEFA Cup.
Nedved apologizes for horror tackle against LeedsLEEDS, England -- Lazio midfielder Pavel Nedved has apologized to Leeds United's Alan Maybury over a shocking tackle that left the young defender on crutches after the 3-3 Champions League draw at Elland Road on Wednesday. The Czech midfielder's lunge left Maybury writhing in agony and was later described by United manager David O'Leary as "disgraceful." Nedved clearly regretted his indiscretion as he sought out Maybury in the treatment room after the final whistle to issue a heartfelt apology. Maybury will find out on Thursday if the tackle has caused any serious damage. He was sent home on crutches with a large cut on his left knee, but did not expect to be out long term. "Nedved has apologized for the tackle, and I'm not one to bear grudges as I know these things happen in football," Maybury said on local radio. "He didn't need to do it though. There was a niggly incident a few minutes before when I blocked his run and he wasn't happy about that. "I don't think there is going to be any serious damage, although we will have a look at it." The incident overshadowed an entertaining match between two sides who already knew their fate, with Leeds waiting for Friday's quarterfinal draw and Lazio already eliminated and left to concentrate on their domestic league campaign. O'Leary said he feared the worst in the draw and admitted Leeds' form in Europe this season has created a a heavy sense of expectation among the club's fans. The Irishman continued to follow the line that United was living a Champions League fantasy and could not expect to win the competition. He said: "Expectations are running high and, while I can understand how that happens, it is important we keep things in perspective. "I think we've created a bit of a rod for our own backs and, knowing us, we will get somebody really, really big in the next round. "But I don't mind as I never thought we would get this far and to be honest I don't know who the easy draw would be looking at the teams left in the competition." United can be drawn against Valencia, Deportivo La Coruna or Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.
Lyon boss says club still among eliteLYON, France, -- Olympique Lyon still belongs among Europe's elite despite its Champions League exit, club president Jean-Michael Aulas said on Thursday.Lyon's 1-1 draw away to Spartak Moscow on Wednesday was not enough for them to reach the quarterfinals as English club Arsenal joined Bayern Munich in qualifying from Group C. "We are left with some fantastic images of our European campaign, in which we not only survived but really made our mark," Aulas said. Although their European campaign is over the French side is still in the hunt for three domestic trophies this season. It is chasing their first French league title -- trailing joint leaders Lille and Nantes by four points with six rounds remaining -- and it is also in the last four of the League Cup and the last eight of the French Cup. Arsenal only pipped Lyon to a place in the last eight of the Champions League on goal difference, leaving coach Jacques Santini to ponder what might have been. "When we look at the six matches in the second phase it is probably the loss at home to Arsenal that cost us a place in the quarterfinals," Santini said. Lyon's elimination means France has no representatives left in either the Champions League or the UEFA Cup. Striker Steve Marlet said it was a case of "so near, so far." "We were eliminated on goal difference -- that's how close we went," he said. "We were very close to a great achievement."
Galatasaray relieved to avoid EnglishISTANBUL -- Galatasaray coach Mircea Lucescu is relieved his side will not meet any of the English teams in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Last season, violent clashes -- including two fatalities -- among English and Turkish fans overshadowed the Turkish side's success in Europe. Galatasaray finished second to Deportivo Coruna in Group B, after losing 2-0 to Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday in a match marred by crowd violence in Paris. The Turkish and UEFA champions will now meet either Real Madrid, Valencia or Bayern Munich in the next round of the draw on Friday. An immediate clash with Manchester United, Arsenal or Leeds United has been avoided as the three English sides, like Galatasaray, finished second in their respective groups . "Maybe it was better to finish second in the group after what happened last year," the Sabah newspaper on Thursday quoted Lucescu as saying. Last April, two Leeds United supporters were stabbed to death in central Istanbul before a UEFA Cup match. It was the first clash in a trail of violence that followed Turkish and English fans on Galatasaray's European campaign last season. Rival supporters also fought in the streets of Copenhagen before Galatasaray's UEFA Cup final triumph over Arsenal on penalties. When Leeds United revisited Istanbul this season to meet Galatasaray's local rivals Besiktas, Turkish police laid on extraordinary security measures, including bringing visiting supporters to the ground by boat. Lucescu said he was hoping to draw Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, saying he saw them as the weakest of the three teams Galatasaray could meet. "The quality of the German league has declined recently and we would also enjoy a fair amount of spectator support from Turkish immigrants who live in Munich," he said. "The later we meet any of the Spanish teams the better," Lucescu said. "Their league is now the strongest in Europe, so I would prefer to avoid playing any of them at the quarterfinal stage."
Reuters contributed to this report.
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