These late games have some fireworks. Inter ties it and Braga ties it up. And Man Utd gets within one too.
Still Not the Super League: Champions League 23/24
- Thread starter rguilmar
- Start date
Union were tough and committed and also riding their luck with all the close calls. You can only ride your luck so far against the team with Europe's biggest horseshoe up their asses though and that's Madrid.
Could've maybe been different if that Becker to Aaronson cross was a little more on target, that was kinda the one look of the second half.
Tough for La Real. They were completely dominant, hit the woodwork several times, and forced Summer to make a lot of great saves. But this is what happens when you don’t finish your chances against a team like Inter.
Bumping for todays group stage action.
SoSH’s own @candylandriots will be in attendance at the FC Union Berlin game.
Games are on Paramount Plus in US.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/schedule/_/league/uefa.champions
SoSH’s own @candylandriots will be in attendance at the FC Union Berlin game.
Games are on Paramount Plus in US.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/schedule/_/league/uefa.champions
Union strike first in the fourth minute, though not sure that will survive an offside review.
Edit: chalked off after review.
Edit: chalked off after review.
There it is for Union! First club UCL goal. They had been banging on the door for a while, it was coming for most of the half.
Agreed. They easily could be up a couple at this point.
Edit - and they are. Becker with the brace.
I just watched the first 38 minutes of the game last night on TV. That's all my little heart could take. They had just so many opportunities it seemed. Last night was the first game I've seen where I thought Juranovic looked bad. I didn't even realize that Haberer was in the game until Aaronson came on (and I'm still stinging over that missed header opportunity). I thought Becker looked gassed at the end too, and would have liked to see Fofana come on for him.
A good friend of mine is a Seahawks fan (not surprising since we're from the PNW, but I'm a 49ers fan) - and doesn't care about soccer. Anyway, like most friends, he likes to bust balls, and when I went to the Super Bowl to see SF and KC a few years ago, he asked me as I was sitting down, whether I would rather be at the Super Bowl and see them lose, or watch them win on TV? It floored me, and I was like, "you asshole
". He hit me up with the same question last night, and here's how I answered that this time.
"But this one was different. It was an objectively miserable experience (transit was a mess, we stood for an hour in the pouring rain waiting to get in, had to stand in the aisle, the outcome) and I wouldn’t have missed it. I don’t have any delusions that Union Berlin is winning this competition. There isn’t one guy on their team that would start for say, Real Madrid (who’s in their group). So being there is possibly a once in a lifetime thing and I wouldn’t have missed it. It also doesn’t hurt that the ticket cost me less than 1% of what I paid for my Super Bowl ticket."
A good friend of mine is a Seahawks fan (not surprising since we're from the PNW, but I'm a 49ers fan) - and doesn't care about soccer. Anyway, like most friends, he likes to bust balls, and when I went to the Super Bowl to see SF and KC a few years ago, he asked me as I was sitting down, whether I would rather be at the Super Bowl and see them lose, or watch them win on TV? It floored me, and I was like, "you asshole
". He hit me up with the same question last night, and here's how I answered that this time."But this one was different. It was an objectively miserable experience (transit was a mess, we stood for an hour in the pouring rain waiting to get in, had to stand in the aisle, the outcome) and I wouldn’t have missed it. I don’t have any delusions that Union Berlin is winning this competition. There isn’t one guy on their team that would start for say, Real Madrid (who’s in their group). So being there is possibly a once in a lifetime thing and I wouldn’t have missed it. It also doesn’t hurt that the ticket cost me less than 1% of what I paid for my Super Bowl ticket."
EDIT: I genuinely appreciate it if anyone is reluctant to be happy about this, but the last two goals were scored by guys who would have grown up within earshot of the bells of St. James's Park if SJP in fact had bells. One came through the academy when it was trash and the other got bought for 13M.
Fermin Lopez absolutely uncorks one to give Barca a 2-0 lead. He hit the post leading up to the first goal as well which was hammered home by Ferran Torres.
Might be time to switch over to the Feyenoord-Lazio game. Or do work.
Edited to add that Santi Giménez scored to give Feyenoord the lead. He’s been very impressive this season. As a USMNT fan, I don’t like that.
Might be time to switch over to the Feyenoord-Lazio game. Or do work.
Edited to add that Santi Giménez scored to give Feyenoord the lead. He’s been very impressive this season. As a USMNT fan, I don’t like that.
Celtic play Atletico today. A rerun of one of the most infamous games in EC history… played in ‘74.
Take a gander at some of the tackles. Atletico made Revie’s Leeds teams look like timid choir boys.
View: https://youtu.be/CpxoTiKkvw8?si=lTJRmVLrnVfSUcHS
Take a gander at some of the tackles. Atletico made Revie’s Leeds teams look like timid choir boys.
View: https://youtu.be/CpxoTiKkvw8?si=lTJRmVLrnVfSUcHS
Barca snuck by Shakhtar Donetsk today 2-1. Goals from Fermin Lopez and Ferran did the trick. Barca are in a bona fide injury crisis, with Pedri, FDJ, Lewa, and others out. La Masia is getting to show out, as Fermin is a recent promotion, and several other young players made their debuts (I think) later in the match. No one will likely remember this game, but it's hugely important to setting the club up well to advance from the group stage. Nevertheless, the Superclasico on Saturday is rightfully dominating the headlines.
Looks like Atletico had just watched Slapshot. The Hansen brothers would have made a great back three.
Man, Barca were running rampant in the first half. The game had 5-0 written all over it. I suppose we know by now that Ukrainians won’t give up that easily, and good job by them in fighting their way back in. Clasico this Saturday followed by a trip to San Sebastián to play Real Sociedad have been looking really good. Then back to the Champions League. Not a good time for an injury crisis. At least El Clásico is at home, the Montjuic is not a fortress at all. It’s kinda shocking how comparatively quiet it is.
Looks like Milan are the first team kinda getting cut loose in Group F. One win can change that but it’s a tough group. CP looked up for it to start but I didn’t catch the last 60 minutes or so.
Yep, I’m probably the most vociferous voice as far as the game has gone too soft on the forum. But that’s a level of brutality that would get you arrested today.
As regards to “too soft” … players are far too valuable , not to mention well paid to allow that kind of thuggery. Some of those tackles could easily have broken legs.
Lots of respect for Shakhtar. Like you said, Barca was truly dominant in the first half, but they clearly took their foot off the gas and when Barca's third goal got chalked off (correctly), Shakhtar saw some light and went for it. Fair play to them.
I also watched some highlights from the later window yesterday (sidenote: Paramount's production and user experience is generally garbage, but their highlight packages are solid) and I was astounded at how thoroughly PSG dominated AC. Puli was a bright spot in an otherwise baaaaad performance.
I watched River-Independiente from the Argentina Copa de La Liga (it's as convoluted as it sounds, and the only reason I won't make more fun of it is because the format/competition in due in part to COVID) and it's a damn fun league to watch. It's much more physical than the typical European Big 5 leagues, but with more skill still than most non Big 5 leagues. It's reffed similar to FIFA competition but obviously with club players who have much more chemistry. River came into the match second in the table to the visitors but dominated Independiente, and came out with a 3-0 win. Carlos Tevez is the Independiente manager and Demichelis is the manager for River, so there's lots of fun names managing in the league.
@candylandriots roots for a club with some awesome supporters. Check out the messages in the text of the post. How many clubs' ultras are going to have that kind of perspective in a moment like that?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyzUhj3I-vZ/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyzUhj3I-vZ/
I actually meant to post that yesterday, but life got in the way. It is pretty special. Thanks for sharing it.
There were some big signs at the game that said something like, “when times feel bad, don’t forget where you came from.”
There is apparently a small silver lining in Union Berlin's extreme suckitude. They didn't sell all the away tickets for Napoli on the first drawing, so they allowed people the didn't win the lottery a chance to buy tickets, and I managed to get one each for me and Mrs. Riots. This will actually be my first-ever away match too.
Sociedad absolutely taking Benfica apart. “Only” 3-0 after 20 minutes. The third was a thing of beauty. They had the ball in the net two other times which were correctly waived off (one was an unlucky handball that wouldn’t have changed the outcome of a goal). Should they hold on and should Inter win later today, Real Sociedad would qualify for the knockout rounds for only the second time.
Thank you! Our long national nightmare is over. I have some STORIES about tonight.
Copenhagen and ManU just took an interesting twist. ManU had a two goal lead when, at about the 40th minute, Marcus Rashford was shown a questionable straight red. Copenhagen scored about 2 minutes later. We are now in 13 minutes of stoppage time.
Now, a VAR awarded handball in the box against Copenhagen that is just as bad, probably worse, as the VAR'd call against Rashford.
CHN 2-3 ManU, but VAR is the one who is losing.
CHN 2-3 ManU, but VAR is the one who is losing.
This game is wild, Copenhagen quickly score twice more to go up 4-3 on ManU. But we’re not done yet.
Awww thank you! We are spending today checking out Pompeii and eating pizza and flying home tomorrow. I’m going to write about the experience probably on the plane. It was quite the experience.
Now a win at Braga on November 29 puts them in the driver’s seat for Europa League, and leaves a chance (a small one) to still advance out of the group. I can’t imagine what Olympiastadion will be like on December 12 if that’s still in play.
Mostly it’s good to just not lose a game for once. It’s been since August 26. This kinda says it all.
Edit: well shit, I didn’t realize that h2h came before GD in UCL tiebreakers. So best Union can do is 3rd.
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Just tuning in to Barca-Porto in time to see Porto go up 1. And just like that Cancelo levels Barca with a tremendous bender to the far post. He's been so good.
OTOH, Gundogan was a big reason why Porto were able to break and score their first goal.
MATS is out with a back injury, and while Pena did well to stop the first Porto shot, the rebound he gave up was brutal.
OTOH, Gundogan was a big reason why Porto were able to break and score their first goal.
MATS is out with a back injury, and while Pena did well to stop the first Porto shot, the rebound he gave up was brutal.
