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Thursday 5 April 2012

(Bayern Munich , Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid) all into semis


                                           CHELSEA VS BENFICA


Chelsea Out-Busted Benfica In the Quarters Of CL By ( 3-1 ) Aggregate 1st Leg score ( 1-0 ) to Chelsea And 2nd Leg score ( 2-1) to Chelsea.Chelsea will face holder Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals after unconvincingly eliminating 10-man Benfica with a 2-1 victory Wednesday.
After winning 1-0 away two weeks ago, Chelsea's advantage was extended by Frank Lampard from the penalty spot in the 21st minute.
But Chelsea failed to make its man advantage count after Maxi Pereira was sent off in the 40th minute, with a several clear-cut chances squandered after the break.
And it was a nervy conclusion to the quarterfinal at Stamford Bridge after Javi Garcia headed Benfica level on the night in the 85th minute.
Another goal would have sent Benfica through on away goals but Ramires blasted the ball into the net on a counterattack during tense stoppage time to secure Chelsea's 3-1 aggregate win.


                                BARCELONA VS AC.MILAN


Barcelona Although Drew In the First Leg Of this Match At San Siro ( 0-0 ) But in the Second Leg Barcelona In their Home Defeated A.C Milan By ( 3-1 ) aggregate ( 3-1 ) As Netted 2 from Penalties And Iniesta Also Scored A goal too. Messi Scored His 50th Champions league Goals Thanks to the Penalties.


                BAYERN MUNICH VS MARSEILLE 





Bayern Munich reached the Champions League semi-finals after Croatia striker Ivica Olic netted both goals in a 2-0 win over Marseille in Tuesday's quarter-final second leg.
With the Bavarians having won 4-0 on aggregate, Bayern will host the first leg of their semi-final on April 17, 


           REAL MADRID VS APOEL NICOSIA



Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid enjoyed one of their most comfortable passages into the Champions League semifinals with a 5-2 victory over APOEL Nicosia on Wednesday, progressing 8-2 on aggregate. 
Ronaldo and Kaka, two of the world's most expensive players, scored before the break, the second from the Brazilian a wonderful curling effort from outside the area. 
Gustavo Manduca had the noisy travelling support in full song after he broke away to pull one back for APOEL in the 67th minute, but Ronaldo with a freekick and Jose Callejon quickly restored order at the Bernabeu. 
Esteban Solari netted a penalty for the competition debutants but Angel Di Maria immediately lobbed a fifth for Real who eased into a semifinal meeting with Bayern Munich. 
"Our objective has been achieved, we won, and we are in the semis against Bayern," Ronaldo told Spanish television. 
"Bayern will be very difficult. They are the type of team who can win the Champions League so it will be extremely tough." 
APOEL's colourful and raucous fans were the most exciting part of the opening half hour as Real laid siege to their goal without making much headway. 
Ronaldo had come close twice before he breached their defence in the 26th minute, tapping in from Marcelo's low cross. 
Kaka curled in a second from outside the area in the 37th minute and as halftime approached he curled another effort against the post. 
Complacency crept into Real's game and APOEL took full advantage, a well-worked passing move setting Manduca through to score wide of Iker Casillas. 
Constantinos Charalambides forced Casillas into a fingertip save, but Ronaldo ended the wobble with a swerving freekick from wide of the area that arrowed into the top corner in the 75th. 
Substitute Jose Callejon fired in a low shot five minutes later, but APOEL's fans had more to cheer when Hamit Altintop brought down Aldo Adorno and Solari scored from the spot. 
Di Maria rounded off the scoring in the 84th minute.



           UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIS:


 1.            CHELSEA VS FC BARCELONA
2.      BAYERN MUNICH VS REAL MADRID

CSK defeated by Mumbai

It was a Low scoring match As Chennai Gived the target of 113 and Mumbai Indian Chased It comfortably As openers dominated it.

- Scorecard


Chasing a modest target of 113, Levi set the tone as he clobbered the Chennai bowlers to race away to a fine 50 with six fours and three sixes on IPL debut.
He added 69 for the first wicket with Sachin Tendulkar  before being caught in the deep but by then Mumbai Indians had the match in their pocket. They finally won with 19 balls to spare as he slashed Doug Bollinger over third-man for a six.
Predominantly an on-side player, all the three sixes Levi hit were in the arc between deep mid-wicket and long-on. Levi doesn't have much of a backlift and footwork is minimum but that doesn't deter him from hitting big shots although he mistimed a few today.
Tendulkar (16 retd hurt), despite playing second fiddle to Levi also entertained the crowd as he smashed Albie Morkel over extra cover for a huge six. But he got an ugly bouncer from Doug Bollinger which hit his gloves. The senior batsman then left the field as he seemed to have hurt a finger on his left hand.
Earlier, captain Harbhajan's decision to bowl first seemed to be spot on as Mumbai Indians bowled out defending champions Chennai Super Kings for a paltry 112 in only 19.4 overs.
The newly-laid 22-yard strip which had some patches of grass on either side turned out to be a nightmare for strokeplayers as most of the home team batsmen failed to check their shots as they were bundled out for a negligible score.
While MI bowlers stuck to their task, Chennai batsmen helped their cause as three of them including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni  were run-out. Lasith Malinga  (2/16), Pragyan Ojha(2/17) and Kieron Pollard (2/15) all got vital breakthroughs.
Mumbai Indians got the breakthrough in the very first over when Faf du Plessis (3) failed to beat Ambati Rayudu's direct throw after Murali Vijay tapped the ball to extra-cover for a quick single.
Vijay, who has had an indifferent first-class season was not in his element as he failed to clear the field. As he was getting bogged down, left-arm seamer James Franklin's clever change of pace did the trick.
The Tamil Nadu opener couldn't connect what has been a trademark flicked six over deep mid-wicket over the years.
Instead, rival skipper Harbhajan standing at the 30-yard circle gobbled of an easy catch. Vijay could muster only 10 runs off 17 balls.
Suresh Raina one of the biggest star in this format started well. Raina effortlessly lifted pacer Abu Nechim Ahmed over long-off for a six. He also hit a couple of boundaries on his way to 36 before Ojha sent him back into the dug-out.
As strokemaking looked difficult, Raina tried to give Ojha the charge but couldn't get the elevation and was caught out in the sweeper-cover region where Lasith Malinga was stationed.
None of the batsmen barring Raina got going and when skipper Dhoni was run-out, the chance to put up a decent total was also over.

Disgraced Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Aamer


Disgraced Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Aamer has appeared in an official video from the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit of the International Cricket Council warning players of the dangers of corruption. The five minute video has been posted on the official ICC website. Highly-rated 19-year-old left-arm paceman Aamer was released from a UK jail in February after serving half of a six-month sentence for his part in the spot-fixing scandal during the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan in 2010. His former teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif are serving sentences of 30 and 12 months respectively, handed down by a British court in November, after the trio were found guilty of corruption and receiving illegal money. The ICC also banned all three players, with Aamer receiving the minimum five-year punishment after he was found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls as part of a plan orchestrated by Butt and agent Mazhar Majeed, also now serving a jail sentence. Last month Aamer gave a broadcast interview in Urdu to ex-England captain Michael Atherton where he said former Pakistan skipper Butt had betrayed their friendship by luring him into the scandal. However, in the ACSU video Aamer, speaking in clear English, made no specific references to other cricketers but instead issued a general warning. “Prison is a bad place for everyone,” he said. “Don’t make the mistakes which I did. I was stupid I didn’t tell anybody because I didn’t have coverage…If someone comes to you go straight to team management and ICC team.” Aamer said his “life had been ruined “ in a couple of hours as a result of being put under pressure by senior players to deliberately bowl no-balls at Lord’s although he accepted his mistake. “I always knew this was cheating at cricket but I was under pressure but I accept my mistake,” he added. “When I was in ICC hearing, I knew I was totally embarrassed. I wanted to tell the truth but I didn’t have courage…When the police put me in handcuffs I was literally crying.” There is no suggestion Aamer’s participation in the ACSU video will lead to a reduction of his ban, which was imposed by an independent disciplinary tribunal. But it can be seen as part of the “rehabilitation” that outgoing ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said the bowler should undertake while banned. “I would prefer that the starting point should not be about whether we (ICC) could reduce the sentence,” Lorgat said last month.

India blocked the visit to Pakistan


Pakistan expressed disappointment Wednesday after India refused to take part in a field hockey event that organisers hoped could revive sporting ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan Hockey Federation secretary Asif Bajwa said the board was informed that the government in New Delhi had blocked the visit. "It is very disappointing that India... has refused to send their team, terming the current situation not conducive for the tour," Bajwa told AFP. The Federation had hoped India s participation alongside Pakistan and Malaysia at the event in the eastern city of Lahore from April 9-13 could be a first step towards reviving a bilateral hockey series, last held in 2006. India suspended all bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan after Islamist gunmen attacked Mumbai in November 2008, killing 166 people. New Delhi blamed the attacks on Pakistani militants. Violence-hit Pakistan was then stripped of its World Cup 2011 co-hosting rights after gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March 2009. "We had made top-level security arrangements for the event and had thought that the event will give a new fillip to Indo-Pak hockey as both countries are also (participating) in London Olympics 2012, but everything is spoiled," said Bajwa.