Game 1 -- Qualifier, 1st Leg 00 Valencia v 76 St Etienne The first half was all Valencia as St Etienne seemed a step behind. Val dominated possession--St Et couldn't get out of their own half until 20+ minutes in--and St Et ran up a whopping 13-2 lead on fouls in the half. Curkovic was huge in goal for St Et and Val couldn't capitolize on the opportunities until 39' when Lopez was taken down outside the PA after a long GK. Mendieta took the FK and put it around the wall and into the goal. 1-0 Things got worse for St Et early in the second half when Piazza chopped down Mendieta and received a straight red card (he was one of 3 St Et players booked in the first half). Mendieta got another FK opportunity at 59' but sent this one was easily handled by Curkovic. Curkovic sent sent the resulting kick long to Rapellini to spark a counter. Rapellini found Rocheteau 20 yards out and a one time shot found the back of the net. 1-1! Valencia kept up the pressure but St Et managed to find opportunities and frustrated the Spaniards until 84 minutes in. A high ball into the box found Lopez and his header put Valencia ahead for good, 2-1. Final: 00 Valencia 2 (Mendieta 39, Lopez 84) 76 St Etienne 1 (Rocheteau 60) Suspended next game: Piazza, St Et -------- Game 2 -- Round 1, Group 4 73 Juventus - 67 Celtic This game ended 0-0 but was an exciting affair as both teams found chances and sent in 30 shots (19-11 with Celtic on top). Celtic's physical play and work rate gave them the advantage early and Altafini was replaced at 16' and Capello was slightly hurt at 29'. Juve's best chance came at the 38 minute mark when a Bettega header following a corner was barely saved by Simpson. Johnstone appeared to be put through after a long ball from Auld at 88' but an offside call ended the chance. Final: 73 Juventus 0 67 Celtic 0 -------- Game 3 -- Qualifier, 1st Leg 90 Napoli v 69 Leeds United This looked to be a matchup of Napoli and their superstar Diego Maradona against a workman like and tough defending Leeds. Maradona had the first chance 3' in. His long shot was deflected but Leeds could not clear and two minutes later Maradona pounced on a loose ball in the area and fired the ball on goal. Hunter managed to bump him as he shot and the ball hit the post. Leeds got the next chance when Giles came out of nowhere to force a corner. The first corner led to a second and Bremner's in swinger found Lorimer, who nodded the ball down and past Guliano. 0-1 Leeds. Leeds dropped back to defend and disaster struck for Napoli 18 minutes in when a crunching tackle by Reaney put Diego out of the game and the next as well. But the Italians kept at it and got two back before half time. At 29', a Carnevale flick made it inside the post. Leeds looked for offside and replays supported them but the linesman kept the flag down and the game was even. And, at 44', another goal off a corner, this time by Crippa, and Napoli went up 2-1. Leeds apparently had an inspiring talk at half time as they came out on fire. A quick passing game kept the ball in the Napoli end and four minutes into the half a Lorimer found space in the area after a corner was poorly cleared, turned, shot, 2-2. At 55', Lorimer took a free kick and found Jones who put the ball past the keeper to put Leeds up 2-3. Another free kick, this time by O'Grady resulted in the third Leeds goal in a 15 minute span and gave Leeds a two goal lead and the appearance of having the match sown up. Napoli wasn't done, though, and Careca forced another corner at 72'. Another corner, another goal for Carnevale. 3-4. At 80', Crippa slipped the ball through the packed in Leeds defense. Leeds again looked for an offside that wasn't called as Mauro put a shot on goal, but it just skimmed the outside of the post. Napoli was spent after that and the game ended with Leeds victorious. Final: 90 Napoli 3 (Carnevale 29, 72, Crippa 44) 69 Leeds United (Lorimer 14, 49, Jones 55, O'Grady 64) Injured next game: Maradona, Napoli -------- Game 4 -- Round 1, Group 11 61 Tottenham Hotspur - 92 Barcelona Setting this one up these teams looked to have about the weakest defenses that I've played with. And just to prove the point 3' in, I rolled a 6-00 and Allen gets a steal and goal to put Spurs up early. Barca's day got worse at the 9' mark when Laudrup committed an ugly foul and was sent off. Things were slow until 27'. A Tottenham corner headed down by Smith caught Zubizaretta out of position and Koeman failed to clear it making it 2-0. The score didn't last long. A minute later Koeman redeemed himself and blasted a free kick into the net, 2-1. It stayed that way until stoppage time when Smith eluded his mark in the PA and put a Blanchflower cross into the net. 3-1. Once again, Barca answered back quickly. With the referee checking his watch, Serna crossed to Stoikov and his header made it 3-2. The goal barrage continued in the second half. One minute in, Allen tried to prove his early goal was no fluke as he made another steal and ran in to score (rolled 6-00 again). It looked like a rout at 58' when White scored from close in. Things looked bleak for Barca down a man and 5-2, but they kept battling and withing 3 minutes had made it 5-4. First Stoikov scored his second, this coming off an indirect free kick. Then, Koeman made his own long run and goal (X result). Barca had stayed in the game despite some shaky moments and being a man down but now Spurs finally managed to pack it in and play some defense and run out the clock for the win. Another wild game as I seem to have a knack for rolling up the goal scoring results. I actually rolled a third 6-00, this time for Spurs though and Stoikov couldn't convert. Final: 61 Tottehnam 5 (Allen 3, 46, Smith 27, 45, White 58) 92 Barcelona 4 (Koeman 28, 61, Stoikov 45, 60) Suspended next game: Ludrup, Barcelona -------- Game 5 -- Qualifier, 1st Leg 91 Sampdoria v 02 Arsenal The game started slowly with neither team able to create good opportunities. Midway through the first half, Arsenal began to take over and dominated play for the remainder of the half. Their strong play was rewarded in the 39th minute when Pires took the ball up the right side then played it back into the area to Henry. Henry eluded his mark and shot past Pagliuca to make it 1-0. The first half had been very physical and the second was as well. One minute into the half a hard tackle by Lauren left Lombardo limping. He stayed in the game and proved to be a liability, unable to keep possession when he had the ball. Arsenal continued to have the run of play and went up 2-0 when Wiltord scored at the 55 minute mark. Sampdoria pressed and Vialli had several chances in the second half but they were unable to break down the defense. In stoppage time, Dossena received his second yellow card and the ninth handed out in the game. Final: 91 Sampdoria 0 - 02 Arsenal 2 (Henry 39, Wiltord 55) Suspended next game: Dossena, Sampdoria -------- Game 6 -- Round 1, Group 8 71 Arsenal - 48 Torino I've been reading Nick Hornby's book "Fever Pitch", so I felt the need to play with the 71 Arsenal team. They have an amazing defense and their defense was definitely the story of this game. Torino were definitely not on form in the first half and they could never develop any attacks. Kennedy put Arsenal up at 15' when a defense error by Loik let him in. Loik tried to make up for the lapse with a run at 34' but shot wide. Kennedy scored again at 34' and Arsenal led 2-0 at the half. Torino had a few chances in the second half but could never score. Arsenal held possession through the half and iced it at 86' with a Storey header off a corner. Torino managed only 7 shots (on goal or not) in what was a largely uneventful game. Final: 71 Arsenal 3 - 48 Torino 0 (Kennedy 15, 36, Storey 86) --------- Game 7 -- Qualifier, 1st Leg 87 Everton v 81 Real Madrid This was an interesting match up of two hard working teams. The action started early when Watson sent a long ball to Sheedy. The Everton forward beat a defender and slotted the ball past the keeper to put the English team up 1-0. Everton continued to have the run of play early in the first half but could not convert any chances. Twenty minutes in, Sharp took down Garcia Navajas from behind with what the referee deemed was too harsh a tackle. The ref then brought howls of protest from the players and the home fans when he sent Sharp off. Now up a goal, but down a man, Everton looked to play defense and Madrid went on the attack. The crowd's opinion of the referee didn't improve when, in the 34th minute, Juanito took down Harper. The referee saw it as a clean tackle. Harper however had to go off and will miss the next 4 matches. Fortunately for Everton, they have a strong bench and Stevens played well as a replacement. Real came out in the second half pushing for the equalizer. Everton bunkered in and held them off. Madrid's frustration showed at 59 when Del Bosque received a yellow card. He argued too much and was sent off. Now 10 on 10, the Everton defense had an easier job and Madrid got more and more desperate. Their best chances came at 81' when Juanito, Stielike, and Juanito put in successive shots, all saved by Southall and at 88' when Juanito hit the post. Everton also got chances in the second half, with Sheedy hitting the bar twice. They broke through in the 90th minute when a Wilkinson cross found Heath and he put it in and ice the victory. Final: 87 Everton 2 (Sheedy 2, Heath 90) - 81 Real Madrid 0 Suspended next game: Sharp, Everton; Del Bosque, Real Madrid Injured next game: Stevens, Everton -------- Game 8 -- Qualifier, 2nd Leg 69 Leeds v 90 Napoli Napoli travelled to Elland Road down 4-3 on aggregate and with superstar Maradona in street clothes due to injury. They needed to push forward and score, but could never got on track. The referee showed his intention to control the game with a yellow card to Cooper in the first minute of play. Carnevale took the resulting kick, but sent it over the bar. Leeds settled down to control the game for the rest of the half, continually pressuring the Napoli goal and not allowing much for the Italians. Lorimer netted the only goal of the half at 23' to put Napoli in an even deeper hole. The Italian side didn't even seem to show up for the second half, not even getting a shot off until the 86th minute. Leeds continued to keep the ball in the Napoli half and O'Grady poked in a loose ball at 85' for the second and final goal of the game. So, 90 Napoli is the first team eliminated from my tournament and 69 Leeds advance to Group 7 where they will play 61 Benfica and 31 Arsenal. Final: 69 Leeds 2 (Lorimer 23, O'Grady 85) - 90 Napoli 0 69 Leeds wins 6-3 on aggregate -------- Game 9 -- Round 1, Group 9 87 Bayern Munich - 52 Barcelona The early going was all Bayern. A defensive lapse set up a corner at 10' and Matthaus found an unmarked Pfluger to put the German side up 1-0. They made it 2-0 seven minutes later when Matthaus picked out Rummenigge on a free kick. Only three minutes later Matthaus scored off a cross from Kogl. Twenty minutes in, 3-0. Up to this point, Barca had had very little opportunity. They began getting more chances as Bayern settled back to play defense and the Spanish side got a momentum boost when Rodriguez scored off a free kick right before the half. They nearly made it 3-2 as Kubala broke away for a length of field run but Pfaff came up big in the German goal to block the 1-on-1 shot. In the second half, Bayern weren't content to play defense and made it 4-1 when Matthuas picked out Pfluger again off another corner. Barca replied four minutes later--another Kubala breakaway set up a corner and Biosca scored. It looked like it would finish 4-2 as Barca pressed forward but were unable to get anything going against the Bayern defense. A lapse at the back gave Barca an opening and Kubala made them pay. Barca had one last chance in stoppage time, but couldn't convert and Bayern hold on for the win. Final: 87 Bayern Munich 4 - 52 Barcelona 3 (Pfluger 10, 50, Rummenigge 17, Matthaus 20) - (Rodriguez 44, Biosca 54, Kubala 82) -------- Game 10 - Qualifier, Second Leg 02 Arsenal v 91 Sampdoria The first leg of this qualifier was all Arsenal, as they ran rings around Sampdoria and won 2-0 in a physical match. They had some bad news for this game as Seaman and Ljungberg were both unavailable (Taylor in goal). But, with this second leg at Highbury, it looked like a formality for the Gunners. And the first half ran to form for the most part. Pires scored at the 14' mark off a workrate pass from Vieira. Sampdoria finally showed some life one minute from half time when Internizzi crashed one off the cross bar. The rebound came to Vialli, but Taylor pushed his shot wide. In first half stoppage time, an Henry free kick found Pires wide open (90% chance) but Pagliuca got a fingertip to it to keep it 1-0. Arsenal was now up 3-0 on aggregate and were coasting. The second half started dramatically with brutal foul by Lauren on Internizzi seeing both players leave the game--Lauren due to red card and Internizzi due to injury. Now Sampdoria began to play well and maintain possession. Taylor saved a Mancini shot at 58', but 3 minutes later Branca beat Adams and found Vialli in the PA. Vialli turned and blasted a shot past Taylor to put the Italians on the board. Arsenal collapsed into a shell and held off the Italians until late. At 85' Mancini tried to create something with a clear dive in the box but the ref didn't buy it and waved play on. Two minutes later Vierchowod was fouled. It was well out from goal, but Vialli took a direct shot and found the corner of the net to make it 1-2, 3-2 on aggregate. With one minute left in regulation Branca again beat Adams and passed to Vialli in the area as he had to set up the first goal. This time Taylor was in position to make the save and keep Aresnal on top. Arsenal found some life in stoppage time and forced a corner kick but Henry's header was handled by Pagliuca. Knowing time was nearly out, the Italian keeper sent a long ball the length of the field. It somehow found Branca who attempted a pass to Mancini in the area. Keown was there for the interception and saw the referee look at his watch and put the whistle in his mouth. But before Keown could clear it, Vialli stole the ball and poked a shot past a diving Taylor and into the net! 3-3! After being down two goals with only 3 minutes remaining in regulation, the Italians side pulled it out and advance in the most dramatic match of this tournament so far. Final: 02 Arsenal 1 - 91 Sampdoria 3 (Pires 14) - (Vialli 61, 87, 90) 91 Sampdoria wins the qualifier 3-2 on away goals (3-3 on aggregate) ----------------- Game 11 - Qualifier, Second Leg 81 Real Madrid v 87 Everton Hope y'all had a great holiday season. After seasonal distractions and a couple of new games to entice me, I'm back working on this tournament. The first leg of this qualifier, at Goodison Park, ended with a 2-0 Everton win. So, Real need to score goals and Everton need defense. Both teams are depleted with Sharp (Everton) and Del Bosque (Real) serving red card suspensions. Everton is also without Harper, who suffered an injury in the first leg, and the English squad have second choice keeper Mimms in goal. The opening minutes were controlled by Everton, but, in the 17th minute, Real showed that they could score goals. Pineda sent a cross in from the right and found Juanito who put it past Mimms for an early lead. Three minutes later, Real made it 2-0 as Stielike burned the defense. With the aggregate score even, Everton came out to look for goals and were rewarded with a penalty kick in the 23rd minute after Harper was fouled in the box on a corner kick. Sheedy stepped up to take the penalty and drove it past the Real keeper to put Everton on the board and give them a decisive away goal. The half ended 2-1 with little more excitement. Everton's troubles with injuries got worse as Wilkinson and Reid both had to be replaced. Real made it 3-1 at 62' mark when Juanito scored his second after a long run. The Everton defense stiffened after that and Real never got another good chance. Final: 81 Real Madrid 3 - 87 Everton 1 (Juanito 17, 62, Stielike 20) - (Sheedy 23 pk) 87 Everton wins the qualifier 1-0 on away goals (3-3 on aggregate) Injured next game: Harper, Reid (Everton) --------------- Game 12 - Qualifier, Second Leg 76 St. Etienne v 00 Valencia In the first leg of this matchup, Valencia dominated possession and came away with a 2-1 victory. The match was also a rough affair with 5 yellow cards and 1 red card, the latter forcing St Etienne defender Piazza to miss this game. The clubs traded chances early with St Etienne having the slightly better run of play. The first goal came in the 32nd minute when Larque scored off a corner kick for the home side. With the away goal from the first match, this put the Frenchmen on top in the qualifier and Valencia had to push forward. The half ended with an amazing sequence as French star Dominique Rocheteau blasted a long shot into goal in stoppage time. In the 54th minute, Bathenay's work rate set up Rocheteau for his second goal. The aggregate scoreline was now 4-2 for St Etienne and I started reviewing the new Slow Down Tempo chart. Fifteen minutes later though, Valencia finally broke through as Lopez got a great chance and made it count. Another goal for Valencia and they would be advancing on away goals. St Etienne had a definite work rate advantage and it became a factor as they forced a corner at 73'. Revelli was left unmarked and he headed the ball into goal. But, Valencia wouldn't go away and Lopez got his second in the 82nd minute. Well aware the recent failure of 02 Arsenal to hold onto a lead, St Etienne played the ball long at every opportunity and kept the ball away from the danger area. The French side put the game away and Rocheteau completed his hat trick when he put a direct free kick in the back of the goal in the 88th minute. Final: 76 St Etienne 5 - 00 Valencia 2 (Larque 32, Rocheteau 45, 54, 88, Revelli 73) - (Lopez 69, 82) 76 St Etienne wins the qualifier 6-4 on aggregate This was the final qualifier. 76 St Etienne joins 87 Everton, 69 Leeds, and 91 Sampdoria in advancing to the first round. btw, of the 7 goals in this game, 3 came from X charts, 1 from a dfk set up by an X chart, 1 from rolling a 01 on the work rate chart, and the other 3 off corner kicks. -------- Game 13 -- Group 12 47 River Plate - 62 AC Milan River is the first South American side to see action in this tournament, they feature potent scoring threats with Alfredo Di Stefano and Angel Labruna as forwards. River will host a Milan side that won the Italian league and went on to win the European Cup in 1963. Pre-match rolls favored Milan as Labruna was unavailable to River. Milan got off to a perfect start. The opening kickoff went to Sani down the left flank and he crossed beautifully to Altafini who put Milan up 50 seconds into the match. After that start, Milan went on the defensive but got too aggressive and Trapattoni was red carded 12 minutes in for a brutal foul on Reyes. Di Stefano put the resulting free kick on target but Ghezzi came up with the save. More bad news for Milan 28 minutes in, when Donava was fouled and forced to leave. River began to exploit their man advantage as the half progressed, but couldn't convert until stoppage time when a thru ball from Rossi found Di Stefano in the area. Di Stefano had been off form through the half and put a weak shot at Ghezzi. Perhaps expecting more, the Milan keeper spilled the shot back to Di Stefano who didn't miss the second time. 1-1 at the half. Milan had the chances early in the second half and went back in front when Altafini scored in the 62nd minute, heading in a Rivera free kick. River evened the score in the 71st minute, as Rodriguez scored off another thru ball, this one coming from Di Stefano. The game continued to be rough and River defender Ferreira garnered a straight red for a tackle on Altafini 5 minutes later. River continued to find space, though, and, a few minutes later, Reyes picked out Di Stefano in the box and the Argentine star scored his second to put River up 3-2. That was all the scoring, but the fouling continued and Milan sub Pivatelli was knocked out of the game in the 89th minute, forcing Milan to finish with 9 men. Final: 47 River Plate 3 - 62 AC Milan 2 (Di Stefano 45, 78, F. Rodriguez 71) - (Altafini 1, 62) Injured next game: Danova, Pivatelli, Milan Suspended next game: Ferriera, River; Trapattoni, Milan -------- Game 14 -- Group 1 54 Wolverhampton Wolves - 91 Red Star Belgrade This was primarily a midfield battle without a lot of action. Wolves had the run of play for most of this match, but Red Star got the first break. 12 minutes in, Pancev was fouled 30 yards out. He took the free kick and put Red Star in front. Wolves generated a number of chances throughout the first half, but couldn't put the ball in the net. This theme continued in the second half, as Wolves kept the ball in the Red Star end, but Stojanovic kept a clean sheet for the Yugoslavian team. The game was 1-0 until 71', when the Red Star counterattack paid off and Pancev scored off a pass from Prosnecki. Red Star bunkered in after that and held on for the 2-0 win. Final: 54 Wolverhamtpon 0 - 91 Red Star Belgrade 2 (Pancev 12, 71) -------- Game 15 -- Group 2 76 St. Etienne - 84 Juventus After 3 months of distractions, I finally got around to another game. St. Etienne came through qualifiers, but have a well rounded team and could give Juve some troubles. They did get pre-match bad news as Ravelli was unavailable. Juve got on the board first, though, in the 6th minute. After being fouled 25 yards out, Platini stepped up and drove the dfk into the back of the net. Both sides got chances as the first half progressed but neither could convert. Etienne pushed forward looking for a goal but were kept out until the closing minutes of the half when Santini was fouled in the box on a corner kick. Rocheteau stepped up to take the resulting PK and drove it past Tacconi to even the score. The second half was rather dull with neither team able to generate many chances. In the 84th minute, Etienne's midfield workhourse, Bathenay, received his second yellow. Even with the man advantage, Juve failed to get a shot off and seemed content with the draw. Final: 76 St. Etienne 1 - 84 Juventus 1 (Rocheteau 45 pk) - (Platini 6) Suspended next game: Bathenay (St Etienne) -------- Game 16 -- Group 5 77 Borussia Moenchengladbach - 51 AC Milan After a couple of fairly tame matches, I was due a wild and woolly result and got it. The clubs went back and forth in the opening minutes but Gladbach got on the board first with Hannes scoring off a corner kick in the 28th minute. Four minutes later, Simonson made it 2-0 with a blast from 23 yards out. The onslaught continued as Wittkamp stole a pass right after the ensuing kickoff, Gladbach moved it upfield, Bonhof found Heynckes in the box and his shot beat Buffon to make it 3-0, 34 minutes into the game. In the 39th minute, it got worse for Milan. With the Italian side pushed forward, Bonhof found Heynckes with a through ball, Heynckes beat the trap and had a clear run on goal. A touch past the keeper and it's 4-0. It went to the half that way, but Milan got a ray of hope when Gladbach winger Stielike received a straight red card in the 45th minute. The second half started badly for Gladback as well. One minute in, midfielders Wohlers (BMG) and Liedholm (Milan) crack heads for a 50-50 ball. Liedholm is fine, but Wohlers goes off with a concussion and will miss the next match. Milan came out attacking in the second half and the pressure paid off in the 64th minute when Nordahl got one back off a corner kick. Seven minutes later, Nordahl scored again off a free kick. 4-2. The Germans really started to sweat it after the 84th minute. Another Milan corner and it was 4-3 with Santagostino scoring. It looked like it was stay 4-3 as stoppage time wound down, but the ref allowed one last push and a perfect cross from Liedholm found Annovazzi in the box and his header left the keeper with no chance [rolled a '01']. In an amazing comeback, Milan score 4 second half goals to force a draw. Possession favored Milan throughout the half and they were able to take advantage of the extra player. Final: 77 Borussia Moenchengladbach 4 - 51 AC Milan 4 (Hannes 28, Simonson 32, Heynckes 34, 39) - (Nordahl 64, 71, Sanagostino 84, Annovazzi 90) Suspended next game: Stielike (BMG) Injured next game: Wohlers (BMG) -------- Game 17 -- Group 6 91 Sampdoria - 52 Honved Sampdoria come into the match with top defender Pietro Vierchowod suspended after the qualifers. Against the scoring might of Kocsis and Puskus they decide to pack it in hope to counterattack. Early on it doesn't look to be enough as Puskus is brought down in the box by Lanna. Kocsis takes the kick and leaves Pagliuca no chance. 1-0 ten minutes in. Honved continue to control things and the Italians look overmatched and pick up two quick yellow cards. But the key foul occurs at the other end. It leads to a 35 yard free kick for Mancini and his kick brushes the bottom of the crossbar and goes in to tie the game. That seems to settle the Sampdoria defense and they shut out the Hungarians the rest of the half. Honved gets chances, but they fall to the supporting cast, not the two attacking stars. In the 50th minute, Mancini again lines up a free kick, but Grosics denies him and touches the ball over. Thirteen minutes later, at the other, Kocsis lines one up. Pagliuca keeps the shot and pushes the Czibor follow up over for a corner. The rest of the half is played in midfield as neither team can muster much of a chance and it ends 1-1. Final: 91 Sampdoria 1 - 52 Honved 1 (Mancini 18) - (Kocsis 10 pk) Suspended next game: Lanna (Samp) - 2 Yellow cards -------- Game 18 - Group 10 87 Everton v 86 Steaua Buccaresti A couple of years ago when I was just getting interested in world soccer, I picked up a copy of the computer game FIFA 2000 in the bargain bin because it advertised a bunch of historic teams. Well, it's not really much of a replay game (more an arcade game) but I ran a couple of tournaments and a regular top finisher was the 86 Steaua side. So, I was curious to see how they would do on the tabletop. They were Euro champs in 86 and runners up in 89 but don't look that impressive on the team sheet. They're very balanced, good on offense and defense, but not great in either. Everton were English champs in 87 but didn't play in Europe because of the post-Heysel ban on English sides. They have a very strong defense, particularly in goal with Neville Southall. Kevin Sheedy provides a decent scoring threat, but they're pretty limited offensively. They are a bit injury prone and have two regulars missing after their qualifer with 81 Real Madrid. Both teams started conservatively and the game was sloppy early with neither team able to create many chances. 23 minutes in Sheedy beat the offside trap and slid the ball past keeper Ducadam to put Everton up 1-0. A steal by Steven (6-00 roll) nearly made it 2-0 at the 35' mark, but the Steaua defense held for a corner. At 43', Steaua defender Belododici went in hard on Ratcliffe and received a straight red card. That was a real problem for Steaua since they have no defenders on the bench. Ratcliffe stayed on despite a slight injury. Steaua packed it in the rest of the half but really needed to come away with a draw so came out looking for the equalizer in the second half. Nevertheless, Everton had the run of play and kept the ball for the first 20 minutes. 66 minutes in, Steaua's luck changed and the 4-3-1-2 paid off. Balint found Piturca in the box and he one timed it into the back of the net. Steaua had made it 1-1 despite being a man down. Now they packed it in and played for the draw. It looked like they would pull it off as Everton's chances dried up until the 83rd minute when an indirect free kick lead to their second goal. Sheedy took the kick and nearly rolled a Great Chance, instead he set up Clarke who scored anyway. Three minutes later it was 3-1. A goal kick lead to a breakaway for Sheedy and a dfk. Heath blasted the kick into the net and put the game away. Final: 87 Everton 3 - 86 Steaua Buccaresti 1 (Sheedy 23, Clarke 83, Heath 86) - (Piturca 66) Suspended next game: Ratcliffe (Everton) - 2 yc, Belododici (Steaua) Injured next game: Harper, Sharp (Everton) -------- Game 19 - Group 7 69 Leeds v 61 Benfica I'm trying to get back to playing some games. I actually played this in September and it's been sitting around ever since. This is a matchup of workhorse and definsive Leeds against the European champs from the year before Eusebio debuted. Leeds have several players on yellow cards after the qualifiers but no injury problems. The first half ended scoreless with the best chance coming in the 32nd minute when O'Grady had to clear an Augusto shot that found Leeds keeper Sprake out of position. Augusto had another chance 6 minutes later when he broke through the defense but his shot sailed into the stands. Things turned sour for Leeds in the second half. Top attacker Mick Jones was fouled and knocked out of this game and the next one in the 58th minute. Then, Augusto came through with the game's first goal in the 64th minute. It got worse in the 78th minute when Madelay's clearance of an Aguas cross found the back of his own net. 2-0 Benfica. Leeds were able to pull one back in the 84th minute when Bremner created a through ball and Lorimer scored. In the 90th minute, Leeds' sub Hibbitt went down in the box going after an O'Grady pass but no call was made. Final: 69 Leeds 1 - 61 Benfica 2 (Augusto 64, Madelay OG 78) - (Lorimer 84) Suspended next game: Bremner, Madelay (Leeds) Injured next game: Jones (Leeds) -------- Game 20 - Group 3 39 Everton v 01 Bayern Munich Bayern travel to Goodison Park to take on the prewar English Champs. In 2001, Bayern were German champs for the third time as well as winners of the Champions League. They are strong defensively but can struggle to score goals (using the club ratings). Everton feature Tommy Lawton as their big star. The rest of the team is solid but unspectacular. The first half was a physical affair with the first yellow card coming 2 minutes in. The first real chance came three minutes later when Bayern got a dfk. It was at the edge of shooting range, but Elber put a bullet in the top corner and Bayern were up 1-0. The rest of the half was uneventful as the rough German defense kept Everton from getting on track. Sagnol did an good job marking Lawton and denying him the ball. The Everton frustration started to show late with two bookings before half time. Things went downhill for Everton as the second half began. At 51', top defender Mercer went in for a challenge on Andersson, but it was late and violent and Mercer was gone with a straight red card. Everton went to nine men seven minutes later. Midfield workhorse Thomson fouled Scholl and again the ref thought it was too violent and sent him to the showers. It looked bad for the English side but the Bayern defense seemed to relax and the Everton forwards started finding Lawton with some space. Winger Boyes in particular was in good form. 70 minutes in, a lazy pass in the back, a steal by Boyes, and Lawton had made it 1-1. Happy to settle for 1-1, Everton went defensive, while Bayern pushed up. But now it was Bayern who couldn't put it together and even with the two man advantage they couldn't create opportunities. Everton continued to play well and got rewarded at 84' when Gillick was pulled down in the box. Lawton stepped up for the penalty, Kahn guessed correctly but to no avail, 2-1 Everton. The stunned Germans tried desperately to pull even but Everton hung on for the win. Final: 39 Everton 2 - 01 Bayern Munich 1 (Lawton 70, 84 pk) - (Elber 5) Suspended next game: Mercer, Thomson (Everton) -------- Game 21 -- Group 9 52 Barcelona v 82 Aston Villa I expected Barca to be the giant of this group, but in their opening match they were upset by 87 Bayern, 4-3. So, this is game they must win to have any chance of advancing. Their opponent is 82 Aston Villa, European champions that year despite an eleventh place finish in the league. Villa bring a strong defense, especially with Jimmy Rimmer in goal, but not much offensive punch. The game began dramatically with a goal almost off the opening kick, as Barca star Ladisalo Kubala found space just outside the Villa penalty area and blasted the ball past a flat-footed Rimmer to make it 1-0 Barca just 40 seconds into the match. Barca continued to dominate things early and, 23 minutes into the half, Cesar Rodriguez blasted a nearly identical shot to make it 2-0. Things got worse for Villa just before the half with defender Gary Williams going down injured. After the exciting opening, the second half turned into a desultory affair with neither side able to maintain possession and few chances being created. Villa looked particularly outclassed, unable to get a shot off until the 49th minute. They did pull one back on a dfk in the 61st minute, but it wasn't enough as neither team could muster another goal in a disappointing second half. Final: 52 Barcelona 2 - 82 Aston Villa 1 (Kubala 1, Cesar 26) - (White 61) Injured next game: Williams (Aston Villa) -------- Game 22 -- Group 9 82 Aston Villa v 87 Bayern Munich The deciding match for Group 9 see the German champs head to Villa Park needing only a draw to advance. Aston Villa must win by 2 goals to advance. That seemed a long shot for Villa but they are aided by a stright red card to Eder in the 16th minute. It doesn't seem to help as the run of play is all to the Germans and Rumenigge gives them the lead in the 31st minute. The second half opens with the Germans playing defensively and shutting the game down. Neither team can create chances until the Munich side begin to tire in the last 20 minutes. Villa finally breaks through in stoppage time through substitute Donovan but it's not enough as Bayern holds on for the draw. Final: 82 Aston Villa 1 - 87 Bayern Munich 1 (Donovan 90) - (Ruminigge 31) Suspended next game: Eder (Bayern) --------- Game 23 -- Group 4 97 Borussia Dortmund v 73 Juventus Juventus opened the group stage of the tournament with the tournament's only scoreless match against Celtic. The dice were with them today as they managed to convert early and often. Altafini opened the scoring for Juve heading in a corner in 9th minute. Causio made it 0-2 with a cheeky chip over the keeper in the 22nd minute. 4 minutes later, Anastasi was tripped in the box and Causio slotted the penalty. Dortmund generated chances but were unable to finish until Chapuisat headed in a Kohler cross in the 64th minute. The home team continued to pile on the pressure and Reidle looked sure to score in the 74th minute only to see Zoff make a brilliant save. Five minutes later it was Reidle again but he could only hit the post. That was the end of Dortmund's chances as Juve closed out the match and put themselves in a good position to advance. Final: 97 Borussia Dortmund 1 - 73 Juventus 3 (Chapuisat 64) - (Altafini 9, Causio 22, 26 pk) -------- Game 24 -- Group 8 48 Torino v 87 Porto Torino try to bounce back from a 3-0 thumping at 71 Arsenal in the first group match. They'll need a big win to have a chance of advancing. The early luck goes their way as Mlynarczyk will be in goal for Porto. Porto had early chances as the formation and X charts favored them but the opening goal went to Torino 13 minutes in. Mazzola put a free kick into the top corner--the kick was from well out but he couldn't have struck it better. The rest of the half went back and forth until a 6-00 result led to a Torino corner kick and a Menti goal to make it 2-0 in injury time. A great run from Loik, 3 minutes into the second half, made it 3-0 and Porto started to look out of their depth. Fifteen minutes later a wild 10 minutes began. First, Gabetto came up with a loose ball in the box and made it 4-0. Two minutes after that Gomes managed to get Porto on the board, 4-1. Six minutes later, another free kick and another Mazzola goal--this one coming from a Loik free kick. Torino dominated possession the rest of the way but couldn't finish any of their chances and ran out 5-1 winners. Final: 48 Torino 5 - 87 Porto 1 (Mazzola 13, 88, Menti 45, Loik 48, Gabbeto 63) - (Gomes 65) -------- Game 25 -- Group 4 67 Celtic v 97 Borussia Dortmund The final game in group 4 is a matchup of European champions. Dortmund lost 3-1 to 73 Juventus and have no chance of advancing. Celtic need a big win to exceed Juve's goal difference. The first half was a rough, defensive affair that saw 4 yellow cards but no goals. The best chance came in the first minute--Dortmund took the kickoff and sliced through the Celtic defense, and Herlich hit the woodwork (...if only Reidle had been fit). The second half opened with another flurry, with Celtic winning an early penalty. It looked like Chalmers had slotted it but Klos managed to push it wide at the last moment. Celtic continued to apply pressure and, ten minutes later, Auld had another sure goal stolen by Klos. Celtic's switch to a 4-3-3 continued to pay off as they dominated the run of play and Chalmers finally found the back of the net at the 62' mark. Dortmund switched to a 4-3-3 as well and the play became wide open but that was the only scoring. Celtic can only manage a 1-0 win and so 73 Juventus go through to the next round. Final: 67 Celtic 1 (Chalmers 62) 97 Borussia Dortmund 0 -------- Game 26 -- Group 8 87 Porto v 71 Arsenal Arsenal come in to the final game in the group needing only a draw or a narrow loss after their opening 3-0 victory over 48 Torino. Porto lost 5-1 to Torino, so Porto must win big--a tough ask against Arsenal's strong defense. The first half was played in the midfield with few chances for either team. Porto, however, made use of their chances and got two goals from only four attempts. Fernando Gomes, Porto's main threat, scored both and Porto take a 2-0 lead into the half. Not only did they give up 2 goals, but after 30 minutes, Arsenal were a man down after George Armstrong was given a straight red card. Porto continued to be the team creating the chances in the second half. At the 55' mark, a Rabah Madjer shot skimmed the post, then he set up Gomes for a sure chance off a free kick only to see him miss (roll of 97 on a 90% great chance). Some luck finally goes Arsenal's way late in the half, when an X result had George Graham blast a shot in to make it 2-1. Porto won't quit, however, and Antonio Sousa scored a 1% shot in injury time. Graham's goal is the difference in the group. Arsenal and Torino end on 3 points with a +1 goal difference but the away goal puts Arsenal through to the next round. Final: 87 Porto 3 (Gomes 15, 37, Sousa 90) 71 Arsenal 1 (Graham 82)