On Tuesday night, the footballing world watched on fascinated as Spanish La Liga champions and self-proclaimed “greatest team in the world” Barcelona taught Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid side a lesson in how to play the game over two legs in the semi-final stages of the 2010/2011 Champions League, booking their place in the final of the tournament at Wembley Stadium in London on May 28th in the process.

Thankfully for neutrals, the game this week at the Nou Camp was a far more civilised affair than the first leg held in Madrid, with both teams perhaps taking notice of a few stern words from UEFA about how putting pressure on match referees, as both sides did in the first leg, will not be tolerated in future. With the first leg in Madrid ruined by the play-acting of Barcelona players, who clearly felt they had to dive in order to prove Madrid’s over-physical approach to the referee, and with accusations of racism emerging from the Barcelona camp in the fallout to the match action, it really was a massive relief to be able to focus solely upon the football.

After finishing the first leg of the tie with a 2-0 win away from home, Barcelona managed to progress in the second leg despite a late attacking push from Madrid, who many believe were ultimately let down in their efforts by manager Jose Mourinho getting his tactics badly wrong in the first leg and getting himself banned from the touchline for the subsequent match. Although Madrid ended up on the losing side, they can still claim not to have experienced the element of luck you need to succeed in football, with Gonzalo Higuain unfortunate to see a goal disallowed for a foul in the build-up that looked extremely soft.

After the final whistle, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola stated that reaching the Wembley final represented a massive career highlight for him on a personal level, since he won the Champions League trophy at the old Wembley with the famous old Barcelona side of 1992, with the Spanish giants then beating Sampdoria in the showpiece final. For Pep, a return to Wembley is the chance to prove that he is more than just a man blessed with some of the best players in the world and is in fact an integral part of Barcelona’s current success.

For Barcelona as a club, their appearance in this year’s Champions League final will be their third appearance in the European final in just six seasons, an astounding achievement that shows clearly how much the Spanish La Liga champions dominate the stage of European and global football, even though they don’t invest heavily in their squad in the way that Chelsea and Manchester City, and perhaps even Real Madrid, tend to do.

Although another trophy win is what many, even in England and elsewhere, is just what the Spaniards deserve after yet another season that has left neutrals dazzled with their displays of attacking skill and fluid passing football, Guardiola certainly won’t be taking anything for granted, the Barcelona boss revealing that “a match is decided by many uncontrollable things” and with their opponents in the final now confirmed as Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side, the Spaniards certainly won’t be able to grow complacent over the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid will have nothing left to do now but to rebuild and prepare for next season, with Mourinho probably hoping that he gets the chance to stay in his job over the summer, with the Madrid board notorious for their lack of patience. With Mourinho courting controversy left, right, and centre this season in the Spanish capital, could it be that next season he adopts a calmer approach and focuses upon life on the pitch?

Want to find out more about Champions League betting or just want to play casino? Head over to the Unibet site to see the latest odds or to check out the best casino spel tips.

Those involved with the Welsh national side have praised plans for a new national football training facility to be built at Newport International Sports Village, an imposing site that currently houses facilities for cricket and tennis, along with a velodrome.

The new facility will be worth a massive sum of 4.5 million, so the joint venture between the Welsh Football Trust, Football Association of Wales, and Newport City Council is certainly a significant financial undertaking, but those behind the plans and those likely to benefit from it in the future believe it is well worth it.

The centre, once it has been built and opened, will nurture and develop the quality in the Welsh women’s team, the under-21 squad, and younger age-group squads that contain players trying to break into the senior men’s team. The senior team isn’t being left out of the overall plans, though, with a new high-tech training facility set to be built for the senior players at the same location.

Current manager Gary Speed clearly believes that building the facility is a crucial step that needs to be taken for the Welsh to prove that they have their own footballing identity and are in fact able to step out of the shadow of their more illustrious neighbours England. With Welshmen known more for their ability at rugby rather than their skills on the football pitch, Premier League stars such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are part of a very select group representing the country in the top flight of football in the United Kingdom.

With Wales now left with no chance to qualify for the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament, and with the glaring difference in quality between Wales and England clear for all to see, it’s obvious that something needs to be done to evolve the footballing scene in the country. Whether this new facility is the right long-term solution for all involved does, however, remain to be seen.

Want to find out more about sport betting or gry hazardowe? Head over to the Unibet site today to find out the latest sport odds or to play jednoręki bandyta.

Its been a rough stretch of CFL football for the Toronto Argonauts, and they may have hit rock bottom on Friday night. The Argos entered the fourth quarter with a 25-14 lead but ended up on the wrong end of a 36-28 final score that ran their streak of futility at the Rogers Centre to nine games. It was also Toronto’s ninth consecutive loss to BC. BC improved to 3-4 with the victory, while Toronto’s record slipped to 2-5.

Lions head coach Wally Buono made no excuses for the victory:

“I’m not going to apologize for playing well in the second half. If we play any kind of football in the first half maybe we don’t have to do this. That’s football. Nobody asks you at the end of the day whether you stole a win, they ask you how many games did you win? The game is 60 minutes.”

Lions QB Jarious Jackson concurred:

“I don’t feel like we stole one at all. I feel like we went out and played like we should’ve played in the second half. Most of the first half we were trying to manage the game, trying to see what they were doing defensively. Offensively, you definitely want to manage the game until you know what the defence is going to call in some situations. It took us the first half but I think in the second half we kind of were able to predict what they were going to do and I think we did a good job of countering it.”

Toronto was generally pleased with the play of their replacement starting QB Cody Pickett. Pickett was named the starter after a dismal performance by Kerry Joseph the previous week against Montreal. Placekicker Justin Medlock also shined in defeat, tying a team record with 7 field goals. After the game, Pickett was less concerned about his performance than his teams struggles:

“It’s 20/20 that we needed to score another touchdown. Whatever we’re doing right now isn’t getting the job done.”

Argos head coach Bart Andrus was pleased with Picketts play in the losing cause:

“That was an ideal performance. Cody threw it well, was accurate and didn’t turn it over. The bottom line is we didn’t finish that one. When we do get it right for 60 minutes, it’s going to be a great thing.”

BC will welcome the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to Vancouver next Friday night. Toronto has a bye week, with the Calgary Stampeders providing the opposition on August 28th.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Liverpool supporters this week rejoiced as New England Sports Ventures (NESV), the owners of the Boston Red Sox, finalised their purchase of Liverpool Football Club. The 300 million sale eliminates the large acquisition debts that are owed by LFC, reducing their obligations from 25-30 million a year to just 2-3 million.

Former owners George Gillette and Tom Hicks took out a loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland to purchase the club in 2007 which has since caused a series of crises. The club had till 15 October this year to repay debts or face being taken as an asset by the bank. RBS’s position on the loan had deterred potential buyers from placing a formal bid and to make matters worse Hicks and Gillette refused to budge on their massive 800 million asking price for the club.

Hicks and Gillette attempted to block the RBS’s sale of the club to NESV by obtaining a restraining order from a Texas court, but this was lifted to allow the sale. As the process went on it became clear that the owners priority was to maximise returns for themselves. They fell out with independent members of the board whose aim was to secure the best deal for the long-term future of Liverpool FC. They will only receive a small amount of the sales proceeds due to the massive debts owed by the club. Hicks and Gillette have now announced their intentions to claim $1.6 billion in compensation.

Aside from the distasteful activities of Hicks and Gillette, NESV’s primary owner John W. Henry has promised fans that their beloved club will be returned to its full greatness. He is investigating improvements at the clubs ground Anfield or a potential move to a brand new stadium. Speaking positively about the future, he said that the clubs new owners are “committed first and foremost to winning” and are determined to get Liverpool out of the relegation zone.

It seems that the changes have not inspired Liverpool to victory just yet though, as in Sunday’s match against Everton in the Merseyside Derby they experienced a shattering defeat for the first time in 4 years. The season has not gone well for the club in general and they are currently in relegation for their awful performance at their last few matches. However, new manager Roy Hodgson hopes that the cloud will be lifted from Anfield and allow Liverpool to finally concentrate on the football.

Show your support for the team with a Liverpool Football Shirt and get playing football in Adidas Predators

Despite losing to the New Orleans Saints in their NFL preseason opener 17-7, the Cincinnati Bengals had a lot to be happy about. Most significantly, they were elated over the return of QB Carson Palmer after he’d missed most of the last NFL season with an elbow injury. Palmer’s play–133 yards on 7 of 11 passing–gave them even more to be happy about despite being on the wrong end of the final score. Of course Cincinnati has had very low standards for success lately, and it was more of a ‘silver lining in a dark cloud’ situation than anything else.

New Orleans had their share of offensive highlights, with QB Drew Brees hooking up with tight end Jeremy Shockey for three completions including Shockey’s first touchdown reception in a Saints uniform. It was a harbinger of things to come, as Shockey would later catch a touchdown pass in the Saints’ remarkable Superbowl victory over the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts. Many suggest that Bayou ‘root doctors’ have more to do with the win than the team’s actual play.

Saints fans were well aware that their QB would produce after hanging over 5,000 yards on the board last year, but Palmers return brought a sigh of relief from Bengal backers. Palmer missed 12 games last season because of a partially torn ligament and tendon in his passing elbow.

After Shockeys TD catch boosted the Saints to a 7-0 lead, the Bengals tied the game when Palmers backup J.T. O’Sullivan hit Chris Henry on a 14 yard touchdown pass. OSullivan also produced solid numbers, completing 9 of 11 passes for 100 yards.

The Bengals will continue their NFL preseason this Thursday as they travel to Foxboro, Massachusetts for a game against the New England Patriots. The Saints will also play away from home, heading over to Houston for a game against the Texans on Saturday. Both teams will kick off the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th. The Bengals will host the Denver Broncos, while the Saints welcome the Detroit Lions to The Big Easy.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

The Cincinnati Bengals were able to withstand a last minute Green Bay Packers comeback bid, and held on to win their first game of the NFL regular season 31-24. The Packers last drive stalled on the Bengals ten yard line, the victim of a false start penalty in the waning seconds. Both Cincinnati and Denver evened their 2009 record at 1-1. Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco scored the eventual game winning points on a 13 yard pass from Carson Palmer, after which he did his own version of the fabled Lambeau Leap into a sea of less than hospitable fans.

NFL football betting devotees who took the Bengals as +9 road underdogs easily cashed their ticket with the outright victory. Both teams are now 1-1 against the spread on the 2009 NFL season. The 55 combined points scored easily went OVER the posted total of 41.

After the game, Ochocinco talked about his Lambeau Leap he performed after the game winning touchdown catch:

“It was fun. I had a little indecision on where to jump at first. I didn’t want to disrespect their tradition, so I was asking as I went along the line. I saw some Bengals fans that said it was OK.”

While the Packers late game penalty sealed the victory, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis insisted that his team deserved it due to their performance:

“We didn’t do enough to win the game last week and you get what you deserve. Today, we were able to make one or two more plays and win the football game and that’s what counts. I think our football team understands that.”

Cedric Benson suggested that the Packers might have been a bit overconfident:

“Maybe a little, but you can’t blame them. They beat a very stout Bears team last week at home and I think they were feeling pretty good. But we’re men on this side of the football as well.”

Bengals QB Palmer gave the defense credit for the victory due to their performance on the last drive of the game:

“I kind of felt like it couldn’t happen again. It wasn’t a feeling of ‘here we go again’ at all. I know our defense is too good. They have too much pride and weren’t going to let that happen again.”

The Packers take to the road for their next two games, beginning this Sunday in St. Louis against the Rams. Theyll face the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night the following week, and then enjoy a bye week. The Bengals now face a rough scheduling stretch, beginning with the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Sunday. Theyll then head across state to face the Cleveland Browns in their traditional rivalry the following week before heading to Baltimore for a game against the Ravens on October 11th.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

USC has won their big game against Ohio State twice in back to back years. Its the next game they have problems with. Last year, USC went on the road and lost to Oregon State immediately after defeating the Buckeyes. This year, it was the Washington Huskies who pulled the upset. The Huskies defense shut down the powerful Trojans offense, and Erik Folk kicked a 22 yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining to give Washington a 16-13 victory in Seattle. USC has now lost to an unranked team in each of the past four seasons.

College football betting enthusiasts who took the Huskies as a whopping +19 home underdog were rewarded with the outright victory. The pointspread triumph also went against Washingtons dismal ATS form in recent years”the Huskies were 8-19 ATS overall and 3-15 ATS in Pac 10 games over the past three seasons. The 29 combined points scored went well UNDER the posted total of 52. USC has now gone UNDER in 20 of their last 28 games overall, as well as 15 of their last 18 conference games. Washington, conversely, has gone OVER in 17 of their last 27 lined games.

USC was undone by a rare display of sloppy play much to the chagrin of coach Pete Carroll:

“We didn’t get any better from last week. I’m not doing a good enough job of making the points of how we win. We didn’t throw the ball very well today. It was obvious. We couldn’t get the ball down the field very much. We’ve rarely been in that situation.”

The Trojans played without QB Matt Barkley, who engineered the game winning drive against Ohio State last week. His backup, Aaron Corp, was held to 111 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Corp, a sophomore making his first career start, gave this glum assessment of his performance:

“I felt I was prepared. I just didn’t execute.

After the contest running back Joe McNight, who scored the Trojans only touchdown, observed that superior talent can be negated by a poor effort:

“Washington wasn’t the better team. They just outplayed us. Clearly, we have superior athletes. But hard work beats athleticism any day.”

The Huskies are trying to clean up the mess left by Tyrone Willingham, and this was a step in the right direction for the program. Off of the Pac 10s first 0-12 season a year ago, the team is now under the mentorship of former BYU QB and USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian stressed the importance of the big win for the future of the Huskies’ program:

“It’s unbelievable. It’s a great moment for our program and hopefully sends a message of where we’re headed.”

Washington running back Jake Locker was in a state of near disbelief:

“I can’t really describe it. It’s an amazing feeling to go through what all of us have gone through and to experience what everyone wants to experience when they play college football.”

USC will try to get back on the winning track at home against Washington State next week. They’ll then head up to Northern California for a tough rivalry game against the University of California on October 3rd and then enjoy a bye week before taking to the road again to play Notre Dame. Washington will play at Stanford next weekend.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Alabama didn’t so much win their game against Tennessee on Saturday as much as they escaped. Despite playing one of their worst games of the year they managed to keep their undefeated season alive as nose tackle Terrance Cody blocked a potential game winning field goal on the last play of the game to preserve a 12-10 victory for the Crimson Tide. Alabama held a tenuous 12-3 lead late in the game before a Tennessee touchdown and recovered onside kick had them facing the specter of the defeat for the first time this season.

College football pointspread players who took Tennessee as +14 road underdogs were in good shape throughout the contest and eventually cashed their tickets. The Vols improved to 4-3 against the spread while the Crimson Tide dropped to 5-3 versus the number. The 22 combined points went well UNDER the posted total of 41′. Tennessee has gone UNDER in 4 of 7 while ‘bama evened their college football totals record at 4-4.

After the game, Cody recounted his blocked field goal attempt that saved the day:

“I didn’t really get off the ground. I just reached my arm up. That’s how I got it. I knocked the blocker back. He was on his back.”

First year Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin wasn’t taking a ‘moral victory’ from the game:

“It’s a difficult loss to deal with. You come into a hostile environment and play the No. 1 team in the country, as I said before by far the No. 1 team in the country and the best-coached team around. You come in here and outgain them by nearly 100 yards and miss three field goals. I don’t believe in moral victories, we should have won that game.”

He explained the difficulty that placekicker Daniel Lincoln has getting elevation on his kicks since a quadriceps injury:

“He can’t kick the ball up high. If you kick the ball up high it’s never going to get there, so we can’t allow the penetration up front.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban views the game as a learning experience:

“You talk about how fragile a season is. You’re controlling a game, even though you may say it’s winning ugly. We’re still ahead 12-3 and totally controlling the game with 3 minutes, 29 seconds and the ball. That’s how fragile a season can be. You make one mistake and you have to go overcome it. I hope that there’s a lot of lessons our team can learn from this.”

Alabama has a week off before a tough game at home against LSU on November 7. They’ll play at Mississippi State the following week before a game against FCS Chattanooga on November 21. Tennessee hosts South Carolina next Saturday and Memphis the following week. They’ll play at Ole Miss on November–.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.