European Champions League, (GenevaLunch) - Eduardo da Silva scored the winning goal for Arsenal as they came back from 2-0 down against Standard Liege to win 2-3. In the big game of the evening Inter Milan and Barcelona seemed more concerned with defending than attacking and the final result of 0-0 looked inevitable. Liverpool beat Hungarian champions Debrecan but were not convincing.
Details: UEFA
England (GenevaLunch) - Manchester City won a bad-tempered duel with Arsenal 4-2, showing they have the talent to challenge the traditional big four teams but also revealing a nasty streak that may cost the team. Emmanuel Abedayor, transfered from Arsenal for £25 million at the end of last season, was involved in two incidents which are likely to be investigated by the FA authorities: the first was when he appeared to kick Robin Van Persie in the face, the second when he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans after scoring at the other end.
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Rome, Italy (GenevaLunch) – Barcelona beat a strangely subdued Manchester United in the final of the European Champions League. Man United dominated for the first 10 minutes but failed to convert their chances on goal. Barcelona then scored with their first attack as Eto’o took a pass from Iniesta, cut back past Vidic and then pushed the ball past Van der Saar in the Man U goal. The goal knocked the energy out of the English team and they never looked like coming back. Messi scored the second Barcelona goal and settled his personal contest with Ronaldo over who should be considered the player of the season. Details, Times, UK
Alcohol will be banned in all metro and train stations in Rome, Italy for football’s 2009 Champions League final 28 May. The ban extends to the port, Civitavecchio. Officials expect 67,000 fans in the city for the match and Roman authorities are taking precautions to ensure the match between Spanish team Barcelona and England’s Manchester United goes ahead smoothly. Alcohol in glass containers and for takeaway will also be banned in the vicinity of the stadium. BBC, Guardian, UK
(GenevaLunch) - Manchester United won their third successive Premier League title and equaled Liverpool’s record of 18 League wins. They were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford by Arsenal but one point was all that was needed. Liverpool won 0-2 at West Brom to strengthen their hold on second place and send their opponents down. Chelsea beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 and could still take the second spot if Liverpool lose their last game.
Barcelona, Spain (GenevaLunch) – Jenson Button started from pole position in the Formula 1 race in Barcelona but lost the lead to Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello by the first bend. After the customary mayhem of the opening lap the only real question was which of the two Brawn GP drivers would take first place.
London, England (GenevaLunch) – Barcelona scored a vital away goal in their semi-final match against Chelsea to level the score at 1-1. They now go through to meet Manchester United in the finals of the Champions League. Barcelona had most of the possession but Chelsea created more scoring chances.
One charger, using a USB plug: some 750 of the world’s leading cell phone makers have pledged that their new cell phones will accept the universal charger by 2012. The announcement was made at the Mobile World Congress taking place in Barcelona, Spain. CNN
Barcelona, Spain (GenevaLunch, by Nick Bates) – Ferrari scored another one-two finish, with Kimi Raikkonen starting in pole position and controlling the race from start to finish while team-mate Felipe Massa came second. Lewis Hamilton was third for McLaren. Heikki Kovalainen was taken to hospital with concussion after his Mclaren’s steering failed. It was a scrappy and bad-tempered match. Details, Reuters
