I have this feeling Steaua will take Madrid's place and go through the group, and today's results just enforce this thought. Good job Steaua!
Champions League, Group E Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) - Steaua Bucuresti 1 - 4 (1 - 3) 3' 0 - 1 Ghionea (Steaua) 16' 1 - 1 Rebrov (Dynamo) 24' 1 - 2 Badea (Steaua) 43' 1 - 3 Dica (Steaua) 79' 1 - 4 Dica (Steaua) Vodafone Man of the match: Nicolae Dica (Steaua) The playmaker is regarded as one of the brightest young things in Romanian football and the classy Romanian international lived up to that billing with a stellar display as the former European champions marked their return to the European football top table with a stunning win. Dica set up Valentin Badea for Steaua's second and added the third and fourth goals himself. The first was a trademark free-kick and he sealed the win with a close-range finish - his ninth goal in ten games this season. In the other group E match Olympique Lyon (France) - Real Madrid (Spain) 2 - 0 (2 - 0) Group E standings: Code: 1. [b][color=red]Steaua[/color] [color=blue]Bucuresti[/color][/b] 1 1 0 0 4 - 1 3 2. Olympique Lyon 1 1 0 0 2 - 0 3 3. Real Madrid 1 0 0 1 0 - 2 0 4. Dynamo Kyiv 1 0 0 1 1 - 4 0 Next matchday: Tuesday, 26 September, 21:45 (Romanian time) Steaua Bucuresti - Olympique Lyon (France) Real Madrid (Spain) - Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)
Match report from uefa.com Stylish Steaua sweep past Dynamo by John Mathews FC Steaua Bucuresti issued a warning to the rest of their Group E opponents by beginning their first UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign in a decade with a hugely impressive victory at FC Dynamo Kyiv. First-half flourish Goals by Sorin Ghionea, Valentin Badea and Nicolae Dica put the Romanian champions in a commanding position after an electric first half and although Serhiy Rebrov also found the net for Dynamo in the opening period, the Ukrainian side's hopes were finally ended with eleven minutes remaining when Dica galloped clear to crown Steaua's night with a fine finish. Early goal Steaua had made a sensational start in Kiev, taking the lead as early as the third minute and stunning the NSC Olympiyskiy Stadium into near-silence. Defender Ghionea, one of four players restored to the Steaua lineup after a 1-0 weekend win at FC 2005 Pitesti, ghosted into the box at the far post for an inswinging corner and his firm header set the goals rolling. Dynamo level Three minutes later, Dynamo midfielder Ayila Yussuf had a shot kicked off the line by Rahamin Saban, although the whistle had already blown for a foul on Steaua goalkeeper Carlos Alberto Fernandes. Dynamo only had to wait until the 16th minute to draw level as Ukrainian international Rebrov scored his 20th UEFA Champions League goal – and his first since March 2000 - by powerfully prodding the ball past Fernandes after latching on to Diogo Rincón's incisive pass. Rebrov came close to adding to his total soon after but his swerving drive was too high to trouble Fernandes. Steaua strike back Steaua, determined not to be intimidated by their now resurgent hosts, found a higher gear and moved in front again with another header in the 24th minute. Badea was the marksman, stooping to connect with Dica's clever cross following a throw-in which caught Dynamo completely unawares and his diving effort beat Olexandr Shovkovskiy by going in off a post. Provider then turned scorer as Dica registered the fourth goal of an astonishing first half in the 43rd minute, curling in a superb free-kick from 25 metres to give the visitors a two-goal cushion. Rebrov miss Dynamo battled hard to get back into the match after the restart and looked their most threatening from set-pieces, as a series of deliveries induced a measure of panic in Steaua's rearguard, most notably when Rebrov volleyed into the side-netting from close range following a corner. Fellow forward Maksim Shatskikh also tested Fernandes with a flicked header but the Portuguese keeper was comfortably equal to the effort. Dica double As a result of their increased forward thrusts, Dynamo were left totally exposed at the back as they chased the game and Dica made them pay with his second strike late on, sprinting into a seemingly endless amount of space before neatly clipping the ball over the onrushing Shovkovskiy for Steaua's fourth goal which capped a memorable return to the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Match review from uefa.com Olaroiu lauds 'fantastic' Steaua FC Steaua Bucuresti coach Cosmin Olaroiu hailed the Romanian club's emphatic 4-1 victory at FC Dynamo Kyiv as a "fantastic night" as they marked their return to the UEFA Champions League in style after a ten-year absence. it was a performance that left Dynamo Kyiv counterpart Anatoli Demianenko with no excuses for the Group E defeat. Cosmin Olaroiu, Steaua coach It was a fantastic night for the club. We made our debut in the Champions League and were keen to give a good account of ourselves. We were looking to win but never expected to do so quite that convincingly. I am delighted with my players; they overcame very strong opponents on their own pitch. We studied Dynamo carefully and how they play and my players were charged with the task of hindering their plan. And it worked. It was a bright night for us while for the hosts it will go down as a black night - but that happens in football. Anatoli Demianenko, Dynamo Kyiv coach We were terrible in defence and made a lot of mistakes. I can't really explain what happened - we need to sit down and analyse things. It's difficult to understand why our players didn't do what they were told to and instead attacked too much, forgetting their defensive duties. We had a number of injured players, which affected our preparation, yet this is no excuse. We cannot say that we underestimated our opponents either, we knew they were UEFA Cup semi-finalists.
UEFA Cup, First round, first leg 14 September, 19:00, TV Sport Skoda Xanthi (Greece) - Dinamo Bucuresti 14 September, 20:00, TVR 1 Rapid Bucuresti - CD Nacional (Portugal)
Dynamo - Steaua - the goals The videos are .FLV file, so you'll need a FLV player -> Riva FLV Encoder (4.8Mb exe file, contains a FLV player) 3' 0 - 1 Ghionea (Steaua) (video (2.4Mb flv file)) 16' 1 - 1 Rebrov (Dynamo) (video (2.8Mb flv file)) 24' 1 - 2 Badea (Steaua) (video (1.9Mb flv file)) 43' 1 - 3 Dica (Steaua) (video (3.3Mb flv file)) 79' 1 - 4 Dica (Steaua) (video (3.3 Mb flv file)) And the extended highlights: (video (28.7 Mb flv file))
Two wins in the UEFA Cup. UEFA Cup, First round, first leg Skoda Xanthi (Greece) - Dinamo Bucuresti 3 - 4 8' 1 - 0 Quintana (Xanthi) 18' 1 - 1 Niculescu (Dinamo) 25' 1 - 2 Danciulescu (Dinamo) 35' 1 - 3 Niculesc (Dinamo) 45 + 2' 2 - 3 Quintana (Xanthi) 65' 3 - 3 Kazakis (Xanthi) 84' 3 - 4 Pulhac (Dinamo) Rapid Bucuresti - CD Nacional (Portugal)[/QUOTE] 1 - 0 40' 1 - 0 Moldovan (Rapid)
They were removed from ProTV's website. Don't worry, I uploaded the files to YouSendIt. Here are the links: 0 - 1 -> link 1 - 1 -> link 1 - 2 -> link 1 - 3 -> link 1 - 4 -> link Extended highlights -> link Each file will be available for 7 days or 100 downloads.
I think Eurosport rated Olympique as #1 team in Europe right now. They're already running away with the French title... I think a Steaua win puts them on track, but we really need Kiev to find itself and maybe get a point in Madrid. If those two things happen I think Gigi Becali should run for president. He's already the most popular person in the country by far. Hai Steaua!
Tuesday, September 26th, 21:45 Steaua Bucuresti - Olympique Lyon (France) Match background from uefa.com Steaua's credentials face serious test The visit of Olympique Lyonnais must be one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures in FC Steaua Bucuresti's recent history. It marks not just Steaua's first home game since last December at their revamped stadium but also their first UEFA Champions League group stage fixture in Bucharest in ten years. • Steaua, who played their qualifying round matches at the Lia Manoliu stadium, go into the match on the back of a a dream start in Group E, following their 4-1 win at FC Dynamo Kyiv on 13 September. The Romanian champions needed just three minutes to go in front through Sorin Ghionea and although Dynamo drew level, further strikes from Valentin Badea (24) and Nicolae Dica (43, 79) secured a handsome victory. High expectations • Expectancy levels will be sky-high when Cosmin Olaroiu's team step out to face Olympique Lyonnais. Despite the excitement stirred by their defeat of Dynamo, however, Lyon's visit should provide a better measure of Steaua's prospects. UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists for the past three seasons, the French champions underlined their undoubted quality by beating Real Madrid CF 2-0 in their opening assignment. • Just as 12 months previously, when they humbled Madrid 3-0 on Matchday 1, Gérard Houllier's men flew out of the starting blocks at the Stade Gerland, taking an eleventh-minute lead through Fred before Tiago added a second goal after 31 minutes. • Whatever the outcome of Madrid's meeting with Dynamo in Spain in the group's other match, both Steaua and Lyon know that another win in Bucharest will give them an outright lead in the section with six points. • Steaua won their most recent encounter with French opposition, beating RC Lens 4-0 in the UEFA Cup group stage last season on their way to reaching the semi-finals. Victoras Iacob, Dorin Goian and Dica (2) were the scorers. French fightback • They also won their three previous home meetings with French teams in Europe's premier club competition. On each occasion, however, Steaua were beaten on aggregate – notably in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round in 1997/98 when a 5-0 away loss to Paris Saint-Germain FC overturned the Romanian outfit's 3-0 first-leg advantage. Steaua originally won that match 3-2 but were awarded a 3-0 victory after PSG fielded an ineligible player. • Lyon have faced Romanian opponents just once before, when they overcame AFC Rapid Bucuresti 2-1 in a UEFA Intertoto Cup tie in Bucharest in 1997. Goalkeeper Grégory Coupet was in the Lyon team that day. • The Lyon coach, Houllier, got the better of Steaua during his time in charge of Liverpool FC. In a UEFA Cup second-round tie in 2003/04, Houllier's team drew 1-1 in Bucharest before a 1-0 win at Anfield.
Tough game for Steaua, Lyon are a great team, and Juninho is amazing. I hope they can get a point out of this, eventhough it will be difficult. On Gigi Becali, I kind of don't mind him running for president, I will be very upset if he'll win the race. Caragiale would have been very proud of him...
Steaua stirred by homecoming (from uefa.com) by Paul-Daniel Zaharia from Bucharest Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's Group E meeting with Olympique Lyonnais, it promises to be a night to remember for FC Steaua Bucuresti. Not only are the Romanian side hosting a UEFA Champions League group stage game for the first time in ten years, they are doing so at their revamped Ghencea stadium to which they return after a nine-month exile at the Lia Manoliu national stadium. 'Fantastic atmosphere' The 25,000-capacity ground is renowned in Romania for the atmosphere created by Steaua's passionate supporters and forward Valentin Badea has warned Lyon that the excitement of their homecoming could work against the French champions. "We will have an important advantage against Lyon - the fans, who will generate a fantastic atmosphere," he said. Upgrade If Lyon are bracing themselves for an outpouring of emotion from the locals - back at the stadium for the first time since a Romanian league match against SC Vaslui on 4 December 2005 - they can at least be confident of greater comfort than previous visitors to the Ghencea enjoyed with the dressing rooms having been completely refurbished. Upgrading the arena involved not just reinforcing the structure of the stands but also laying a brand-new pitch with undersoil heating. Visitors will also find a fresh PA system and a parking area for 1,500 cars. The big day To mark the reopening of the Ghencea, Romania's national team will play their first competitive game there in four years with a UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Belarus on 7 October, before league football returns to the venue with the visit of CFR Ecomax Cluj-Napoca the following week. Steaua had originally scheduled the inauguration for last Saturday's fixture against AFC Gloria 1922 Bistrita before postponing the big day to Tuesday. 'Something special' After the morale boost of a 4-1 win at FC Dynamo Kyiv on UEFA Champions League Matchday 1, Steaua supporters will be hoping the switch to familiar surroundings will give the side more impetus and defender Dorin Goian, for one, cannot wait. "The Ghencea is something special," he said. "Nothing can compare with our fans and our stadium."
Match preview from uefa.com Steaua pray for home comfort by Paul-Daniel Zaharia from Bucharest FC Steaua Bucuresti coach Cosmin Olaroiu lavished praise on Olympique Lyonnais on the eve of their UEFA Champions League encounter in Romania, but with his team set to play at their revamped Steaua stadium for the first time in nine months, he insists "our aim is to win". Key match Steaua attracted admiring glances with an emphatic 4-1 victory at FC Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 1 but it is Lyon, 2-0 victors at home to Real Madrid CF in their opener, who Olaroiu believes hold the key to Group E. "We're approaching the most important match we will play in this section," he said. "Lyon are group favourites. They are very organised and the fact they've won five French titles in a row speaks volumes. They have a fantastic balance between individual talent and team organisation." Lyon affection Fred and Tiago were on target as Lyon eased past Madrid a fortnight ago, one of seven wins in eight matches for Gérard Houllier's team this term, with eight different players notching goals. "Every Lyon player is capable of causing us problems," Olaroiu continued. "To be honest, I followed them in last season's Champions League and was unhappy when they lost in the last minute in the quarter-finals. But every side has their weaknesses. There's no such thing as a perfect team." Ghencea return Olaroiu's men will appear at their Steaua (or Ghencea) home for the first time since being exiled to the Lia Manoliu national stadium while refurbishments were made. Hopes of marking their homecoming with a victory against Lyon have been hampered by long-term injuries to Mirel Radoi and Victoras Iacob while Vasilica Cristocea and Sorin Paraschiv face fitness tests, but Olaroiu is optimistic, saying: "We are well prepared and I'm sure we can compensate for the gulf in class with 100 per cent commitment. We have a chance. We will play to win." 'Positive attitude' It is a sentiment echoed by Lyon counterpart Houllier. "We are here to win," he said. "We always have a positive attitude, an attacking one. The idea is to control the match and to pose a threat all the time." A number of the older Steaua players will be familiar with this mentality having faced Houllier's Liverpool FC in the second round of the 2003/04 UEFA Cup. Liverpool prevailed 2-1 on aggregate but were held in Bucharest, although the coach is keen to deflect comparisons. "Steaua have changed a lot since then," he said. No pushovers "I was very impressed by their win in Kiev and it wasn't a lucky win. It was the victory of a team with a cohesive squad of players and few weaknesses." Lyon will be without the injured Claudio Caçapa though the defender would no doubt back team-mate Florent Malouda's assessment that: "It doesn't matter what names the teams have or their records, nor how many trophies they've won. Progress is achieved on the pitch. We have come here to win but it won't be easy." Probable teams Steaua: Carlos Alberto Fernandes; Petre Marin, Dorin Goian, Sorin Ghionea, Mihai Nesu; Banel Nicolita, Sorin Paraschiv, Florin Lovin, Gabriel Bostina; Nicolae Dica, Valentin Badea. Lyon: Grégory Coupet; Anthony Réveillère, Cris, Patrick Müller, Eric Abidal; Jérémy Toulalan, Tiago, Juninho Pernambucano; Florent Malouda, Fred, Sidney Govou.
Ghionea backs battling Steaua (from uefa.com) by Paul-Daniel Zaharia from Bucharest Sorin Ghionea expects to be defending for 90 minutes against Olympique Lyonnais despite scoring FC Steaua Bucuresti's first UEFA Champions League group stage goal in a decade on Matchday 1. Goalscoring challenge The 27-year-old opened Steaua's account in a tremendous 4-1 win at FC Dynamo Kyiv, but the centre-back has no illusions of adding a second European goal against Lyon. "To be honest, with our opponents having so many good forwards, I don't know if I will have many opportunities to get into their penalty area," he told uefa.com. Defensive stalwart Goalscoring has never been Ghionea's forte. In 152 games in Romania's Divizia A he has scored just twice, and his central defensive partner Dorin Goian is the one who is more liable to try his luck as a goalscorer while Ghionea stands guard. And in that respect, he expects to be a busy man in Steaua's first match back at their renovated stadium. Individual class "Lyon are a very, very good team - as a unit and also individually," added the unassuming Ghionea. "They have three forwards, [Florent] Malouda, [Sidney] Govou and [Sylvain] Wiltord who could each decide the fate of a match on their own. We not only have to give everything but we also to have to keep our concentration." Battling Steaua While the Dynamo win marked a tremendous start for Steaua, coach Cosmin Olaroiu has been keeping his players on their toes in the run up to Matchday 2. "We have prepared well," said Ghionea. "The coach made us aware of what we have to do and we are totally committed. We demonstrated in Kiev that we are a very good team and, more than that, that we can battle." Player bonuses Steaua owner George Becali has given his side fresh incentive to work miracles in the run up to the game, pledging a €30,000 bonus to each player for a win against Lyon, a €40,000 bonus for a win at home against Real Madrid CF, €100,000 a man if they qualify for the last 16 and a €300,000 villa for each player if the Romanian side make it to the quarter-finals. 'Anything can happen' Huge rewards, indeed, but perhaps fitting for the magnitude of the task that Olaroiu's men face. Ghionea, however, is not afraid. "We will have to push ourselves to the limit and maybe beyond," he said. "Why? Because we have to do this and because in football, as has been proven so many times, anything can happen."
Good luck to Steaua for tonight! If they win, they should have good chances to pass this tough group (what would be a real sensation)!
Try uefa.com -> video.uefa.com I can watch for free Steaua - Lyon and Bremen - Barcelona (tomorrow). It identifies your country of origin. For me it's Romania, so I can watch for free the matches broadcasted by ProTV (they bought the rights for CL for Romania). I hope it works for you too. There is one more thing - I don't know if it works though -> link. I found this link in one of the comments on ProTV's website -> ProTV Or you could use a Romanian proxy.