There was never a chance that Steaua was going to get a favorable result. They can get a maximum of six points in this group and hope to finish third. As unfortunate as that is, it's the truth. I can't see them hold out against Lyon away, nor do I see them defeating a still very poor Madrid at home or away.
Steaua Bucuresti - Olympique Lyon 0 - 3 (0 - 1) 43' 0 - 1 Fred 55' 0 - 2 Tiago 89' 0 - 3 Benzema It wasn't that bad - Carlos fumbled the ball at the first goal, just before half-time. Then they were forced to attack so there were spaces in their defence. Anyway, Lyon are a fantastic team. Chapeau Lyon! The other match in group E: Real Madrid - Dynamo Kyiv 5 - 1 Standings Code: 1. Olympique Lyon 2 2 0 0 5 - 0 6 2. Real Madrid 2 1 0 1 5 - 3 3 3. Steaua Bucuresti 2 1 0 1 4 - 4 3 4. Dynamo Kyiv 2 0 0 2 2 - 9 0 Next matches will be played on October 17th: Steaua Bucuresti - Real Madrid Dynamo Kyiv - Olympique Lyon
Match report from uefa.com Lyon reprise winning formula by Paul Saffer Fred and Tiago repeated their goalscoring heroics of two weeks ago against Real Madrid CF and Karim Benzema struck late on to give Olympique Lyonnais another UEFA Champions League Group E win at FC Steaua Bucuresti. Resistance broken The home side had been holding out well until a fumble from goalkeeper Carlos Alberto Fernandes allowed Fred to register just before half-time. Tiago's strong header ten minutes after the interval and substitute Benzema's delicate shot confirmed the victory and leaves Lyon with a healthy three-point group lead. Juninho effort As his team returned to their revamped Steaua stadium after nine months away, home coach Cosmin Olaroiu looked to counter the threat of Juninho Pernambucano by deploying the experienced Petre Marin at right-back, but within six minutes the Brazilian midfielder had already showed his worth with a trademark free-kick that was spectacularly saved by Fernandes. Generally, though, while Lyon were hugely dominant in possession, their 4-3-3 formation with Fred as the spearhead was not creating clear-cut chances against a well-organised Steaua back line. Long-range try With Sorin Paraschiv captaining Steaua from midfield, having passed a late fitness test, their only opportunities were shots from distance - Florin Lovin getting into range with a useful if hopeful effort in the 27th minute. Meanwhile, Fernandes was forced into more acrobatics by a looping strike by Jérémy Toulalan, the Portuguese custodian not taking any risks about the attempt sneaking in though it appeared to be going wide. Freak goal However, with two minutes left in the half came a moment Fernandes will want to forget. With a free-kick from the same position 25 metres to the right of goal from which Juninho had earlier threatened, the Brazilian sent in a hopeful shot. Fernandes advanced to claim but spilt the ball as he leapt, and was helpless when Fred pounced and confidently struck with his right foot into an empty net. Lead doubled Lyon have never lost a UEFA Champions League tie after scoring first, but Steaua were not about to panic and continued to rely for their attacking thrust on the skill of Valentin Badea rather than the more powerful Cyril Thereau. Nicolae Dica almost sent through Banel Nicolita but Eric Abidal used his strength to prevent a one-on-one with Grégory Coupet. Daniel Oprita was introduced to add physique to the Steaua front line, but within moments Lyon doubled their lead. Juninho was the creator again, curling in a corner which Tiago headed past Fernandes after outjumping his Steaua markers. No way through Steaua had no choice but to press, yet Lyon had hardly been giving them much of the ball and that did not change. Thereau was brought on with 15 minutes left, but the last word went to teenage forward Benzema who slid the ball in from a tight angle after running on to Juninho's back heel. Nonetheless, Steaua's 4-1 win at FC Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 1 means they are still in a good position ahead of their double-header against Madrid while Lyon are in Ukraine in three weeks' time.
UEFA Cup, First round, return leg 20:00 Dinamo Bucuresti - Skoda Xanthi (Greece) (TVR 1) Dinamo won the first leg in Greece 4 - 3. 22:00 CD Nacional (Portugal) - Rapid Bucuresti (Prima TV) Rapid won the first leg in Romania 1 - 0.
Dinamo Bucuresti - Skoda Xanthi (Greece) 4 - 1 (1 - 0) 12' 1 - 0 Niculescu (video) 47' 2 - 0 Cristea (video) 51' 2 - 1 Paviot (video) 79' 3 - 1 Danciulescu (video) 82' 4 - 1 Niculescu (video) Dinamo goes through 8 - 4 on aggregate. CD Nacional (Portugal) - Rapid Bucuresti 1 - 2 (1 - 0; 1 - 0) Rapid wins after ET. 30' 1 - 0 Juliano (video) 91' 1 - 1 Rada (video) 100' 1 - 2 Burdujan (video) Rapid goes through 3 - 1 on aggregate. Both teams have qualified for the group stage.
UEFA Country Rankings after last night's matches: Code: # Country 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 Total Teams -------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Germany 9.142 4.714 10.571 10.437 3.642 38.506 5/7 6. Portugal 10.750 10.250 8.166 5.500 3.083 37.749 4/6 7. Romania 2.166 4.333 5.500 16.833 7.666 36.498 3/3 8. Netherlands 6.166 5.416 12.000 7.583 3.071 34.236 5/7 9. Russia 3.625 5.875 10.000 10.000 4.625 34.125 2/4 6th place means 3 teams in the Champions League, 2 straight to the group stage. Full rankings -> link
The draw for the UEFA Cup group stage will take place on Tuesday 3 October in Nyon, Switzerland from 13:00 (Romanian time) The 40 participants will be drawn into eight groups of five, with each team playing two matches at home and two away. Three teams will advance from each group. Pot 1: Code: Team Nat Coef. ------------------------ --- ------- Sevilla (TH) Esp 61.006 Newcastle United Eng 75.950 Panathinaikos Gre 66.587 AC Parma Ita 63.020 Ajax Ned 60.640 Bayer Leverkusen Ger 57.960 Feyenoord Ned 54.640 AJ Auxerre Fra 53.757 Pot 2: Code: Team Nat Coef. ------------------------ --- ------- Club Brugge Bel 49.981 FC Basel Sui 49.537 AZ Alkmaar Ned 48.640 Sparta Praha Cze 44.769 Glasgow Rangers Sco 43.023 Celta de Vigo Esp 43.006 Paris Saint-Germain Fra 41.757 RC Lens Fra 39.757 Pot 3: Code: Team Nat Coef. ------------------------ --- ------- Besiktas Tur 38.634 Palermo Ita 36.020 Espanyol Esp 33.006 Heerenveen Ned 30.640 Partizan Belgrade Srb 30.600 [color=darkred][b]Rapid Bucuresti[/b][/color] Rom 30.381 Wisla Kraków Pol 29.104 Slovan Liberec Cze 28.769 Pot 4: Code: Team Nat Coef. ------------------------ --- ------- Fenerbahçe Tur 28.634 Austria Wien Aut 27.723 Hapoel Tel-Aviv Isr 26.108 Osasuna Esp 25.006 Blackburn Rovers Eng 23.950 Grasshoppers Zürich Sui 23.537 [color=red][b]Dinamo Bucuresti[/b][/color] Rom 22.381 Livorno Ita 22.020 Pot 5: Code: Team Nat Coef. ------------------------ --- ------- Tottenham Hotspur Eng 20.950 Maccabi Haifa Isr 19.108 Sporting Braga Por 17.533 AS Nancy Lorraine Fra 16.757 Eintracht Frankfurt Ger 15.960 Zulte Waregem Bel 9.981 Mladá Boleslav Cze 8.769 OB Odense Den 8.593
UEFA Cup group stage draw: Group B: Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Club Brugge (Belgium), Besiktas (Turkey), Dinamo Bucuresti, Tottenham Hotspur (England) Group G: Panathinaikos (Greece), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Rapid Bucuresti, Hapoel Tel-Aviv (Israel), Mlada Boleslav (Czechia) Top three advance.
Dinamo's schedule: 02 November Besiktas (home) 23 November Club Brugge (away) 29 November Bayer Leverkusen (home) 14 December Tottenham (away) Rapid's schedule: 18 October PSG (home) 02 November Hapoel Tel Aviv (away) 23 November Mlada Boleslav (home) 30 November Panathinaikos (away)
Champions League, Group E Tuesday, October 16th, 21:45 Steaua Bucuresti - Real Madrid (Spain) Match background from uefa.com Madrid visit puts spotlight on Steaua FC Steaua Bucuresti step back on to the UEFA Champions League roller coaster with the high-profile visit of Real Madrid CF. After following up a handsome away win with a heavy home defeat, their fans could be forgiven for wondering what will come next against a Madrid side who offered an impressive statement of intent on Matchday 2. • After an opening loss at Olympique Lyonnais, Madrid responded in style as they recorded a 5-1 home victory against FC Dynamo Kyiv on 26 September. Ruud van Nistelrooy (2) and José Antonio Reyes struck their first UEFA Champions League goals for the Merengues and the familiar name of Raúl González also appeared twice on the scoresheet. • On the same night, Steaua suffered a deflating 3-0 home reverse against Lyon. The optimism generated by a 4-1 win at Dynamo and the return to their revamped Steaua stadium was punctured by the French champions who won comfortably through goals from Fred, Tiago and Karim Benzema. Level pegging • Those results mean Madrid and Steaua are tied on three points in Group E, three behind leaders Lyon who travel to Kiev for the section's other fixture. • Madrid's away form in recent seasons has not matched their ambitions. They have lost six and won just two of their last ten UEFA Champions League matches on the road, dating back to the 3-1 loss at AS Monaco FC in April 2004. • This is Steaua's first meeting with Madrid but they have played 20 previous matches against Spanish clubs, recording seven wins, four draws and nine defeats. Finest hour • Steaua's most famous encounter with Spanish opposition was undoubtedly their showdown with FC Barcelona in the 1985/86 European Champion Clubs' Cup final in Seville. Steaua became the first – and so far only - Romanian club to capture the European crown as they prevailed on penalties after a goalless draw. • Their most recent fixture against a team from Spain came against Real Betis Balompié in last season's UEFA Cup Round of 16. After a goalless home draw, Banel Nicolita (2) and Victoras Iacob struck without reply as Cosmin Olaroiu's team enjoyed a winning return to Seville en route to the semi-finals. Madrid record • Madrid have won all five two-legged ties they have played against Romanian sides. However, their record in Romania is mixed with one win, two draws and two defeats. • Their most recent visit came in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round when they drew 1-1 at FC Politehnica Timisoara on their way to a 5-1 aggregate success. • In his 118 previous UEFA club competition games as a coach, Madrid's Fabio Capello has never faced a Romanian team before.
Match preview from uefa.com Madrid bring magic to Bucharest by Michael Harrold from Bucharest FC Steaua Bucuresti coach Cosmin Olaroiu has described Tuesday's visit of Real Madrid CF in UEFA Champions League Group E as a "great occasion for Steaua and for Romanian football", as his side look to increase the pressure on Fabio Capello's team at the Steaua Stadium. 'Give everything' The sell-out match has taken record receipts for a game in Romania and is predicted to draw the biggest television audience in the history of football in the country. "We face one of the most powerful teams in the world," Olaroiu said. "Even if they are not at their best, Real Madrid are still Real Madrid. We must give absolutely everything we can." 'Put on a show' After turning heads on Matchday 1 with a 4-1 demolition of FC Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine, Steaua were brought back to earth by Olympique Lyonnais three weeks ago. Olaroiu expects an improved performance against a Madrid side who have also lost to Lyon and beaten Dynamo. "The match against Lyon showed us how we have to play," Olaroiu said. "Hopefully we have learned something from that and we'll be able to put on a show." Misfiring Madrid Steaua continue to be dogged by injury with Vasilica Cristocea and Mihai Nesu having joined long-term casualties Mirel Radoi and Victoras Iacob on the sidelines. Olaroiu's problems, though, pale in significance alongside those of Capello, whose misfiring team were undone on Saturday with defeat at Getafe CF in the Primera División. Olaroiu had spies in the Getafe camp with coach Bernd Schuster offering his match notes and Getafe's Romanian defender Cosmin Contra voicing his opinions in the Bucharest press. 'The solutions' Yet Olaroiu, whose charges won 4-2 against CFR Ecomax Cluj-Napoca on Friday, downplayed the Getafe result as, unsurprisingly, did Capello. "We discussed what went wrong and we hope we have found the solutions," he said. "Now's not the time to analyse that. Obviously it wasn't a good display. I'm not looking for excuses. We have to concentrate on Steaua." Hard work Capello also refutes criticism that his new-look side are overly defensive. "That is not the real issue," he said. "The team just needs to work hard. If we can do that, we are good enough to win. Obviously this is not the Real Madrid I want. I will have to raise morale just as I did at the other clubs I have worked at." Playing to win With José Antonio Reyes tearing a calf muscle on international duty, David Beckham should start and make his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance. Centre-backs Sergio Ramos and Fabio Cannavaro return while Capello must decide whether to partner Ronaldo, sent off against Getafe, or Raúl González, who is carrying a knock, with Ruud van Nistelrooy up front. With FC Barcelona to come on Sunday, it is a crucial week for Madrid. "Madrid always play to win and we must play that way here," Sergio Ramos said. Probable teams Steaua: Carlos Alberto Fernandes; Stelian Stancu, Dorin Goian, Sorin Ghionea, Petre Marin; Banel Nicolita, Florin Lovin, Sorin Paraschiv, Gabriel Bostina; Nicolae Dica, Valentin Badea. Madrid: Iker Casillas; Álvaro Mejía, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Cannavaro, Roberto Carlos; David Beckham, Emerson, Mahamadou Diarra, Guti; Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo/Raúl González.
Match focus from uefa.com Dica urges Steaua to show class by Michael Harrold from Bucharest FC Steaua Bucuresti striker Nicolae Dica has called on his side to prove they have what it takes to compete with the best in Europe as he looks ahead to Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Group E tie with Real Madrid CF. 'Very important' Although it is ten years since Steaua last took part in the tournament, the current team can draw on a wealth of continental experience having reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals last season. Now they are eager to prove they belong in such exalted company. "It will be a very tough match and a very important one for all our players," Dica said. "For me personally, it is the most important game and I hope we can show our worth playing at this level." Going by results so far in Group E, Steaua and Madrid are well matched. Both were comfortable winners against FC Dynamo Kyiv; both were well beaten by Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon setback The 26-year-old Dica, who scored twice against Dynamo in a 4-1 victory, believes his side have emerged stronger from their setback against the French champions. "You always have to learn from your mistakes and I hope we don't repeat them," he said. "I don't think we respected Lyon too much. They are obviously a good team and we did everything we could against them. Now we hope to do much better against Madrid and get all three points." 'Press' Steaua were given an indication of how to play against Madrid on Saturday when the Merengues' unfancied neighbours Getafe CF prevented them getting a single shot on goal in a surprise 1-0 success. Dica, though, fears that result is not representative of what Fabio Capello's team are capable of. "It will be good for us to play as well as Getafe, but we don't want to judge Real Madrid on just one match," he said. "We need to think about how they managed to beat Dynamo Kyiv 5-1. We will have to press all the time to stop Madrid developing their game."
Steaua- Real Madrid 1-4. Disappointing result, even though it was against Real. Hopefully they can make it to 3-rd place, so they can play in spring. I guess is still a good experience, too bad they can not do more. Let's hope Dinamo and Rapid can do better tomorrow.
Match report from uefa.com Majestic Madrid sweep Steaua away by Michael Harrold from Steaua Stadium Ruud van Nistelrooy became only the third player to score 50 goals in the European Champion Clubs' Cup with an astute chip as Real Madrid CF moved to within striking distance of a place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League with a commanding victory at FC Steaua Bucuresti. Masterful Madrid Madrid took an iron grip on the Group E game with first-half goals from Sergio Ramos and Raúl González before Robinho effectively settled the match as a contest shortly after the restart. Valentin Badea offered Steaua faint hope when he reduced the deficit on 64 minutes but Van Nistelrooy crowned an excellent performance from the visitors when he chipped superbly over Carlos Fernandes with 14 minutes remaining. Expectant crowd The Steaua Stadium was packed long before kick-off and the expectations of a raucous home crowd were close to being met straight from the start as Iker Casillas rushed from his line to punch clear from Banel Nicolita. Madrid, though, soon took the game to the Romanian champions. Robinho, in for the injured José Antonio Reyes, forced Carlos into a save before the visitors produced the riposte they so needed following Saturday's defeat by Getafe CF. Guti sent in a corner from the left on nine minutes and Ramos climbed highest to head Madrid in front. Dica chance Somewhat surprisingly this was the first meeting between these two illustrious sides and they were putting on a show worthy of the occasion. Carlos again saved well from Robinho before Casillas produced an even better stop at the other end, spectacularly clawing away Nicolae Dica's curling shot. Robinho's deft touches and clever flicks were a joy to watch and it was the Brazilian's delicate pass infield to Emerson that led to Madrid's second goal eleven minutes before half-time. His compatriot fed Van Nistelrooy and though Carlos again blocked his effort, Raúl was on hand to turn the rebound into an open goal. Robinho class Even Steaua fans stood to applaud when Robinho curled in Madrid's third eleven minutes into the second half. Coach Fabio Capello's decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench was thorougly vindicated as the 22-year-old calmly sidestepped Rahamin Klemi Saban before firing beyond Carlos, albeit with the help of a deflection off Dorin Goian. Eight minutes later Badea had the home support back on their feet, this time in celebration of a Steaua goal as he made the most of some uncertainty in the Madrid defence to turn in substitute Cyril Thereau's low cross. Perfect chip Unexpectedly Steaua were back in contention, but their hopes were dashed by Van Nistelrooy, the Dutchman somehow digging the ball up and over Carlos from eight metres to join Raúl and Andriy Shevchenko on 50 European Cup goals. On a night of milestones, David Beckham came on to make his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance as Madrid rounded off the evening in style. They have now scored nine times in two continental outings and will qualify with another victory against Steaua in a fortnight's time.
Match review from uefa.com 'Mistakes cost us' admits Olariou FC Steaua Bucuresti coach Cosmin Olariou admitted his side were punished for mistakes after losing 4-1 to Real Madrid CF in UEFA Champions League Group E. Goals from Sergio Ramos, Raúl González, Robinho and Ruud van Nistelrooy secured the points for Madrid, with Valentin Badea's lone strike for Steaua failing to mask, according to Olariou, the gulf between the teams. Madrid coach Fabio Capello, meanwhile, praised his side's "quality and spirit" after they put a poor recent run behind them with a superb display. Cosmin Olariou, Steaua coach I expected them to play like this because the real Madrid are not the team that lost against Getafe [CF]. We began well, with enthusiasm, but the mistake that led to their first goal ended our dreams. I have to admit that Madrid are capable of that extra gear that we don't have and we couldn't keep pace with them. We only started to play when we had nothing to lose at the end and it's unfortunate that we couldn't play like that througout the match. At this level the smallest mistake is punished and we made several and were made to pay for them. We are playing in the Champions League for the first time in ten years and we want to see where we are and what kind of players we need for this level. We will take positives from the game and work on our faults. We will continue to fight until the end of the group stage but now we have more chance of finishing third than second. In each group the outsiders find the Champions League difficult and we are not prepared for such a high level. Fabio Capello, Madrid coach Today I saw a Real Madrid team with quality and spirit, a group whose players help each other. I knew we had quality but today I saw also the spirit. The players put their last match behind them and their morale is much better now which will help us prepare for the important matches ahead. I think our best player was Robinho. He had a very good game, like all the players, but when a forward like him plays like that he lifts the entire team. Steaua are a very good side, they run a lot, fight hard, press and are dangerous in attack but it must be said that today they played against an excellent Real Madrid. My players still relaxed too much and that's why we conceded the goal.
Steaua Bucuresti - Real Madrid (Spain) 1 - 4 (0 - 2) 9' 0 - 1 Ramos (video) 34' 0 - 2 Raul (video) 56' 0 - 3 Robinho (video) 64' 1 - 3 Badea (video) 76' 1 - 4 Van Nistelrooy (video) In the other group E match: Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) - Olympique Lyon (France) 0 - 3 Standings: Code: 1. Olympique Lyon 3 3 0 0 8 - 0 9 2. Real Madrid 3 2 0 1 9 - 4 6 3. [b][color=red]Steaua[/color] [color=blue]Bucuresti[/color][/b] 3 1 0 2 5 - 8 3 4. Dynamo Kyiv 3 0 0 3 2 - 12 0 Next matches: November 1st Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) - Olympique Lyon (France) Real Madrid (Spain) - Steaua Bucuresti
UEFA Cup, Group G, Matchday 1: 21:00, Antena 1 Rapid Bucuresti - Paris Saint-Germain (France) In the other group G match: Panathinaikos (Greece) - Hapoel Tel-Aviv (Israel)
Match background from uefa.com Rapid powered up for PSG After seeing their last encounter with Paris Saint-Germain FC cut disappointingly short by power failure, AFC Rapid Bucuresti will hope to make amends as the sides lock horns again in UEFA Cup Group G. • Having earned a goalless draw in the first leg of the 2001/02 UEFA Cup first round tie in Paris, the match went into extra time at the Giulesti stadium after the 90 minutes ended goalless. • José Aloisio broke the deadlock for PSG in added time but the game ended in confusion as a power cut turned off the floodlights with seven minutes of the match remaining. The game was subsequently awarded as a 3-0 win for PSG. • Those two matches marked the two sides' only previous meetings in European competition. • Rapid's biggest European achievements have been reaching the quarter-finals of the 1972/73 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and last season's UEFA Cup. • Rapid have played French opponents on three previous occasions, playing one-off ties against Olympique Lyonnais and Stade Rennais FC as well as that two-legged tie against PSG. • Thus far they have overcome French opposition only once at home, beating Rennes 2-0 in last year's UEFA Cup group stage. • Victors in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup winners, PSG have won over half of the 120 games they have played in UEFA club competition to date. • They have faced Romanian opposition on eight previous occasions, recording six wins, one draw and one defeat. • That sole defeat came against Rapid's neighbours FC Steaua Bucuresti in the second qualifying round of the 1997/98 UEFA Champions League. • The first-leg encounter in Bucharest ended as a 3-2 win for Steaua, but the game was subsequently awarded as a 3-0 win for the Romanian side as PSG had fielded an ineligible player - Laurent Fournier, who went on to coach them. • Nonetheless, the French side made amends, winning 5-0 in the return leg. • Group G's other Matchday 1 fixture sees Panathinaikos FC face Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in the Netherlands.
Match report from uefa.com Slow start for Rapid and PSG AFC Rapid Bucuresti and Paris Saint-Germain FC made a low-key start to their Group G campaigns with a goalless draw in the Romanian capital. Stalemate The game's early exchanges set the tone and, save for a speculative effort from Rapid's Ionut Rada which flew over the bar in the seventh minute, there was no goalmouth action to report in a niggly opening half-hour. With 33 minutes on the clock, Marius Maldarasanu attempted to enliven proceedings with a jinking run which took him to the left side of penalty area, but he pulled his shot wide. Game opens up With the interval approaching, both sides fashioned a half-chance as Rapid's Artavazd Karamyan drove over the bar at one end, before PSG forward Amara Diané failed to make good use of a Sammy Traoré cross with a weak header at the other. The game opened up further in the second period. Rapid substitute Ryan Griffiths screwed a shot wide and then PSG's David Rozehnal shot into the arms of goalkeeper Danut Coman from long range. Unlucky Buga With 75 minutes on the clock, Mugurel Buga whistled a 25-metre shot just over and then spurned an excellent opening from half that distance, curling his effort wide of Mickaël Landreau's right-hand post - his final act before being brought off. As the clock ticked down, Rozehnal had a late chance with a header for PSG but directed it too high as the match reached its inevitable conclusion.