Thursday 28 May 2009

Congrats to Barcelona!!! Messi did it


ROME (AFP) – Manchester United’s world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo had to settle for second best on Wednesday as Lionel Messi scored in Barcelona’s 2-0 win to claim the Champions League title.

Ronaldo, voted the 2008 world player of the year with Messi as runner-up, had said he wanted to score a goal in Rome, but it was the 21-year-old magician Messi who netted Barcelona’s second after Samuel Eto’o scored the first after 10 minutes.

With Barcelona in control, Messi got onto a cross from midfielder Xavi Hernandez to head past United goalkeeper Edwin van der Saar on 70 minutes to take the title back to Spain with his ninth goal of the campaign.

The 21-year-old was breath-taking here as Barcelona ended United’s dream of becoming the first team to defend the Champions League title after their success in Moscow 12 months before.

The Spaniards had the better of the first-half when Eto’o grabbed the opening goal as United’s experiment of playing Ronaldo as the lone striker in a three-man attack failed to pay off.

Manchester coach Sir Alex Ferguson abandoned his formation before half-time, but the damage was already done with Messi and Andres Iniesta causing United no end of problems at the other end.

Ronaldo, 24, began the game looking like he wanted to win the match single-handedly and earned a free-kick after only 90 seconds, but Park Ji-Sung’s follow-up was pushed over for a corner.

And the Portuguese star went close with a shot after eight minutes which beat both the post and Victor Valdes, before Eto’o got the first.

Ronaldo won a free-kick on 16 minutes after Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique fouled him, but captain Ryan Giggs could only curl the ball over the bar.

Messi had his first clear chance to score on 18 minutes when his shot beat van der Saar but cleared the bar, while Ronaldo went wide with his second chance.

As a thorn in United’s side, the Argentinian star had a golden chance to score on 50 minutes when he was ruled off-side with the goal at his mercy and then hit the post from a free-kick moments later before he found the net on 70 minutes.

Messi finishes as the tournament’s top scorer having opened his account last October in spectacular style with two goals in the last seven minutes to give Barcelona a dramatic 2-1 win at Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stages.

Having scored the third goal in Barcelona’s 5-2 win at home to Lyon in the first knock-out stage, Messi hit two first-half goals as Bayern Munich were routed 4-0 in the quarter-final.


Wednesday 6 May 2009

Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony “To Inspire the World”

Tickets for the Opening Ceremony and five sports (64 medal events!) of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games go on sale tomorrow – May 6, 2009 at 10:00 am (Pacific Time) on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is an event of historic importance that presents Canada with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tell a story that inspires a world audience of three billion. In recognition of this, the Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver–Whistler Olympics, today announced that the Government of Canada will contribute $20 million of VANOC’s total $40-million Opening and Closing Ceremonies budget to ensure the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games exceeds expectations of Canadians from all parts of the country.

Sunday 3 May 2009

David Haye Vs Vladimir Klitschko Tickets

After months of negotiations the world heavyweight title blockbuster between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye has finally been signed. The eagerly awaited heavyweight showdown will officially take place on June 20 in Germany.

Former WBC, WBA and WBO world cruiserweight champion Haye will challenge consensus number one heavyweight Klitschko, the reigning IBF, WBO and IBO titleholder, in the most talked-about heavyweight clash in recent years.

Although obviously delighted to secure a shot at the world heavyweight title, Haye is aware that victory over Klitschko could symbolise something even bigger.

David Haye Vs Vladimir Klitschko Tickets are available at TheOnlineTicketShop. Get your hands on them now!!!

Champions League Final

The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final will be the 54th final of the UEFA Champions League football tournament and the 17th final under the current format. The final will be played at the 72,698-capacity Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the home of A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio, on 27 May 2009, for the fourth time following 1977, 1984 and 1996. This will be the fifth year in a row in which the final involves an English team. The current holders of the trophy are Manchester United of England's Premier League.It’s a once in a lifetime experience, a dream come true for the common football fan.

UEFA Champions League is the most popular seasonal club football competition by the Union of European Football Associations. Champions League Tickets and Champions League Final Tickets are available.. get em now!!! Tickets are available on TheOnlineTicketShop and TheOnlineTicketExchange.