Touré confirms Barcelona progress

Yaya Touré sent FC Barcelona through to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals as the Spanish side overcame initial nerves before easing to a 2-0 aggregate victory over FC Schalke 04.

Timely first
Yaya Touré struck his first goal in the competition two minutes before half-time, coolly slotting in after opening-leg scorer Bojan Krkić had wreaked havoc in the visitors' defence. It calmed nerves that had been frayed by a positive opening by Schalke, and Frank Rijkaard's men may have to improve if the sole non-Premier League survivors are to overcome in-form Manchester United FC in the last four.

Visitors bright
Schalke began at Camp Nou as they had finished in Gelsenkirchen, spurning several clear-cut chances in a vibrant first 20 minutes. Gerald Asamoah was all urgent running and neat flicks, Jermaine Jones's passes carried precision and Kevin Kuranyi looked a constant threat. The hosts had early warning after seven minutes when Fabian Ernst fed Asamoah and the winger back-heeled the ball into Halil Altıntop's path. The Schalke No19 hit a fizzing shot that Víctor Valdés got his body behind, only for the ball to spin back goalwards and it took a desperate stretch from the keeper to paw it wide.

Neuer save
Human error, rather than Lady Luck, was to blame when Asamoah missed a free header from Jones's cross, while Kuranyi could not turn it in at the back post despite a committed lunge. These were nervous moments for Barcelona who soon responded to the crowd's urgent demand for action. Even between Schalke's best two opportunities, it fell to Manuel Neuer to atone for his first-leg mistake with a brilliant block. Andrés Iniesta slid a pinpoint pass for Xavi Hernández to beat the offside trap, but one on one with Neuer, the midfielder came off second best as the goalkeeper produced a marvellous reaction save.

Precocious talent
In the first leg it had been Bojan who made the difference with his maiden UEFA Champions League goal and just before half-time he changed the complexion of the game again. Sprinting down the right, his centre caused chaos in Schalke's penalty area. Marcelo Bordon skied his clearance and Mladen Krstajić's subsequent header off the goalline only fell as far as Touré, who swept the ball into the unguarded net. Barça were reborn. The second half started with another mazy Bojan run, although Thierry Henry wasted his delivery, firing over from five metres.

Puyol blow
Neuer made another super stop to keep out Iniesta's raking drive, but then came a blow for the Blaugrana: Carles Puyol was booked for a foul on Asamoah and will miss the first leg against United here. The setback may have pleased Sir Alex Ferguson's brother, present at Camp Nou, yet it failed to sully the home fans' enjoyment as they roared the waspish Bojan on as the youngster harried the Schalke back line. The Bundesliga side's own attacking force was extinguished and they will now focus on a return to the UEFA Champions League next season. For Barcelona, next up is United.

United cruise through thanks to Tévez

Manchester United FC can start preparing for a fascinating-looking UEFA Champions League semi-final meeting with FC Barcelona after Carlos Tévez's second-half header completed the conquest of AS Roma.

De Rossi miss
The Premier League leaders may call Old Trafford the 'Theatre of Dreams' but for Roma it is a place of nightmares. Humiliated here last season and beaten again on their return in this term's group stage, their faint hopes of a comeback from last week's 2-0 loss effectively vanished altogether when Daniele De Rossi sent a 30th-minute penalty high over the crossbar. Tévez's goal merely confirmed the inevitable, leaving United to look forward to their fifth last-four berth under Sir Alex Ferguson, who, given his plethora of forward options, must fancy their prospects of a first final appearance since 1999.

Selection gamble
Entering the game with a two-goal cushion Sir Alex took the gamble of leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, his two scorers at the Stadio Olimpico, on the bench. Such is the strength of United's squad that the visitors still faced the attacking threat of Tévez, flanked by Ji-Sung Park and Ryan Giggs. In the sixth minute those last two combined to create the first opening of the night, Giggs slipping a pass through to Park who dragged his shot wide.

Hargreaves impressive
Luciano Spalletti had promised that Roma would not throw caution to the wind in the early stages, mindful of events here 365 days earlier. United duly took charge and for the first 25 minutes they created chances as freely as they had done when beating the Giallorossi 7-1. Owen Hargreaves, on only his second start in the competition for United, made an immediate impression with his energy in midfield and he launched a move with Tévez and Giggs that ended with the Welshman playing in Hargreaves only for Doni to palm his strike behind.

Lifeline spurned
The same trio combined again soon after, this time Hargreaves crossing for Giggs yet once more Doni was equal to the attempt. Hargreaves then broke clear of the offside trap but was denied by a superb last-ditch tackle by Juan, before Anderson drew a fingertip save from the keeper with a low effort. At this stage, Edwin van der Sar's goal had come under threat only once, Mirko Vučinić testing the Dutchman with a low shot, but that changed on the half-hour. Moments after Mancini had fired in a rising effort at the keeper, the Brazilian wide man went down under a challenge from Wes Brown to earn a penalty. Roma had an unexpected lifeline yet De Rossi spurned it.

Neville return
The opening moments of the second half brought a scare for United when Van der Sar failed to hold a strike from Vučinić, but Marco Cassetti was unable to profit. Mikaël Silvestre, making his first appearance since September at left-back, blocked Taddei's shot then Van der Sar stopped Juan's header from the resulting corner. Spalletti's men continued to probe but, missing the injured Francesco Totti, struggled to fashion any clear openings, and the game was up on 70 minutes when Tévez stooped to meet Hargreaves's near-post cross and steered the ball beyond Doni. The icing on the cake followed when Gary Neville came on as a late substitute for his first outing since March last year.

Ferdinand joins Vidic on injured list

Manchester United FC's double glory bid may be undermined from the foundations upwards after Rio Ferdinand joined central defensive partner Nemanja Vidić on the sidelines.

Scan result
The England player injured his left foot during the 2-2 Premier League draw at Middlesbrough FC on Sunday, although United have been able to rule out a broken metatarsal after a scan today. What remains unclear, however, is the length of time the 29-year-old will be unavailable for.

Trouble at the top
With Vidić already signed off for three weeks with a left knee injury sustained at AS Roma on 1 April, United will be loath to lose Ferdinand for a similar period. Sir Alex Ferguson saw his team's lead in the English table cut to three points by Chelsea FC at the weekend, and they now face tricky fixtures against Arsenal FC, Blackburn Rovers FC and Chelsea. In addition, should they complete a quarter-final victory over Roma in the UEFA Champions League – they are 2-0 up from the away leg – United have a semi-final scheduled for 22/23 April.

Fixture and Result

The UEFA Champions League comprises of three qualifying rounds, a group stage, and four knockout rounds.

Qualifying
In matches in the three qualifying rounds, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis, with the club scoring the greater aggregate of goals qualifying for the next round. In the event of both teams scoring the same number of goals, the team which scores more goals away qualifies.

Group stage
The 16 winners of the third qualifying round ties join a similar number of automatic entrants in the 32-team group stage. The clubs are split into eight groups of four teams, who play home and away against each of their pool opponents between September and December to decide which two teams from each pool advance to the first knockout round. The third-place finishers in each pool enter the UEFA Cup Round of 32.

Knockout phase
From the last 16 until the semi-finals, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis with the same rules as the qualifying rounds applied. In the last 16, group winners play runners-up other than teams from their own pool or nation, while from the quarter-finals on the draw is free.

Final
The final is decided by a single match - which this year will be played in Moscow.

Matchday 9 - Tuesday 1 April

Home		Away
Roma	0-2	Man. United		More »
Schalke	0-1	Barcelona		More »

Matchday 9 - Wednesday 2 April

Home		Away
Arsenal	1-1	Liverpool		More »
Fenerbahçe	2-1	Chelsea		More »

Last updated: 03/04/2008 16:44 CET

Matchday 10 - Tuesday 8 April

Home		Away
Chelsea	20:45	Fenerbahçe	More »
Liverpool	20:45	Arsenal	More »

Matchday 10 - Wednesday 9 April

Home		Away
Barcelona	20:45	Schalke	More »
Man. United	20:45	Roma	More »

Last updated: 03/04/2008 16:44 CET

Qualifying round

• First qualifying round17 - 25 July 2007
• Second qualifying round31 Jul - 08 Aug 2007
• Third qualifying round14 - 15 August 200728 Aug - 03 Sep 2007

Group stage

• Matchday 118 - 19 September 2007
• Matchday 202 - 03 October 2007
• Matchday 323 - 24 October 2007
• Matchday 406 - 07 November 2007
• Matchday 527 - 28 November 2007
• Matchday 604 - 12 December 2007

Final Phase

• First knockout round19 - 20 February 2008 04 - 11 March 2008
• Quarter-finals01 - 02 April 2008 08 - 09 April 2008
• Semi-finals22 - 23 April 200829 - 30 April 2008
• Final21 May 2008

Quicklinks

• Football Europe
• UEFA Organisation
• Training Ground
• Magazine
• Fanzone
• Video

Alex keeps head as Fenerbahçe rejoice

It was billed by some as the biggest game in Fenerbahçe SK's history, so it is hardly surprising that their 2-1 UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat of Chelsea FC in Istanbul had the home players purring as they reflected on a remarkable turnaround.

Victory
At half-time the Turkish champions were lucky to only trail by a Deivid own goal. But after the break they were a team transformed, and substitute Kazım Kazım's cool 65th-minute finish was followed by a winner nine minutes from time, a spectacular long-range effort from a redeemed Deivid. Captain Alex, quiet in the first half but his usual inspirational best in the second period, admitted that something had needed to change at the interval.

Transformation
"The first half performance was our worst in the UEFA Champions League," Alex said. "We had some hard discussions to make in the dressing room at half-time. If we want to get through we will have to fight a lot harder in London." Goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, so important in keeping Chelsea within sight prior to the interval, added: "We played excellently in the second half. The scoreline is good enough for us I think - we have learned how to win. If we can repeat that second half performance we can get through."

Final ambition
But a man who will be on familiar territory at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, former Chelsea striker Mateja Kežman, does not believe that even a potential last-four tie with Liverpool FC or Arsenal FC should be their limit, pointing out what outsiders FC Porto and AS Monaco FC did four years ago. "Porto and Monaco got to the final, so why can't we?" he said. "If Lugano is able to shackle [Didier] Drogba like he did tonight we can get through."

Almunia delight at new Arsenal deal

Arsenal FC goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has signed a long-term extension to his contract with the London club.

'Very happy'
The 30-year-old Spaniard has replaced Jens Lehmann as the Gunners' first-choice custodian this season and made his 36th appearance of the campaign in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool FC in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. "I'm very happy," Almunia told the Arsenal website. "I have extended my contract and I hope to be here for a long, long time." The length of the deal has not been revealed.

All change
"I talked to my wife and said I did not want to go back to Spain to play," continued the former SD Eibar, RC Recreativo de Huelva and Albacete Balompié keeper. "Hopefully I can finish my career here. Football can change your life in one second. At the start of the season I was not playing. But football changed my life again and now I am one of the happiest men around." Almunia joined Arsenal from RC Celta de Vigo in 2004 and has made more Premier League outings this term, 28, than in his previous three campaigns combined.

United without Vidić for three weeks

Manchester United FC have confirmed that centre-back Nemanja Vidić will be out of action for two to three weeks after he picked up a knee injury at AS Roma on Tuesday.

'No major damage'
The Serbian international landed awkwardly after contesting a high ball and had to be substituted just 31 minutes into the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg, which United went on to win 2-0. A scan on Wednesday allayed some of the Old Trafford club's fears, with a spokesman saying: "There is no major damage to the left knee." Vidić will, however, miss the return match against the Italian side on 9 April as well as the Premier League leaders' domestic games against Middlesbrough FC and Arsenal FC.

UEFA CAHAMPION LEAGUE

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UEFA Champions League
Founded	1955
Region	Europe (UEFA)
Number of teams	32 (Group stage) 76 or 77 (Total)
Current champions	AC Milan (7th time)
Most successful club	Real Madrid (9 times)
Television broadcasters	List of broadcasters
Motto	Champions League Hymn
2007-08 Champions League

"European Cup" redirects here. For other uses, see European Cup (disambiguation).

The UEFA Champions League, formerly known as the European Cup, is a seasonal club football competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the most successful football clubs in Europe. The prize, the European Champion Clubs' Cup, is considered by some the most prestigious club trophy in the sport. The UEFA Champions League is separate from the less prestigious UEFA Cup and the defunct Cup Winners' Cup.

The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds. The 16 surviving teams join 16 seeded teams in a group stage. Eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout rounds, which end with the final match in May. Previously only the champions of their respective national league could participate in the competition, however this was changed in 1997 to allow the runners-up to compete as well.

The current holders of the UEFA Champions League trophy are AC Milan, who beat Liverpool FC 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece on 23 May 2007. Moscow will host its first European Cup final for the 2007-08 season.

Moscow ceremony marks coming of cup

The countdown to the UEFA Champions League final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 21 May has gathered further impetus with the trophy handover ceremony in the Russian capital.

Impressive ceremony
In an impressive ceremony at the GUM centre in Moscow's Red Square, the 2007 champions, AC Milan, handed the UEFA Champions League trophy back to UEFA's President, Michel Platini. He then passed the trophy to the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, for the city to keep and display to the public until the final.

Distinguished guests
Milan were represented by former player and current technical operations director Leonardo, who helped Brazil win the 1994 FIFA World Cup, together with director Umberto Gandini. Also in attendance were Rinat Dasaev, the former USSR goalkeeper who made his name with FC Spartak Moskva, and the president of the host association, the Football Union of Russia, Vitaly Mutko.

Established tradition
Since 1997, the previous season's champions have formally returned the UEFA Champions League trophy to UEFA at a special ceremony, with the cup then given to the host city to be showcased until the final.