UEFA Champions League Group Action Reaction - 12/7/11

And then there were 16. Following today's results, the group stage of the UEFA Champions League has ended. The top two teams from each group advance. Let's take a look at some of the action and see who is advancing.

Manchester City 2 Bayern Munich 0 (Group A)

Manchester City has been leading the Premier League standings all year, but has struggled in the Champions League. They knew they would need some help to advance. Bayern Munich had already locked their place as the group winner prior to the game. Manchester City came out strong and netted two goals in a win over an under-strength Bayern Munich team. But it was too little, too late for Manchester City as Napoli beat last place Villarreal, who finished with zero points. Manchester City will have to wait for another chance to prove themselves, as they will be relegated to the second-tier Europa League.

Advancing from Group A: Bayern Munich and Napoli

CSKA Moscow 2 Internazionale 1 (Group B)

Group B may have had the most exciting finish of any group. Internazionale had already booked their spot in the Final 16 as the group winner, but the other three teams all had a shot at advancing. CSKA Moscow traveled to Italy to take on Internazionale, while Trabzonspor traveled to France to play Lille. In the latter game, second place Trabzonspor decided to stick to a defensively minded game hoping for some help from Internazionale in the other game. Trabzonspor goalkeeper Tolga Zengin held up his end of the bargain helping his team secure the 0-0 draw. This meant that CSKA Moscow needed a win to advance. Both teams had their share of opportunities, but halftime saw the teams scoreless. CSKA Moscow didn't waste much time in the second half before striking first blood though. Vagner Love made a nice cross from the right side that found the foot of Seydou Doumbia, who buried it in the bottom corner. Internazionale had the immediate answer though when Esteban Cambiasso scored the equalizer less than a minute later. Both teams had great opportunities, but this one seemed destined to be a draw. But then, CSKA Moscow drew a corner with three minutes to go. Substitute Aleksandrs Cauna took the corner. His ball in found the head of Vasili Berezutski who put it just past goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi's outstretched hand for the winner.

Advancing from Group B: Internazionale and CSKA Moscow

FC Basel 2 Manchester United 1 (Group C)

Manchester United was not supposed to be in this position, but all they needed was a draw against FC Basel. United remained confident heading to Switzerland for the match. The hosts put United in their place early on when Marco Streller put Basel up in the 9th minute. Manchester United didn't lack quality opportunities, but try as they might, they couldn't find the net. In the 84th minute, Basel finally gained some breathing room when Alexander Frei doubled their lead. Phil Jones cut the lead in half in the 89th minute, but Basel kept United from finding the equalizer. When the final whistle blew, the inconceivable happened as FC Basel got their greatest victory in club history. Manchester United's defensive lapses ultimately cost them the humiliation no one saw coming, regulation to the Europa League.

Advancing from Group C: Benfica and FC Basel

Lyon 7 Dinamo Zagreb 1 (Group D)

Lyon knew they would have to pour it on big time against last place Dinamo Zagreb in order to have a chance to advance. All second place Ajax Amsterdam had to do is get a draw against first place Real Madrid or just not surrender their huge goal differential lead. Real Madrid was up 2-0 at halftime. Lyon's hopes though seemed slim at halftime when they trailed lowly Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 at halftime. However, Lyon came out and went on a rampage scoring seven goals in the first thirty minutes of the second half. Bafetimbi Gomis netted four of those goals. This gave Lyon a shocking one goal lead in the tie-breaking goal differential. Ajax Amsterdam tried to find the net to stay alive, but Real Madrid forward Jose Maria Callejon put the final nail in the coffin. Lyon completed an incredible nine-goal swing to advance to the last 16.

Advancing from Group D: Real Madrid and Lyon

Chelsea 3 Valencia 0 (Group E)

Unlike fellow Premier foes Manchester City and Manchester United, Chelsea stepped up when it mattered the most. Chelsea needed a win over Valencia to advance. The Blues wasted little time as Didier Drogba started the scoring in the 3rd minute. Ramires doubled the lead in the 22nd minute. In the 76th minute, Drogba scored his second of the match for good measure. With Bayer Leverkusen's 1-1 draw against last place Racing Genk, Chelsea not only advanced, but managed to win the group.

Advancing from Group E: Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen

Marseille 3 Borussia Dortmund 2 (Group F)

Group F provided another thriller. Group winner Arsenal had already advanced, but the second place was up for grabs. Olympiakos showed they wanted the spot in a convincing 3-1 victory over Arsenal. The win looked like it would be enough as last place Borussia Dortmund had the lead 2-1 late over second place Marseille. However, in the 85th minute, Marseille midfielder Andre Ayew found the net for the equalizer. Two minutes later, Mathieu Valbuena put Marseille through to the last 16 for sure with the winning goal.

Advancing from Group F: Arsenal and Marseille

FC Porto 0 Zenit St Petersburg 0 (Group G)

With surprising Apoel Nicosia already having their ticket booked to advance, this game would decide who would advance with them. FC Porto needed a win to advance. Zenit St Petersburg made the long trip from Russia to Portugal knowing all they needed was a draw. As a result, they decided to stick to a defensively-minded strategy. FC Porto responded by pounding Zenit's goal with a barrage of shots. They had 24 total, including 8 on goal, but Zenit goalkeeper Viacheslav Malafeev stopped every one, becoming the hero of the 0-0 draw. Just like Apoel Nicosia, Zenit St Petersburg advanced to the last 16 for the first time ever.

Advancing from Group G: Apoel Nicosia and Zenit St Petersburg

Nothing of importance happened in the final two games of Group H. Barcelona had already locked up their position as group winner, and AC Milan was already secured as the runner up.

Advancing from Group H: Barcelona and AC Milan

Now, we have to wait until February 14, 2012 for the Round of 16 to begin. Keep an eye on these teams as they return to league play.

Managers' reactions to FC's Basel's "David over Goliath" Victory: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2012/matches/round=2000263/match=2007661/postmatch/quotes/index.html

NHL's Radical Realignment Brings Big Changes

When the NHL approved the former Atlanta Thrashers' move to Winnipeg to become the Jets, we knew realignment would have to be done. However, no one expected it to be this radical.

The simple plan people thought would take place was for the Jets to move to the Central Division and either the Detroit Red Wings or Columbus Blue Jackets would move to the Southeast. In regards to this, Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that "The simple one wasn't as simple as it looked when you got done with it." Reports stated that some clubs didn't approve of this move either.

Thus, the scope broadened and the league discussed bigger changes. One concern that was expressed was the large amount of travel some Western Conference teams, such as Detroit, Dallas, Columbus, and Nashville, have to do during the course of the season.

From about an hour of deliberation between team representatives, a new four conference idea began to emerge. For the realignment to be approved, 20 out of the 30 teams had to approve. The teams have already approved the decision. The NHLPA has expressed concern and claims it needs to approve as well, but Bettman denies this claim.

Teams are pleased with the new conference alignment. They were concerned about keeping historic rivalries alive. "It was important to us to stay with longtime rivals. Not just Philly ... I think it was important to us to make sure we maintained the rivalries that we developed over the years and they're very good rivalries and our fans love to hate some of the teams we play against. I'm sure their fans love to hate us, too. So we're encouraged by that," Penguins CEO and President David Morehouse said Monday. "In the end, I think this will be a good thing for the league."

The proposed realignment creates two eight team conferences and two seven team conferences. This was a wise decision for two reasons. First, the looming sale of Phoenix Coyotes could have created a problem. However, the NHL solved this by placing the Coyotes in one of the eight team conferences. While the NHL wants to keep the team in Phoenix, it seems unlikely that a buyer will want to keep them there. This allows a new owner to move the team basically anywhere. Based on the new geographic location, the team could remain in the same division or switch to one of the two seven team conferences. Second, this opens up the opportunity for expansion down the road. The NHL could add two teams to even out the conferences to have eight teams each. There has been some interest in moving the Coyotes to and/or starting an expansion francise in Canada. Media tycoon Pierre Karl Peladeau is already building a $400 million arena in Quebec City and has openly expressed his desire to own a team.

Below is the proposed realignment. Reports state that the change could occur as soon as next season. Conference names have yet to be determined. The original idea was to develop geographical names, but a new idea that is popular among fans is to bring back the original division names of Adams, Patrick, Norris and Smythe.

Conference “A”
• Anaheim
• Calgary
• Colorado
• Edmonton
• Los Angeles
• Phoenix
• San Jose
• Vancouver

Conference “B”
• Chicago
• Columbus
• Dallas
• Detroit
• Minnesota
• Nashville
• St. Louis
• Winnipeg

Conference “C”
• Boston
• Buffalo
• Florida
• Montreal
• Ottawa
• Tampa Bay
• Toronto

Conference “D”
• Carolina
• New Jersey
• New York Islanders
• New York Rangers
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Washington

Northeastern's Sudden Streak Shocks Nation

The Northeastern Huskies may be the best team in the country with a losing record.

But you never would have guessed it with their 1-7-0 start to the season. After that nightmare beginning to the 2011-12 campaign, the Huskies have gone streaking. NU has won its last five games, outscoring their opponents 24-7. That's an average score, when rounded, of 5-1 victories.

These aren't pushover wins, either. They defeated current #20 Providence College 5-2. The shut down a struggling Vermont squad 4-1, and dealt the former #19 Michigan Wolverines a 4-1 loss at Yost Arena.
Not bad at all.

But then the shocker came.


Northeastern went into South Bend and blasted #2 Notre Dame 9-2. Yeah. Indescribable.
Kinda like when they came out the next night and completed the sweep. 2-1 Huskies.

Trying to figure out how a team with such a bad start could suddenly come out strong? Yeah, me too. But it's interesting to look at the 7 game winless streak the Huskies had near the beginning of the year. They lost twice to former-#1 Merrimack, and tied them once. They lost twice to now-#3 Boston College. They lost one game each to New Hampshire and UMass.

Was the lack of success only influenced by a schedule from hell? Not necessarily. But seriously, when you play two of the best teams in the nation FIVE TIMES in a seven game span, it's gonna be hard to pull off a victory.

And now the Huskies are through with the losing streak. Northeastern has deposed of the nation's best teams, and holds a five game win streak.

And it's going to take a heck of an effort to slow them down now.

Stanford Cardinal are Finally Champions

Stanford seniors Camille Levin, Teresa Noyola, Lindsay Taylor, and Kristy Zurmuhlen played their final game together on Sunday. At the end of that game, they accomplished something they had never done before. They became National Champions.

In 2008, they lost in the National Semifinal. Then, in 2009, they lost in the National Championship 1-0 to UNC. Last year, they suffered the same heartbreak losing 1-0 to Notre Dame in the championship game.

The halftime of Sunday's game saw Stanford and Duke tied at 0-0. Was history going to repeat itself again? When asked whether the Cardinal players were thinking about this, Levin said they weren't. I'm sure it was nagging them in the back of their minds.

In the 54th minute, Noyola used her head to dismiss any notions of that happening. Noyola actually started play with the ball at her feet. She switched fields nicely. After a battle for the ball, Levin emerged and sent in a booming cross. She found Noyola at the back post, who burried it.

Duke played hard trying to find the equalizer, but the Cardinal stood firm. When the final whistle blew, those seniors finally had the victory they had been seeking for four years.

The Stanford seniors finished with a career record of 95-4-4 and the first Women's Soccer National Championship in school history.

ESPN's Beth Mowins and Julie Foudy break down the game winning goal and the implications of the victory: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7315721

The Real Big 12 Bowl Snub

Oklahoma State and their head coach Mike Gundy might feel like they got snubbed, but they didn't. Yes, they had more Top 25 wins than Alabama, but that has more to do with the mediocrity of the Big 12. The SEC was dominated by a handful of teams, which meant that Alabama was unable to face as many Top 25 teams. The bottom line here is you have to look at their losses. Alabama lost by 3 in overtime to the consensus #1 LSU Tigers. Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State, who finished 8th in the Big 12. I mean let's be honest. This is obvious.

What isn't obvious is how the Sugar Bowl committee overlooked the real Big 12 snub, the Kansas State Wildcats. The Sugar Bowl instead chose the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Michigan Wolverines. Let's compare the three teams (rankings reflect the final BCS poll):

#8 Kansas State Wildcats:

Final Record: 10-2 (7-2), 2nd place in the Big 12

Record vs. Top 25: 2-2; (Wins: Baylor & Texas), (Losses: Oklahoma & Oklahoma State)

Analysis: The Wildcats finished in 2nd place in the Big 12, by avoiding all the lower-tier minefield games. Their only losses were to Oklahoma State (BCS team) and Oklahoma, when Landry Jones and the Sooners were playing much better football. Overall, they turned in a great season.

#11 Virginia Tech Hokies:

Final Record: 11-2 (7-2), Won ACC Coastal Division, Lost ACC Championship 38-10 to Clemson

Record vs. Top 25: 1-2; (Win: Georgia Tech), (Losses: Both to Clemson)

Analysis: Who has Virginia Tech beaten that has any real talent? This depends on how good the ACC is. The Hokies best non-conference win was over Arkansas State. Not saying much to say the least. The one ranked team they beat, Georgia Tech, finished outside the rankings with a decent, but unimpressive 8-4 record. The Hokies had two big shots at Clemson and were blown out twice. How do you think they will fare when they play another really good opponent. Based on what I've seen, they are going to get blown out.

#13 Michigan Wolverines

Final Record: 10-2 (6-2), 2nd place in the Big 10 Legends division

Record vs. Top 25: 1-1; (Win: Nebraska), (Loss: Michigan State)

Analysis: The Wolverines responded well to new head coach Brady Hoke. They got a big non-conference win against Notre Dame. Then, they played well in Big Ten play. They might have lost to Michigan State and Iowa, but when they needed the two big wins at the end of the season they got the job done, blowing out Nebraska and holding on against archrival Ohio State.

In my opinion, Kansas State should have clearly gotten into this game over Virginia Tech. The Wildcats' body of work throughout the season is much more complete than that of the Hokies. Unfortunately, the Sugar Bowl we will have to settle for his Virginia Tech and Michigan. At this point, I would pick the Wolverines by two touchdowns. Kansas State has to instead play Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, which should be a great game.