It was a mixed weekend for UEFA Champions League contenders in their domestic leagues across Europe with many clubs opting to rest players ahead of this week's first knockout round second legs.
Mixed bag
Both Real Madrid CF and AS Roma won ahead of their meeting in the Spanish capital on Wednesday with the tie delicately balanced at 2-1 in favour of the Serie A side. However, Madrid's main rivals for the Primera División title, FC Barcelona, lost 4-2 at Club Atlético de Madrid. Elsewhere, there were good away wins for Chelsea FC, Manchester United FC and Olympique Lyonnais, but both Arsenal FC and AC Milan could only manage 1-1 draws at home – a result that if repeated on Tuesday, would put the English side through to the quarter-finals. FC Internazionale Milano and Liverpool FC do not play their second leg until Tuesday 11 March.
| FC Barcelona vCeltic FC (first leg: 3-2) | Club Atlético de Madrid 4-2 FC Barcelona (Agüero 36, 71, Maxi 43, Forlán (pen) 62; Ronaldinho 30, Eto'o 74)
Frank Rijkaard: "Until the goal, we controlled the game although we did so without creating a lot of chances. We were dominating but doing so without hurting Atlético. We didn't move the ball well enough and we should have created more opportunities. Every week things are changing and we have to get on with it. We know we didn't play well today but it's now time to prepare for the next match." | Hibernian FC 0-2 Celtic FC (Naylor 64, Samaras 75)
Gordon Strachan: "We're delighted. I thought we had a nice wee period in the middle of the first half. We played terrific in the second half, absolutely terrific. I was delighted with our discipline. Aiden McGeady and Scott Brown took knocks but just got on with playing. The longer the game went on, things began to open up for us, and I felt we were excellent in possession." |
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| Manchester United FC v Olympique Lyonnais (1-1) | Fulham FC 0-3 Manchester United FC (Hargreaves 15, Park 44, Davies (og) 72)
Sir Alex Ferguson: "We've done a good job well. I was able to use my squad; we've got a massive game on Tuesday against Lyon so I rested Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, and to be able to do that was vital. It was a test, Fulham didn't threaten us too much in our own area but played well outside of that. Goal difference can make a difference in the title race and ours is now seven better than Arsenal's." | LOSC Lille Métropole 0-1 Olympique Lyonnais (Fred 32)
Alain Perrin: "My team were comfortable with their game. They displayed good spirit and nobody suffered complacency. I also enjoyed the conviction of the substitutes and their focus – it showed that this squad is determined. The result is fine and the pressure we experienced at the end of the game was good preparation for the United game." |
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| Sevilla FC v Fenerbahçe SK (2-3) | RC Deportivo La Coruña 2-1 Sevilla FC (Wilhelmsson (pen) 35, Lafita 65; Kanouté 25)
Manuel Jiménez: "This was one of those defeats that really hurt because at no moment were Deportivo the superior team. We created a lot of chances but we couldn't finish off the game. The players now have to recover in time for a historic match, they must lift themselves." | MKE Ankaragücü 0-0 Fenerbahçe SK
Zico: It was a very negative evening for us both in terms of pitch conditions and our team's performance. If our goalkeeper Serdar [Kulbilge] had not made some heroic saves, we could have lost the match. Therefore, we should feel happy with a point. It was clearly seen that the midweek Turkish Cup match against Galatasaray [AS] tired us a lot. Dropping points in the past two weeks is disappointing." |
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| AC Milan v Arsenal FC (0-0) | AC Milan 1-1 S.S. Lazio (Oddo (pen) 71; Bianchi 54)
Carlo Ancelotti: "We did not play well in the first half but I liked our reaction to Lazio's goal. We are a bit tired because we have been playing a lot of games. Last season we had a similar spell but we emerged from it brilliantly. I hope it will happen again this season. I think personality and courage will be the key against Arsenal because in these games you are always able to tap in to all the energy you have." | Arsenal FC 1-1 Aston Villa FC (Bendtner 90; Senderos (og) 27)
Arsène Wenger: "We had a lot of domination in the second half but they defended very well and were always dangerous on the break. In the first half you could see we were a bit jaded and it took us time to get into the game but in the end I think this point will have real significance in our season. It took us some time to get into the game but I'm convinced this point will have a lot of importance for us. We battle until the last second and we've scored a lot of late goals this season." |
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| FC Porto v FC Schalke 04 (0-1) | Boavista FC 0-0 FC Porto
Jesualdo Ferreira: "I'm not happy with the draw. I think we had a serious and professional approach, we started very strongly and dominated the match. The result is fitting for Boavista but we deserved the win." | FC Schalke 04 0-1 FC Bayern München (Klose 14)
Mirko Slomka: "Things could have gone better for us; they should have gone better. We have an important match on Wednesday, and we can reach the quarter-finals so we have to fully focus on that. Wednesday will be a different match in a different competition; we are one up and our first priority will be to avoid conceding." |
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| Real Madrid CF v AS Roma (1-2) | | RC Recreativo de Huelva 2-3 Real Madrid CF (Cáceres 17, Carlos Martins 90; Raúl 28, Robinho 74, 90) Iker Casillas: "We're happy with the result and with the one at the Calderón. We're back on the winning track and it has enabled us to recover some self-esteem ahead of the matches against Roma and [RCD] Espanyol. Now we have to be cautious. The league is not decided. The important thing is that we won again and got some confidence back. The league isn't won yet, it's won in May." | AS Roma 4-0 Parma FC (Aquilani 27, Falcone (og) 51, Totti 81, Vučinić 90)
Luciano Spalletti: "We have to be disciplined and focused on details as we were today. In the last few games we have proved to be in good physical condition and we could see it clearly from the enthusiasm of the players. Obviously you are under pressure when you face a team like Real Madrid but we must use this pressure in the best possible way, as a motivation to play even better than we did recently." |
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| Chelsea FC v Olympiacos CFP (0-0) | West Ham United FC 0-4 Chelsea FC (Lampard (pen) 17, Joe Cole 20, Ballack 22, Ashley Cole 64)
Avram Grant: "We have good players, a good team and the players showed today what they have shown in more than 90 per cent of the games so I'm very happy. The squad showed a lot of spirit and passion for football, and that's what is important. I was very happy with the first half and very happy with the second; we were very mature and passed the ball well, but that's our team. We've shown a lot of strength over the last six months and again today." | Olympiacos CFP 1-1 Asteras Tripolis FC (Júlio César 2; Cardozo 33)
Panagiotis Lemonis: "We started very well, with an early goal, but after they equalised we didn't respond immediately. In the second half we could have scored but lacked calmness and the draw was inevitable in the end. We dropped two very important points. We no longer control our own destiny and must rely on other results. Nothing is finished, but we don't have time to think about it. Now, only the match against Chelsea matters. It will be a very different match from the one tonight, and we will explore our options." |
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