Chelsea was able to put the past behind them after returning to the Luzhniki Stadium for the first time since failing to win the Champions League there in 2008. Two first half goals from Nicholas Anelka and Yuri Zhirkov put the game out of reach by halftime. Chelsea have nearly reached the "10 point plateau" that is usually enough to qualify for the knockout stages, and will look to do so in the return leg between these two clubs at Stamford Bridge.
Lastly, was the face-off between Real Madrid and AC Milan at the Bernabeu in Madrid. Real got the start to the game that any team looks for when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a free kick in the 13th minute. Only one minute later, Ronaldo turned from scorer to provider and set up Mesut Ozil for Madrid's second goal. Although Milan had their share of chances to close the gap, Madrid proved too good for the Italian side. Milan will look to rebound when the two sides play again at the San Siro, in two weeks time. The match in Milan will be very important for the Italian team as they now are tied for second and looking to qualify for the knockout stages for the second year running.
Today, there are eight more games scheduled in the Champions League, which are: Inter Milan vs Tottenham, FC Twente vs Werder Bremen, Lyon vs Benefica, Schalke vs Hapoel Tel Aviv, Manchester United vs Bursaspor, Rangers vs Valencia, Barcelona vs Copenhagen, and Panathinaikos vs Rubin Kazan. The groups on this side have been a little more tightly contested, with some of the bigger clubs dropping unexpected points in the first couple groups. However, the likes of Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona will all be looking to get wins. In the United match, the team from Manchester will look to extend their lead at the top of the group after getting a big win against Valencia last time out. With Wayne Rooney out with an ankle injury, and soon to be departure from the club, United will look to the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Nani to lead the Reds to a much needed win.With their domestic form being far from perfect, this win could get United back on the right track.
The other marquee matchup of Wednesday's games will see Tottenham Hotspur travel to Milan and face the defending European champions, Inter Milan. With Rafael van der Vaart out with an injury, Spurs face a mighty task but look to continue their good run in their first ever Champions League season. So far, they have 4 points out of 6 and are tied for top of the group with Inter. This game could be a step in direction towards qualification, if the London side are able to get a result in Italy.
Yesterday, also featured two great matchups in the respective League Championship series', as the Giants faced off against the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS, and the Yankees faced off against the Rangers in Game 4 of the ALCS. Matt Cain took the mound for the Giants, and had a magnificent perfomance to lead the Giants to a 3-0 victory. They now hold a 2-1 series lead over the Phillies and look to extend that lead today in San Francisco.
As for the matchup in New York, the Yankees got out to an early lead but couldn't hold on. The much debated start of Yankees pitcher, AJ Burnett, ended up hurting the team in the end. He gave up 5 runs in 6 innings and without any help from the Yankees hitters, Burnett took the loss at Yankee Stadium. The Rangers' bats have been on fire this series and without one good inning from the Yankees in Game 1, the Texas side would have been closing out the Yankees in a sweep last night. The game finished 10-3, to the Rangers, and now the series stands at 3-1. The Yankees will send out their ace, CC Sabathia, in hope that he can help get the team back on track and send this game back to Texas. If CJ Wilson, Rangers pitcher, pitches like he did in Game 1, the Yankees could be staying home after tonight to think about a season that could have been something great. The New York team will be missing power hitter and golden glove first baseman, Mark Teixeira, after he pulled up with a hamstring injury, and will need to look to their bench for some production in that spot.
My personal favorite game from yesterday was between Real Salt Lake and Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions League, at Rio Tinto Stadium. I attended this match, and had the most personal tie to this one as well. It was the last match in the group stages, and both teams had already qualified for the knockout round. RSL had to win the game to win the group, and consequently, get home field advantage in the quarterfinals next spring. With a big match in the league this weekend, RSL fielded a reserve team and I didn't expect them to do well against the Mexican powerhouse. However, RSL was able to get the victory 3-1. Even though it was a home game for RSL, it felt as though we were the road team as more than half of the stadium was wearing blue and supported the team from Mexico. The atmosphere was electric and it probably was the most exciting RSL game that I have ever attended in my life (maybe the MLS Cup Final last year wasn't bad either). Paulo Jr, the young star from Brazil, made his first start for RSL and had 2 goals to lead the way. Colleen Warner also had a goal after an unbelievable individual move by RSL veteran, Andy Williams. It was great to see the players from Salt Lake play with such passion against a great side like Cruz Azul. It also showed how much this competition meant to the players, and the opportunity to showcase their talents at such a high level. With the win, RSL became the first MLS team to ever win the group in CCL history. I look forward to February, when the tournament will resume, and hope that RSL can become the first MLS team to ever win the competition. The draw for the quarterfinals will take place on November 1st.
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