Pro Eleven Headline News
O'Shea gives Man Utd slender advantage
Manchester United will carry a slim 1-0 lead into their second leg of their all-English Champions League semifinal against Arsenal.
A John O'Shea goal after 18 minutes was all the defending champions had to show despite dominating Wednesday's first leg at Old Trafford.
But the manner of their performance will encourage them to believe they can book a place in the final in Rome on May 27 and remain on course to repeat their feat of last season in winning the Champions League and English Premier League.
United started by far the brighter, playing with a high tempo in front of their own fans and it was not long before Manuel Almunia was forced into a brilliant one-handed save to deny Wayne Rooney from Darren Fletcher's cross.
On 16 minutes a cross from the right by O'Shea found Carlos Tevez who was denied by more Almunia heroics, the follow-up effort being parried behind.
From the resulting corner, the ball found its way to Michael Carrick at the far post, the midfielder sending the ball back in via a deflection for O'Shea to score with a first time shot into the roof of the net.
United continued to dominate possession and it took a brilliant reaction save from Almunia to prevent Cristiano Ronaldo scoring from point blank range with a header after a cross from the ever-dangerous Tevez.
The second half followed a similar pattern, but with O'Shea denied the acres of space he was enjoying down the right flank in the first half, United created fewer chances.
The best fell to Ronaldo who sprinted forward just after the hour mark to send a swerving shot past Almunia which rattled the crossbar.
Ryan Giggs came on as a second half substitute for United, his 800th appearance for the Red Devils, and had the ball in the net, but his effort was ruled out by a fractional offside decision.
Substitute Niklas Bendtner had Arsenal's best opening as the tall striker was first to a free kick but could not deflect his header into the goal.
Goal hero O'Shea said they were satisfied with their night's work.
"Their keeper made a couple of great saves but from the first-half we could have been a couple more up," the Ireland defender told Sky Sports.
"Overall though we have to be happy. We are more than capable of scoring an away goal at the Emirates but it is far from over." CNN
Domestic battles to decide UEFA Cup final places
Hamburg SV are brimming with confidence ahead of their UEFA Cup semi-final against Werder Bremen on Thursday despite losing a German Cup penalty shootout to their opponents last week, coach Martin Jol said.
"They have yet to beat us. We played a 2-1 in the league and then a 1-1 in the Cup," Jol told reporters. "We will go to Bremen with lots of confidence."
Hamburg midfielder Piotr Trochowski said they wanted revenge for their Cup defeat.
"Bremen are not better than us. Look at where they are in the Bundesliga. We have played a superb season and maybe we will get our revenge in the UEFA Cup."
The northern German derby is not the only domestic battle in the last four.
Ukraine's top two sides meet in the country's capital as Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk extend their long rivalry to European competition.
Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf, whose team are 10th in the Bundesliga, for once does not have any serious injury concerns apart from defender Petri Pasanen who is doubtful for the first leg through a foot injury.
Hamburg's title hopes suffered a blow after a 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday left them three points off top spot in fifth place.
FITNESS WORRIES
Jol has fitness worries over Croatian striker Mladen Petric who needed stitches in a shin injury after the Werder Cup defeat.
Dynamo, who eliminated compatriots Metalist Kharkiv in the last 16, hold a 12-point lead over second-placed Shakhtar in the Ukrainian championship and have a good recent home record against their rivals.
Midfielder Roman Yeryomenko (cold) and forward Artyom Kravets (leg injury) are battling to be fit for the opening leg.
"We hope Yeryomenko's condition is not too serious and he will be ready. Kravets, however, remains a question mark. We want him to examined by doctors abroad -- only then will we be able to give an assessment," Dynamo coach Yuri Syomin told the club's website (fcdynamo.kiev.ua).
Shakhtar, in their first European semi-final, won the previous league match between the two clubs this season 1-0 in Donetsk in November.
Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu, who signed a new two-year contract after the quarter-final victory over Olympique Marseille, already has one eye on the return leg in Donetsk on May 7 with the Romanian unhappy about the state of the pitch at the club's Olimpiyskyy stadium.
"The pitch at Olimpiyskyy is destroying our play. As a coach, I feel ashamed to make my players perform on a pitch like this," he told the club's website (shakhtar.com).
"They are unable to launch a decent attack and allow the opponents to keep all 11 men behind the ball. The basis of our play is technique and pace." Guardian.co.uk
