MORSi ROAStS IRAN - Kuwait Times

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
MONACO: Fate largely smiled on Manchester United
and holders Chelsea in yesterday’s Champions League
draw, but Manchester City found themselves drawn
into a daunting group with Real Madrid, Ajax and
Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea, who beat Bayern Munich on penalties in
last season’s final to claim the trophy for the first time,
were drawn in Group E alongside Italian champions
Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Danish debutants
Nordsjaelland.
Juventus will be appearing in the Champions
League for the first time since the 2009-10 season and
are likely to present the strongest challenge to Roberto
di Matteo’s side.
United found themselves in similarly benign surroundings
in Group H, having been pitted against
Portugal’s SC Braga, Galatasaray of Turkey and
Romanians CFR-Cluj in the draw in Monaco.
However, manager Sir Alex Ferguson will not need
reminding that it was from a similarly straightforward
group-containing Benfica, FC Basel and Cluj’s domestic
rivals Otelul Gelati-that the three-time champions
failed to progress last season.
United, beaten 3-1 by Barcelona in the 2011 final,
are appearing in the group phase for a record 18th
time. As in 2011, this season’s final will also take place
at London’s Wembley Stadium, to mark the 150th
anniversary of the English Football Association.
City’s pool, Group D, unites the reigning champions
of England, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, and
is sure to be dubbed the ‘Group of Death’.
Roberto Mancini’s side were drawn in a similarly taxing
group last season and failed to reach the knockout
phase, with Bayern Munich and Napoli finishing above
them on their first appearance in the Champions
League. Along with Spain, England are one of only two
countries with four teams in the group phase and their
fourth representatives, Arsenal, will face Schalke,
Olympiacos and debutants Montpellier, the French
champions, in Group B.
Sports
Chelsea, United spared as Man City get difficult draw
Iniesta crowned
European
player of season
MONACO: Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder
Andres Iniesta received the UEFA Best Player
in Europe award yesterday after pipping
Cristiano Ronaldo and club-mate Lionel
Messi in a journalists’ poll.
It is his second major individual honour of
the summer, after he was named Player of
the Tournament for his role in Spain’s triumph
at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
The award was decided by 53 European
journalists who cast their votes during yesterday’s
Champions League group-stage draw
in Monaco. Iniesta, 28, received 19 votes,
with Ronaldo and Messi-the winner of last
year’s inaugurual prize-each receiving 17.
“I am very honoured and I dedicate this
award to my Barcelona and Spain teammates,”
said Iniesta, who received the award
from UEFA president Michel Platini.
“I am privileged to be here with two such
great footballers as Leo and Cristiano.” An
artful attacking midfielder, Iniesta has won
every major honor in the game with
Barcelona and Spain over the last four years
and notably scored the extra-time winner
against the Netherlands in the 2010 World
Cup final in South Africa.
Despite his success at Euro 2012, Iniesta
saw Barcelona miss out to Ronaldo’s Real
Madrid in last season’s La Liga title race,
while the Blaugrana also fell to eventual
champions Chelsea in the semi-finals of the
Champions League. — AFP
MONACO: Spanish player Andre Iniesta poses with the ‘UEFA Best Player in Europe 2012
Award’ yesterday in Monaco. — AFP
Real storm back to take Super Cup from Barca
MADRID: Real Madrid claimed their first Spanish
Super Cup in four years and a morale-boosting
success against their arch-rivals when Gonzalo
Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo struck in a 2-1
win against 10-man Barcelona on Wednesday.
The victory over error-prone Barca, who had
Adriano sent off in the 28th minute, meant the
tie finished 4-4 on aggregate after the Catalans
won last week’s first leg 3-2 at the Nou Camp
and Real took the trophy on the away goals rule.
It was a much-needed success for Jose
Mourinho’s side after they failed to win in their
opening three matches of the season and
crashed to a shock 2-1 defeat at city rivals
Getafe in La Liga on Sunday. Mourinho had
warned his players he wanted a vast improve-
ment and they responded with two goals inside
20 minutes thanks to poor Barca defending that
allowed first Higuain on 11 minutes and
Ronaldo eight minutes later to burst free and
score.
Lionel Messi gave Barca a chance of pulling
off an unlikely comeback when he curled in a
spectacular free kick from 30 metres moments
before the break. Pedro drew a brilliant save
from Iker Casillas and both sides had chances in
a frenetic ending but Real held firm to end
Barca’s three-year grip on the trophy.
The second-leg victory also broke Barca’s
seven-match unbeaten streak at the Bernabeu
and was Real’s first home win in a “Clasico” since
May 2008. “At the Nou Camp they had a chance
for a fourth goal and in the next move we
scored the one that kept us in with a chance,”
Casillas said in an interview with Spanish television.
“We dominated the first half and the match
in general, although we had to suffer a bit at the
end,” he added. “We were on a poor run and we
owed this to the fans. We haven’t started the
season well but some days you have good luck
and some you don’t.” Real’s opening goal came
when Javier Mascherano, playing his 100th
game for Barca, failed to clear a long ball from
Pepe and Higuain raced clear and fired a shot
under Victor Valdes. Mascherano’s central
defensive partner Gerard Pique was then at fault
for Real’s second.—Reuters
There was one other newcomer in the draw in the
shape of Malaga, who qualified by overcoming
Panathinaikos in the play-off round earlier this week.
The Spanish side were drawn in Group C with Zenit
Saint Petersburg, Anderlecht and seven-time champions
AC Milan, who will have been relieved to avoid a
more difficult group after a summer in which they lost
a glut of leading players. Barcelona, finalists in two of
the last four seasons, landed in Group G, where they
will have fellow former champions Benfica and Celtic
for company, as well as Spartak Moscow.
Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, will
fancy their chances of qualifying from a group that also
includes FC Porto, Dynamo Kiev and Dinamo Zagreb.
Last season’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich were
placed in Group F alongside Valencia, they team they
beat on penalties in the 2001 final, as well as Lille of
France and Belarusian outfit BATE Borisov. The opening
batch of group ties are scheduled for September
18/19. — AFP
Draw for the 2012-13 Champions League
group stage, held in Monaco yesterday:
Group A
Porto
Dynamo Kiev
Paris St Germain
Dinamo Zagreb
Group B
Arsenal
Schalke 04
Olympiakos Piraeus
Montpellier HSC
Group C
AC Milan
Zenit St Petersburg
Anderlecht
Malaga
Group D
Real Madrid
Manchester City
Ajax Amsterdam
Borussia Dortmund
Group E
Chelsea
Shakhtar Donetsk
Juventus
Nordsjaelland
Group F
Bayern Munich
Valencia
Lille
BATE Borisov
Group G
Barcelona
Benfica
Spartak Moscow
Celtic
Group H
Manchester United
Braga
Galatasaray
CFR Cluj
Champions League
First matches to be played Sept. 18 and
19.—Reuters