Re: The All New PES5 Master League Thread.
UEFA Champions League 2007/08 Update...
Bayern Suffer Shock Exit
The knockout stages of the Champions League will look very different this season, because the famous name of Bayern Munich will for once be missing. Bayern crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat last night at home to Ascoli, newcomers to the European stage and mere minnows compared to Germany's most successful club.
The unexpected loss leaves Bayern four points adrift at the bottom of Group A, and with only one fixture remaining that is where the four-times European champions will stay. The loyal fans packed into the Alianz Arena last night would have been hoping for more, but Simone Motta's first-half strike proved enough to cause the upset and heap pressure on Felix Magath.
Even more disappointing for Bayern is that their visitors were worthy of the points. While the listless home side seemed to struggle to get a grip on the game, Ascoli set out with a snarl and made sure that they would never let their opponents settle. Matteo Brighi was cautioned early on for a dreadful scything tackle on Jens Jeremies, who was stretchered off for treatment and would later require substitution, but this was symptomatic of the way that Brighi and Cristiano were able to wrestle control of the centre of midfield. Brighi himself, perhaps lucky to still be on the pitch, then sent the energetic Valerio Virga racing beyond the defence and his squared pass found Motta for a composed sidefoot finish past Rensing.
Despite the best efforts of Schweinsteiger on the left and Lucio prompting from the back, Bayern were unable to claw back the deficit. The Italian back line was marshalled well by Matteo Contini and they were able to sacrifice an attacker for an extra defensive midfielder, a move designed to keep Bayern at bay while time ticked away. The Munich faithful are not used to their European campaign ending until much later in the season, and surely now nothing less than another Bundesliga title will earn their forgiveness.
In the other game in Group A, Real Madrid overcame Inter's challenge to notch their fourth win and seal an early position in the knockout stages as group winners.