Penalties Failure Reason Sergio Ramos

 Sergio Ramos heavy burden as advanced as the executioner fourth time Real Madrid on penalties to Bayern Munich yesterday Thursday (27/4), not as expected the Madridista his shot flew high flew away.

Final dream to Los Blancos was officially over, so the next kicker Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger successful trick Casillas, Real Madrid at the Bernabeu was slammed.

And its failure to mention the Ramos finally go to vote, he called it all merely his misfortune though there are also enormous pressure as he took it.

"This failure is painful because we have been close to the final round. Unfortunately we were eliminated on penalties," open ramos in realmadrid.com.

"I do not think a player who failed to be censured. I have not failed to fulfill penalty lucky that I do, but I am confident and will try it later on. You obviously feel tremendous pressure,"

"We really hope to qualify for the finals, Adu penalty is not predictable," said the former Sevilla player who had defended it.

I would welcome the opportunity to play in La Liga

 I enjoy how Madrid plays and it would be a big accomplishment for Jose Mourinho to win the Champions League with three teams (Porto, Inter and Madrid).

A lot of people ask who is better between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I don't think they should be compared. Just because they are the best two players in the game, I don't think it's that easy to compare the two because they don't play the same position and they have completely different styles.

I think the one edge I'd give to Ronaldo is that he has put up big numbers in both England and Spain. Messi has had the comfort of playing with the same players his entire career. 

It's fair to say that Barcelona is possibly one of the greatest teams , if not the greatest, ever put together. I wonder how he would do on another team in a different league. I'm not saying that he wouldn't be good but I think we need to see him do it in a different environment.  I wonder if he could put up 50 goals a season without three of the best passers in the game in Xavi, Andres Iniesta and now Cesc Fabregas.

So that's one area where Ronaldo edges Messi. I also believe that in order for Messi to be considered the greatest player ever, he has to win the World Cup.

Personally, my favorite player currently is Zlatan Ibrahimovic from AC Milan. I've always liked him because he's really different as a player. He's a big guy that still has moves and is fast.  

A lot of people make the argument that bigger guys in soccer are at a disadvantage. I think being big or small has its advantages in the game. Marking a smaller guy can be tough because they are so low to the ground and quick that it's difficult to tell which direction that player is going. But being a bigger guy, I can body players easier and it's an advantage in the air. There's definitely strengths to both.

One criticism is that tall guys or Americans aren't a good fit in La Liga, I disagree.

I think it is a challenge that tall guys need to welcome and prove to the world that they to can play there.  For me it would be an adjustment, but I think that is the case in any league around the world.  Everyone needs some time to get situated and learn the certain nuances of particular league. 

This is a challenge that I would love to have and welcome with open arms if the opportunity ever came about in my career.  It is a very technical league and I have the upmost respect for anyone that can dominate in Spain.

Till next week,  

Chelsea Now Being Favorites For Escaped

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola admitted Chelsea are now favorites to win the Champions League final 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
A single goal from Didier Drogba before the break could make the difference between the two teams. Goal is to provide capital for the west London club to reach the second leg at the Nou Camp next week.
"Chelsea is now a favorite, but we have 90 minutes ahead and we must strive to do our best to get through," said Guardiola told reporters at a press conference after the match.
From the statistics released by uefa.com, Barcelona look to dominate the game with 72% possession throughout the game. Many golden opportunities created, several times Lionel Messi, Sanchez, Fabregas and Iniesta almost breaking goalkeeper Cech but there is a fruitful sayangtidak goals. But Guardiola remains upbeat, Barcelona will be able to repeat it in the Nou Camp and scored.
"Our goal is to create 24 chances like we did today and score a goal. We have to take more of the same risks, but I have told my players that if we can create opportunity today, then we will also be able to do so in Camp Nou, "said the coach who was rumored to be moving to Chelsea.

Will Barca at Camp Nou sure Escaped

 Although narrowly defeated in the first leg 1-0, but Victor Valdes is still unsure if Barcelona will advance to the Champions League final this season. Early this morning, Barca were forced to swallow their first defeat in the Champions League this season when they travel to Chelsea headquarters on the first leg semifinal.

La Blaugrana dominated the game from beginning to end, but failed to capitalize on their dominance into a goal. In contrast, the Blues striker Didier Drogba managed to maximize feedback Ramires into a goal at the end of the first half.

As a result of this defeat, Barca opportunity to defend the trophy which they seized last season is now shrinking. But Valdes believes if his team can turn things around is the second leg at Camp Nou later.

"We believe if we can reverse the deficit this goal," said Valdes told reporters after the game. "We created lots of chances to score goals and we should not forget how to do it."

"We will leverage our opportunities in the second leg to the final and I think we will maximize our chances, no matter what happens later," said Valdes.

Before hosting Chelsea in the second leg later, Barca also the arrival of other guests who are not less formidable. This weekend, Camp Nou will be a main point of prestige-laden duel, El Clasico brings Barca with their nemesis, Real Madrid.

Might Mute Chelsea Barca

Chelsea managed to reduce the greatness of the game Barcelona. A single goal from Didier Drogba managed to beat Barca at Stamford Bridge camp.The first chance for Chelsea occurred at minute 11. A corner kick to make the ball passes in front of the Barca goal. Chelsea could be superior if John Terry and Gary Cahill was able to greet the ball well. Eventually the ball just wide of the goal Barca.Petr Cech played charming two golden opportunities to derail Barca at minute 26 and 28. Cech thwart the action of a header from Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi. Barca attempt to attack the Chelsea goalkeeper is often doomed to failure.Chelsea's defense played well in this match. Have an opportunity on 43 minutes Cesc Fabregas in the end was foiled by Ashley Cole. Received a pass from Messi managed by Fabregas. He managed to outwit Petr Cech but the ball eventually successfully blocked by Cech before Chelsea past the goal line.The long-awaited goal of public Stamford Bridge finally happened at the end of the first half. Ramires captivating action of making it able to pass through the Barca defense. An assist from Ramires finally well done by Didier Drogba. Score 1-0 to Chelsea last until halftime.Chelsea players are working hard to maintain their superiority. A chance of Adriano in the 50th minute was foiled by Cech. Adriano unleashing a shot from distance but the ball finally got pushed over with difficulty by Cech.Both teams fought equally hard in this game. Some attacks are carefully constructed by Barca only failed after tight defense against Chelsea. Captivating effort from Messi and Fabregas still foiled Chelsea's defense.Messi dropped by Ramires area right in front of the penalty box on 69 minutes. A free kick awarded by referee to Barca. Luckily for Chelsea because Xavi free kick was floated over the crossbar.Barca controlled the game. Chelsea only occasionally tried to attack Barca goalkeeper. A counter-attack from Chelsea on 79 minutes was a fiasco after Drogba failed to send a feed cooked ahead goal Barca.Barca have a chance on 86 minutes. A free kick from Messi makes the ball leads right to the front of the goal. Puyol had menanduknya but Cech had brushed it off with great difficulty.Chelsea really was shaded luck in this game. A golden opportunity Barca in the final minute of extra time was a fiasco. Messi tried to steal the ball but Chelsea managed to keep the ball from him. The ball just fell to the foot of Pedro, but the ball hit the goalpost kick was Chelsea. The ball rebound fell to the foot of Sergio Busquets but the ball just floated his shot high over the Chelsea goal.Last chance Busquets is finally complete failure of Barca. Nothing created more goal until the game ends. Drogba scored for Chelsea became an important capital when a visit to the Nou Camp next week.Statistics Chelsea - BarcelonaControl of the ball: 21% - 79%Shot (on goal): 4 (1) - 24 (6)Corner: 1-8Violation: 12-9Offside: 5-2Yellow cards: 2-2Red card: 0-0Rescue: 6-0

Manning, Broncos open vs Steelers

 Manning's first game as Broncos quarterback will come in prime time as Denver hosts Pittsburgh on the opening Sunday of the NFL season. The four-time MVP was released by Indianapolis after missing the 2011 season following neck surgery. After conducting a four-city lottery for his services, Manning landed in Denver, which hasn't won a Super Bowl since his new boss, John Elway, was behind center.
''We're excited about that. Anytime you have a guy behind the center named Peyton Manning, you're going to get a lot of attention,'' Elway said.
Manning won't have an easy assignment against the Steelers, who ranked first in overall defense and against the pass last year.
''The opening game in Denver obviously will be an interesting way to start the season,'' Steelers President Art Rooney said. ''There will be a lot of attention paid to Peyton Manning's first game with the Denver Broncos, so it'll be exciting to start out that way.''
Pittsburgh's season ended in Denver in January when Tim Tebow threw an 80-yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime in their wild-card playoff game. Manning presents a whole different challenge.
''Hopefully we can back up the playoff game that we had last year,'' Elway said.
Steelers at Broncos is one of four prime-time games in the league's kickoff week, Sept. 5-10. The schedule, released Tuesday, has the Super Bowl champion Giants hosting the Cowboys in the first Wednesday NFL game since 1948; the league moved the game to avoid a conflict with President Barack Obama's Thursday night speech at the Democratic National Convention.
''We will have a week-in and week-out challenge, not only in who we play, but with the different elements of our schedule,'' Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. ''We play on four different days and we have five night games. Our first three games are Wednesday-Sunday-Thursday. We play two road night games early, come home for a week and then go to San Francisco. Our people are going to have to be really good about it.''
The now-traditional Monday night opening doubleheader has Cincinnati at Baltimore, followed by San Diego at Oakland.
A juicy opening-day matchup features San Francisco at Green Bay; the teams combined to go 28-4 in 2011. New Orleans, still awaiting league punishment to its players for the bounty program that targeted opponents for dangerous hits, hosts Washington.
The Saints have a bye after their fifth game, which means interim coach Joe Vitt will actually miss seven weeks during his six-game suspension for his role in the bounty system.
A 14-week package of Thursday night games begins in Week 2 with Chicago at Green Bay. All but one of those games will be on NFL Network, which now has games from September until December instead of just the second half of the schedule.
The other Thursday night game is on Thanksgiving on NBC: New England at the New York Jets, Tebow's new team. Earlier that holiday, Houston is at Detroit, then Washington at Dallas.
Two Sunday games will be played outside the United States. St. Louis hosts New England on Oct. 28 in London, while Buffalo hosts Seattle on Dec. 16 in Toronto.
Byes occur from Weeks 4 through 11. Beginning in Week 11, the league will have flex scheduling for the Sunday night game. Tentatively scheduled for the first prime-time game that could be flexed are the Ravens at Steelers.
Houston has one of the stranger schedules, with a month at home (Green Bay, Baltimore, bye, and Buffalo), and three straight road games (at Detroit on Thanksgiving, at Tennessee, at New England). Plus, the Texans play the Colts twice in the last three weeks.
''Those division games just carry so much weight,'' coach Gary Kubiak said. ''We've always had some big games against those guys. Hopefully, we've got ourselves in position right there, that those games are really, really big games for both of us and we can take care of our business.''
In all, 10 teams have three consecutive home games, while Green Bay and Houston are the only clubs with three straight road trips.
''As far as playing three on the road, I don't look at that as an extraordinary challenge,'' coach Mike McCarthy said of Green Bay's first such string since 1998. ''It is always challenging, period, when you go on the road.''
The wild-card weekend is Jan 5-6, followed the next weekend by the divisional round, then by the conference championships on Jan. 20, The Super Bowl is Feb. 3 in New Orleans, televised by CBS.
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AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton in Denver and AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan in Newark, N.J., contributed to this story.

Rockingham Success Should Start a Trend

For once, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was the biggest thing going in a weekend. That, in and of itself, may be the best takeaway from a nostalgia-filled return of NASCAR's third-level series to one of the sport's most traditional tracks.

There were many aspects to enjoy from NASCAR's much-anticipated return to Rockingham Speedway (formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway). The venerable track and iconic black press box looked the part on television; the grandstands filled beyond what many expected – NASCAR listed Sunday's attendance at 27,500 – and the race itself was pretty solid, too, as Kasey Kahne slip-slided to his fourth NCWTS win in five tries. Andy Hillenburg, Rockingham's affable track owner, even got perfect weather with bright sun peering through spotty clouds in the Richmond County, N.C., sky.

It was the perfect venue, the perfect day and the perfect result for the NASCAR's truck racers who are too often the minor cog in NASCAR's big machine. And if I can have any influence on the NASCAR brain trust, I'd say it should be a lesson in how the two Sprint Cup undercards should be treated on future schedules.

This season, Rockingham is one of three tracks where the NCWTS will race as the headliner during it's 22-race schedule. Eighteen events will either pair the truck series as a warmup act for Sprint Cup, Nationwide or IndyCar race weekends.

Don't get me wrong: there's some good exposure offered to the NCWTS (and that Nationwide Series, for that matter) by partnering with Sprint Cup for a race weekend. More Cup drivers seem to cross ranks and a large crowd for the Cup race invariably results in more tickets sold for the support events.

But there's a point where both of those series should be allowed to stand more on their own and ideally succeed like the trucks did at Rockingham Sunday. And by doing so, NASCAR may find themselves opening new doors in new markets – or, in the case of Rockingham – coming back to ones that have missed the product. Mostly, though, it would give the feeder series a way to avoid being caught in the Sprint Cup blender – affording drivers and teams to take more of the spotlight.

The idea is certainly not easy to implement right away. Standalone events are a tougher sell, with some tracks having closed down because they couldn't draw without the Cup Series. But there are still venues, both and old new, that could be worth a shot with the right promoter and the right regional excitement like Rockingham has. And while we're at it, why not change things up in a sure-fire way to generate buzz? Let's get one or both series to race on a dirt track in 2013. Eldora would sell out in minutes.

Rockingham was a splendid cap to a mostly decent weekend for NASCAR after the Sprint Cup Series finished the two-night show at Texas Motor Speedway. It was a breath of fresh air to the truck series and came at a point in the schedule where nearly everyone in the industry had a chance to step back and see the likes of Nelson Piquet Jr., James Buescher and Parker Kligerman fight their way around the tricky one mile.

There's a lot to like with NASCAR's return to Rockingham. Let's hope we see more.

HOT: Two weeks ago, I wrote that Greg Biffle wasn't impressing me despite leading the points. I was wrong. That's a big win for the No. 16 team.

NOT: You've got to think the temperature of Joey Logano's seat at Joe Gibbs Racing is continuing a steadily rise. The No. 20 hasn't sniffed the top 10 since Phoenix and has finished 16th or worse in every race since. There's a lot sponsor money from Home Depot and Dollar General riding on his car, especially with Kurt Busch looming over the 2013 NASCAR Silly Season.

HOT: Admittedly, I would've liked a caution somewhere in the final 234 laps of Saturday night's race to bring the field together and create some drama. That said, I'm beyond impressed that 35 or so drivers were able to sling around Texas' 1.5-miles without incident for over two hours. I'd bet many had quite a lazy day Sunday in recovery.

HOT: Are you still waiting for Michael Waltrip Racing to crack? If so, I don't blame you. We've been conditioned to expect it by now. But they aren't, and it's time to start thinking of Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. as Chase contenders.

NEUTRAL: Tony Stewart and his No. 14 team just never found the handle of TMS and it showed with his surprising 24th-place run. Smoke fans shouldn't be too worried. He'll bounce back.

NOT: Aside from his Watkins Glen win in 2011, it seems any time Marcos Ambrose gets close to a good finish a small problem takes away the chance. Saturday night, Ambrose raced up front all night until his No. 9 ran out of fuel in final laps.

HOT: 2011 Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., now has two wins, four top-5s and five top-10s in that series' first six races. His Sprint Cup future appears very bright.

NEUTRAL: Some driver in a bright green car moved from 17th to 8th in Friday night's 300-miler at Texas. Yep, Danica Patrick led the charge for the JR Motorsports team that included some guy named Earnhardt.

HOT: Nelson Piquet Jr. watched his chances at his first NCTWS victory slip away Sunday at Rockingham Speedway thanks to a pit road speeding penalty during the final caution flag. Still, he finished 7th and led over 100 laps. But his best move of the day came after he climbed from his Chevrolet and complimented how great Rockingham was to drive. It's a line that should printed on the wall of every NASCAR executive.

"I think the good thing about Rockingham is that the tires fall off so fast and you have to really race these trucks a lot," Piquet said. "The whole race, you're on the edge and I think that's what makes a great race. I was really happy with that part of it. I wish we had more races like these."

Tires that had a regular wear pattern and an abrasive surface put the race in the drivers' hands at Rockingham. When you do that, races become a lot more fun to watch.