Lionel Messi, Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-1 to win Champions League soccer title

Barcelona, led by Lionel Messi, beat Manchester United 3-1 on Saturday to earn its third Champions League title in six seasons and No. 4 overall.
"Lionel is the best player I've seen and probably the best I'll ever see," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said.
Messi conjured up a 54th-minute solo strike from the edge of the penalty area as the Spanish team took the lead for the second time. The Argentine striker later assisted on David Villa's goal before 87,695 at London's Wembley Stadium.
"They mesmerize you with their passing, and we never did control Messi," United's Alex Ferguson said. "In my time as manager, it's the best team I've faced."
Barcelona's Pedro Rodriguez scored midway through the first half before United's Wayne Rooney tied it in the 34th minute.
Michael Arroyo's goal in the 37th minute helped Ecuador tie Mexico 1-1 before 50,305 at Seattle's Qwest Field. Mexico's Jorge Torres Nilo scored in the seventh minute.
Mohamed bin Hammam withdrew from FIFA's presidential election after being accused of corruption. The Qatari challenger to incumbent Sepp Blatter had been accused of seeking to bribe voters on a campaign visit to the Caribbean. Bin Hammam, Blatter and FIFA vice president Jack Warner will face an ethics hearing Sunday in Geneva. The election was set for Wednesday.

Meet the man in the middle for the Champions League final - Viktor Kassai

Since first setting his heart on refereeing, Viktor Kassai has broken numerous records due to the speed of his rise to the top, and tonight he will become the youngest man ever to take charge of a Champions League final when Barcelona face Manchester United at Wembley.

His selection for this evening's showpiece clash, which was announced on Thursday, comes after a serious of lauded displays both in the Champions League this season and in last summer's World Cup finals. And he has beaten off the challenge of other more noted and more experienced officials off the back of some excellent performances.

"A Champions League final is an absolutely top match, so we can expect a celebration of football," Kassai said to Uefa.com.

"I hope all the spectators in the stadium and watching on TV will enjoy the match, and I hope it'll be a nice game."

Kassai passed his refereeing exams in June 1990 at the age of just 14, and less than three years later he was officiating in Hungarian football's fourth tier. It wasn't long before his qualities were being utilised at the highest domestic level either, as he became the youngest man to take charge of an NB1 match at the age of just 23 in a game between Zalaegerszeg and BVSC.

By 25, the sales manager refereed his first international match in the Uefa Regions Cup in Eastern Slovakia and by 2005 he was being selected by higher profile international tournaments. In 2008 he was on the reserve list for the European Championships, and his biggest achievement to date came later that year when he was given the chance to lead out the sides in the Olympic final between Argentina and Nigeria. His reputation continued to flourish, and last year he was chosen to officiate at the World Cup in South Africa, where he oversaw four fixtures, including the semi-final between Germany and Spain.

In the Hungarian League, the showpiece game of the season between Ujpest and Ferencvaros, dubbed as the ‘Hungarian Derby’, is always officiated by Kassai nowadays as his ability is considered to be far in advance of anything else on offer in the country. The Hungarian Derby is always a tasty affair, but with Kassai’s calm and assurance, the games always seem to run freely, with things very rarely getting tipped over the edge.

UEFA Champions League Final, 2011: Viktor Kassai Appointed Referee

UEFA announced today that 35-year-old Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai has been selected to referee the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Kassai has been a FIFA referee since 2003 and is widely considered to be a world class official.

Kassai was the referee in the 2010 World Cup semifinal game between Spain and Germany, which had about as little referee controversy as any game I can remember from the World Cup. His other career highlight is refereeing the 2008 Olympic gold medal match. Englishman Howard Webb was the referee in last year's Champions League final and the World Cup final, but seeing as Manchester United is an English club, Webb is ineligible to referee this match.

Kassai has called three Manchester United matches in his career, all resulting in wins for United. The most recent one of those was a match against Valencia at the Mestalla in the Champions League group stages, in which Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez scored a stoppage time winner in a 1-0 win over Los Che.

For news, opinion, and feature articles leading up to the UEFA Champions League final, bookmark this StoryStream and check it often. We'll have new posts right here throughout the week, during the game, and after the game. For more on the entire world of footy, check out SB Nation Soccer. Manchester United fans should head over to The Busby Babe, while Barcelona fans should check out Barca Blaugranes.

Spurs facing defensive injury crisis ahead of Real Madrid tie

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is facing up to the prospect of taking on one of the most feared attacks in world football with just two fit central defenders.

Just five days ahead of the club's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid, Spurs have been plunged into an injury crisis in defence.

Redknapp revealed today that club captain Ledley King requires a second operation on the groin problem that has kept him out of action since October, while William Gallas suffered a knee injury that could rule him out of Tuesday's game at the Bernabeu.

With Younes Kaboul out with a thigh strain and Jonathan Woodgate sidelined by a calf injury, Redknapp only has Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong fit to play at Wigan this weekend.


With the biggest match in the club's history against a Real Madrid team consisting of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema just around the corner, Redknapp admits his defensive troubles are a big concern to him.

"We started the year with six central defenders here. Now we have two," Redknapp told Sky Sports News.

"We have lost Ledley King, it looks like he will have to have an operation that will finish his season.

"Jonathan Woodgate was making good progress but got a calf injury in a friendly against Barnet and Younes Kaboul is still out with a thigh strain.

"William Gallas has been for a scan on his knee today. He struggled at the weekend and we are now down to having just Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong."



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UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal Preview: Barcelona Vs. Shakhtar Donetsk

Well, the Champions League draw seems to have favoured Barcelona and not the English clubs, which conspiracy theorists will say doesn’t surprise them.

Having said that, Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk is a pretty handy draw for the Catalans. One of the best sides left in the tournament, Barcelona, has been handed one of the easiest teams left in the tournament, on paper that is.

They play an attack minded Ukrainian side full of confidence and not lacking in talent. They beat a much fancied Arsenal to top their group and then dumped Roma out of the competition in the last 16, winning both home and away comprehensively.

Many pundits are calling this as a stern test for Barcelona with the winners meeting Jose Mourinho or a Gareth Bale led Tottenham side

Both teams have netted 18 goals in the tournament so far, so you could not have asked for a more competitive quarterfinal.

Barcelona topped their Group D, a relatively easy group compared to that of Shakhtar with the likes of Rubin Kazan, Panathinaikos and FC Copenhagen, while Shakhtar had a much fancied Arsenal side alongside AC Braga and FK Partizan. Shakhtar's only defeat in the tournament came through the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates, where Barcelona lost as well

The teams have met three times, and the results have been too tight, so that already provides a number quite close—and yes, the Ukrainians have beaten Barcelona at Camp Nou!—so things will not be any easier for the Catalan team.

In the UEFA Super Cup Final, Barcelona beat Shakhtar 1-0 with a Pedro Rodríguez goal deep in extra time in Monaco. The previous season they also played in the UEFA Champions League group stages, both games finishing as away wins—Guardiola’s side triumphing 2-1 in Ukraine with Lionel Messi’s added-time winner but losing 3-2 at home.

Unlike three-time champions Barcelona, who would face Real Madrid CF in the semifinals if both win their ties, Shakhtar are in the last eight for the first time. Lucescu, though, would rather have drawn someone else.

"Of course, it will be very difficult to face Barcelona, they are undoubted favourites in this tie. We are perfectly aware of how Barça like to play, though we are not a secret to them as well. For a club from eastern Europe, being among the last eight in the Champions League is a fantastic achievement. But we are not going to finish here and will do our best to go further

It would be a 'dream' to return to Liverpool - Rafael Benitez

Rafael Benitez has admitted that he harbours a "dream" of returning to manage Liverpool.

The Spaniard parted ways with the club last summer, after an underwhelming campaign that saw the Reds miss out on a Champions League place.

The Merseyside outfit brought in Roy Hodgson from Fulham, but have since replaced him with club legend Kenny Dalglish - who was the last manager to guide the club to the league title.

Meanwhile, the ex-Valencia boss succeeded Jose Mourinho at Inter, but has since left the Italian club after a poor start to the season.

Now he admits that a return to the Reds would be a dream come true, but admits that current boss Dalglish is doing a good job.

"I am really proud of being the manager of Liverpool Football Club and I would like to come back in the future," Benitez told Sky Sports News.

"You never know [when] because Kenny is doing a really good job. It's a question of time. You never know in the future.

"It would be a dream. I would be really pleased to come back in the future."

Benitez also conceded that he is ready to manage another club in England, but hinted that he would not entertain offers from either Everton or Manchester United.

He said: "Fans in Liverpool know the teams I would not go [to] but I think these clubs wouldn't offer me a job.

"I'm a professional but obviously some clubs I would not go to, especially the big rivals of Liverpool. I won't say the names, but it's not difficult!"

Van Persie: Barca should stop nagging

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie claims he was disappointed by the constant 'complaining' of the Barcelona players when the two sides met in the Champions League.

Van Persie was sent off for kicking the ball away after an offside decision having earlier been booked for a scuffle with Dani Alves, and the Dutchman also caused tempers to flare with a tackle on Lionel Messi that saw Barcelona defender Eric Abidal grab him by the throat.

Arsenal lost the game 3-1 to crash out of the competition on aggregate and now Van Persie claims he was annoyed by the overall behaviour of the Catalan giants' players, likening them to Chelsea in England.

"I really didn't understand all the fuss about the foul I committed on [Lionel] Messi. Everybody got angry with me, but I didn't treat him any different than I treat other opponents. Nobody would have complained about it if I fouled Mascherano," Van Persie told De Telegraaf.

"Meanwhile, the Barcelona players tend to nag about everything that happens on the pitch. I was a bit disappointed with that. It's something that the Chelsea players do in England.

"Barcelona are still a fantastic team, but they should really stop nagging and complaining that much. That is becoming extremely annoying on the pitch."