Irish involvement in Moscow Stadium
The UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea will be played on a Moscow pitch installed by an Irish company. The historic match at the Luzhniki Stadium will take place on a natural grass pitch constructed by Support In Sport (SIS), the company with offices in Sligo, Cumbria (UK) and Holland.
It is the fourth time SIS have installed a UEFA Champions League Final pitch. Chief Executive Officer George Mullan, from Sligo, said: 'We were delighted to be called in and won the contract after a tender process involving companies from Holland, Germany and Austria."
Originally there was a synthetic pitch in the stadium for the England-Russia game in December 2007 but this was overlaid with a grass pitch grown on a palletised system. This surface was not considered suitable for the Champions League Final and was removed, leaving the pallets in place. 'After we were called in we laser-levelled the sand surface over the pallets before bringing in 8,000 square metres of turf grown in Slovakia to lay over the pallet system,' added Mullan. A fleet of 28 refrigerated trucks took seven days to transport the turf 1,800 kilometres (1,120 miles) from Slovakia to Moscow.
In Moscow a team of 10 SIS crew installed the turf over two days, the same crew who installed the Champions League Final pitches at Barcelona (1999), Hampden Park (2002) and Schalke04 (2004). SIS has designed and constructed sports surfaces throughout Europe and for some of Europe's leading clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United, Glasgow Celtic, Ajax and Benfica.
RTE 2008
UEFA Champions League Final pitch installed by British company in Moscow
THE FIRST all-England UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea will be played on a Moscow pitch installed by a British company. This historic match (on May 21) at the Luzhniki Stadium will take place on a natural grass pitch constructed by Support In Sport (SIS), the company with offices in Cumbria, Ireland and Holland.
It is the fourth time SIS have installed a UEFA Champions League Final pitch. Chief Executive Officer George Mullan says: "We were delighted to be called in and won the contract after a tender process involving companies from Holland, Germany and Austria."
Originally there was a synthetic pitch in the stadium for the England-Russia game in December 2007 but this was overlaid with a grass pitch grown on a palletised system. This surface was not considered suitable for the Champions League Final and was removed, leaving the pallets in place.
"After we were called in we laser-levelled the sand surface over the pallets before bringing in 8,000 square metres of turf grown in Slovakia," said George.
A fleet of 28 refrigerated trucks took seven days to transport the turf 1,800 kilometres (1,120 miles) from Slovakia to Moscow. In Moscow a team of 10 SIS crew installed the turf over two days, the same crew who installed the Champions League Final pitches at Amsterdam (1999), Hampden Park (2002) and Schalke04 (2003). SIS were called in by Russian company Sportmechanics, who had installed the 6,800 pallets of the ITM system in Luzhniki Stadium.
"The operation went very smoothly," said George Mullan. "The surface was levelled using box grade lasers to deliver levels that will allow both teams to play a passing game. After two days working on the pitch we handed it back to Sportmechanics and their head groundsman Matt Frost."
The Russian football authorities say they are delighted with the resulting surface and UEFA officials report that the pitch meets all their requirements for top-level football. SIS has designed and constructed sports surfaces throughout Europe and for some of Europe's leading clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United, Glasgow Celtic, Ajax and Benfica. Sports surfaces by SIS include natural grass and synthetic turf (which the company manufactures in Cumbria) and the company is also the official distributor of Team Sports products in Europe, including FIFA-approved products. Natural turf is grown by SIS specifically to order for individual pitches and sports stadiums on farms in the UK, Portugal and Germany.
1999-2008 Daryl Willcox Publishing Ltd Melrose House
UEFA Champions League finale a morale boost for supporters
England is back with a vengeance. And this time, they took no prisoners. For the first time in 52 years, the final of the UEFA Champions League will be played between two English clubs: Manchester United and Chelsea. It is also only the third time in the history of the European club competition in which the two final teams share the same nation.
It is also serves as some consolation to English football supporters, whose morale took quite a beating after the national team failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Last Tuesday, Man U punched their ticket to the final in Moscow, dispatching Spanish club FC Barcelona 1-0 after 33-year old former English national team member Paul Scholes scored just his second goal in all competitions this year in the 14th minute. This came after a horrendous giveaway by Barca defender Gianluca Zambrotta from 25 yards out. Scholes scooped up the errant pass and drove a rising shot into the top right corner of the net, beating Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
"There was a moment of quality from a fantastic player," United captain Rio Ferdinand said after the game. "What a goal."
That goal gave the Red Devils a 1-0 aggregate win, after the two teams played to a scoreless draw in the first leg at Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium. Chelsea will join United in Moscow on May 21 after winning an extra-time thriller over Liverpool. After goals by Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Liverpool's Fernando Torres during regulation, the game went into extra time. Michael Ballack of Chelsea was tackled roughly in the box by Liverpool's Sami Hyypia in the 98th minute, and Frank Lampard made no mistake from the penalty spot, giving Chelsea a lead they would never relinquish. The goal was especially important for Lampard, who dedicated it to his mother, Pat, who died of pneumonia last week. After the goal, an emotional Lampard took off his black armband he was wearing in honour of his mother, kissed it, and pointed with both hands to the sky. The Ivory Coast forward Drogba would score again for Chelsea in the 105th minute, before Ryan Babel replied for Liverpool in the 117th, but it would end a 3-2 win for Chelsea.
"What a character Lamps is to come in on Sunday and train and try to block out what has been a terrible week for him and his family and everyone close to Frank," Chelsea captain John Terry said. "I'm sure Frank will dedicate the goal to his mum tonight."
The Blues won the series 4-3 on aggregate after they tied Liverpool in the first leg, 1-1. The matchup in the final between United and Chelsea is also quite interesting because both teams are in a neck-and-neck race for the English Premier League title. There are only two matches left in the season, and the two clubs are tied with 81 points, though the Red Devils are ahead on goal-difference. Two huge goals by two English players in Scholes and Lampard. Two English teams in the final. And only two-and-a-half weeks away. Cheers.
2008 Osprey Media
UEFA Champions League: Manchester United, FC Barcelona End in Tie Wednesday
Manchester United FC and FC Barcelona ended the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final with a 0-0 score on Wednesday. Manchester United FC and FC Barcelona remain the only two unbeaten clubs in this term's UEFA Champions League after their sold-out game at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, which holds 98,000 people.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty kick that would have won the game for Manchester United. Barcelona had eight shots on goal, all of which were wide. They dominated the time of possession 42:39 to Man U's 26:10.
Xavi Hernandez led FC Barcelona with three shots on target and two shots wide. Thierry Henry had two shots taken.Christiano Ronaldo had three shots on target, followed by Michael Carrick with one.
Copyright 2008, TransWorldNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved
UEFA Champions League: Man Utd Advances to Semifinals
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson surely has nerves of iron. On Thursday, Ferguson left Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney on the bench, when his team had its home game against AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final.
These two players have scored 38 goals out of a total of the team's 53 goals in the English Premiere League this season. It is no exaggeration to say that they have played a leading role in making their team lead in the league. Although Ronaldo and Rooney could rest ahead of the weekend's battle against third-placed Arsenal, how could the manager do this without trusting his substitutes?
Park Ji-sung, 27, who played in the quarter-final game against Roma clearly showed that the manager's choice was not a risky one. The Korean midfielder, who played as a striker on the right side, contributed to his team's victory of 1-0, running for 90 minutes. Carlos Tevez's goal in the 70th minute gave United a home victory in the Champions League. Ryan Giggs also played his part well on the left side. On April 23, Barcelona will host the first semifinal against United, which reached a semifinal for two consecutive years with a score of 3-0.
It was forecasted that Park would be recalled to the starting line-up, when Ferguson was accompanied by him at the press conference. Although he failed to score, Park kept troubling players of Roma. He also contributed to Simone Perrotta's yellow card for his foul, which was the only warning in the game. Park's movement was that aggressive. The energetic midfielder also showed his powerful shooting ability near the penalty box at five minutes in the fist half and 43 minutes in the second half.
Asked why he had left key players on the bench, Ferguson wrote on the team Web site, "I keep saying it's the best squad I've ever had, so if that's the case then why shouldn't I play them? He added that Park, Tevez and Owen Hargreaves were the best players of the game. Sky Sports, a British sports channel, praised Park's play, giving him seven points. United won all nine games in which Park was in the starting line-up.
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Vidic injury fears allayed
Manchester United have confirmed central defender Nemanja Vidic will be sidelined for only "two to three weeks" due to his knee injury.
The 26-year-old fell awkwardly during the Red Devils' vital 2-0 away win against Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night. A scan on Wednesday revealed the injury was not as serious as initially thought, with a club spokesman stating on United's official website: "There is no major damage to left knee, and he will be out for two to three weeks."
The news comes as welcome relief to Sir Alex Ferguson, who harboured fears the Serbia international would miss the rest of the season. But Yugoslavian-born Vidic will miss the Premier League clashes against Middlesbrough and Arsenal coupled with the home leg of the Champions League's quarter-final tie with Roma.
However, if the Old Trafford outfit progress in Europe, he is expected to feature in the semi-finals.
Copyright ITV plc 2008
Bad night for English in Europe
English clubs look likely to fill half the remaining places in the Uefa Champions League quarter-final draw but the Premier League's dominance was conspicuous by its absence on Thursday night as none of the three sides in action could muster a Uefa Cup victory.
The dip in form felt by Robbie Keane's Tottenham following the Carling Cup victory two weeks ago continued as PSV Eindhoven left White Hart Lane with a 1-0 first leg win. The only goal came from Peruvian forward Jefferson Farfan, who exploited a mistake from debutant Spurs full back Gilberto before the break. Bolton Wanderers were held to a 1-1 draw by Sporting Lisbon at the Reebok Stadium, where Gavin McCann's opener was cancelled by Simon Vukcevic's leveller.
Ireland internationals Andy and Joey O'Brien were both in Gary Megson's starting XI, with O'Brien continuing in the midfield role he has carved out in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Everton's hopes of a last eight place also took a hit with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Fiorentina in Italy.
Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Riccardo Montolivo scored the goals inside the last 20 minutes, although Everton had goalkeeper Tim Howard to thank for keeping them level until that point. It was better news for Scotland, with Rangers taking a step towards the quarter-finals with a convincing 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen at Ibrox.
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