European Champion's League Match Day 8 - Soccer Giants Kicked Out--2

In another game worthy of attention, the under performing Bayern Munich FC team, which had slipped from first place to fifth in the German Bundesliga, overcame Europe?s most successful team, Real Madrid FC by two goals to one to edge them out of this season?s champion?s league tournament.

With Real leading by three goals to two from the first leg earlier played in Madrid, all they needed was a draw in order to qualify.

However, all their game plans were drastically altered when the Real team conceded an early goal in the tenth second of the match. The goal, which is the fastest goal in champion?s league history, came just after the match kicked off. Real found it hard to come back into the game after that, and Bayern Munich later got their second goal in the second half. Although the Real team got a late goal via a penalty by Ruud van Nistelrooy, it was not enough to get the desired result as they exited from the competition on the away goals rule.

This early exit leaves Real Madrid with only one probable trophy in view-the league trophy. However, they are currently fourth on the table and are separated by four points from the leaders. It remains to be seen if the Real team has whatit takes to beat Barcelona FC and Sevilla FC to the title, or if this will be another season without a trophy for the team, their fourth without winning any silverware.

Arsenal FC of England could only manage a draw against PSV Eindhoven of Holland on their home ground. Having lost the first leg by a lone goal, Arsenal needed an outright win in order to qualify for the quarterfinals. They scored early in the second half, only to lose their lead with just few minutes left in the match. The match ended in a draw, meaning that Arsenal lost out on a two to one goals aggregate score line. For fans of Arsenal, seeing their side crash out of three competitions in just eleven days must have been a painful blow. The club can only hope to qualify for Europe next season by placing third or fourth in the premiership.

Lyon, the dominant team in France, lost out too. They were beaten by Roma FC of Italy by two goals to nil. It was a shock result, given that the first leg ended in a draw in Rome. Given Lyon's strength, everyone expected them to beat Roma easily. The result turned out to be a disaster for them in the end.

Inter Milan FC of Italy, the runaway league leaders in Serie A, were beaten by Valencia FC of Spain on the away goals rule. Having played a two all draw in the first leg at Milan, the two teams played out a goalless draw to ensure victory for Valencia. The match would however be remembered more for the ugly fighting scenes afterwards than the match itself.

Earlier in the season, many pundits had predicted that four teams out of Inter Milan, Lyon, Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid would surely feature in the semi-finals of the championship. Now, with these big teams out, it remains to be seen which of the teams left in the race will eventually lift the trophy in Athens in May. It has become really difficult to predict a winner. Or would any one reading this want to try to predict a winner?

Soccer Coaching Drills: Throw Ins

Throw-ins play an important role in soccer coaching drills. It is the duty of an expert coach to train his team for perfect throw ins. Following are some of the ideas to consider about taking throw-ins.

Possession Should Not Be Immediately Lost

Teach the players to keep possession of the ball. This is the first and the most important thing that the players need to learn while considering throw ins.

The first priority of the players must be to keep possession of the ball. It is very important to understand that it is simply useless if the players throw the ball down the line if possession will immediately be lost.

Choosing The Right Player

What makes the huge difference is whether the right player is being used or not. It is important for the players to keep in mind that in the defending third, if the opponents press, they are very much likely to lose the possession. Therefore, the wise player should leave the defenders free to mark and cover space.

Using Simple Plays

The coach must train their players to use simple approaches. When it comes to taking a throw-in, there are three simple approaches that coaches need to have their teams rehearse regularly.

The first approach is throw the ball back, away from pressure, and switch it to the other side of the field. As per the second approach, the players should make runs to create space and beat marking.

What is more, they should throw the ball to an open player. The third approach is to throw the ball to a back-to-goal player who drops the ball for the thrower.

Throwing To Feet

Another important thing regarding the throw ins is that the players must be trained to throw the ball to feet with perfection. An expert coach knows that the players at all levels of ability are capable to do better when they receive a throw-in to feet.

The interesting thing is that when it comes to Soccer coaching drills, if the players are in pressure, they can perform much better when they receive a throw-in to feet.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer coaching drills. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.