Subscribe: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Inter Milan showed the stuff of champions in Munich, Arsenal can now only win trophy, while Fergie is hit with a big ban. You can listen to these and other stories on our weekly podcast and can find explanations of key vocabulary in bold below.
The Good
Congratulations to Italian side and current holders of the Champions League trophy Inter Milan who became only the fifth side in European Cup / Champions League history to recover from a losing position at home in the first leg to progress through to the next round. They did so in an enthralling match against last year’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich. Both sides went looking for goals from the first whistle but it was Inter striker Pancev who won the game in the dying minutes to send Leonardo’s men through. The last team to retain the Champions League title was Inter’s crosstown rivals AC Milan in 1992. Who is to say that Inter cannot repeat the feat.
The Bad
It has been a bad week, actually two weeks, for London side Arsenal after they were beaten by Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter final which meant that they have now been dumped out of three competitions in 12 days. First Birmingham beat them in the League Cup final, then Barcelona gave them a footballing lesson last week in the Champions League, while United proved to be too strong for the Gunners in the Cup. Of course, Wenger’s side are still in with a big chance to win the Premier League but it will be interesting to see how they react to this latest set back.
The Ugly
A mixed week for Alex Ferguson as his Manchester United side qualified for the semi-final of the FA Cup and the quarter-finals of the Champions League but the manager received a five-match suspension after being found guilty of improper conduct by the Football Association. This means that Ferguson must watch his side play the next five matches, including a trip to the Emirates, from the stand and will not be able to give instructions to his players. Interestingly, this suspension is the longest for a manager in Premier League history and will fuel Ferguson’s feeling that the league has an anti-United bias. This story could get ugly.
Vocabulary
enthralling match: An extremely entertaining game; full of incidents
to retain : To win the trophy again the following year
crosstown rivals: A team from the same city
the feat: The accomplishment
dumped out of three competitions: Beaten (badly) in three competitions (FA Cup; Champions League and the League Cup)
gave them a footballing lesson: Barcelona were so good that it appeared as if Arsenal were their pupils
this latest set back: Another problem or difficulty (a loss)
being found guilty of improper conduct: Ferguson accused a referee of not being fair
Football Association: The organisation that runs the game in England
the Emirates: The home stadium of Arsenal
fuel: Feed, give him an excuse to think…
bias: Prejudice (against)
