Thursday, March 19, 2009

Humiliation!



Only a Turkish team could have done this! Jealousies and rifts within the squad, easy loss of concentration, phantasmic view of reality! And the bill is a 2-3 Hamburg comeback!

UEFA.COM's Match Report:

Galatasaray undone by art of Guerrero

José Paolo Guerrero was the hero for Hamburger SV, scoring two stunning strikes as the German side came from 2-0 down to beat Galatasaray AŞ and claim their place in Friday's UEFA Cup quarter-final draw.

Quality goals
Already conceding a minor edge to their Turkish hosts after shipping an away goal in the 1-1 first-leg draw, Hamburg's hopes hung by a thread with 33 minutes remaining in Istanbul. Two goals in seven minutes either side of half-time from Harry Kewell, a penalty, and Milan Baroš had stacked the odds in Galatasaray's favour, but the hosts had not counted on Guerrero. The Peruvian international reduced the arrears with a blistering long-range drive just before the hour and, three minutes later, it was all-square as he rounded off a counterattack in some style. Already leading on the away-goals rule, Ivica Olić sealed a 4-3 aggregate win for Martin Jol's men in added time with a deft lob.

Baroš endeavor
It was Olić who had given early warning of what was to come for the hosts as Hamburg started brightly, the Croatian striker forcing Morgan De Sanctis to tip over his dipping header. At the other end Baroš struggled to make an impact against Joris Mathijsen, yet when he did escape his towering sentinel three minutes before half-time he made it pay, drawing a foul from Jerome Boateng and stand-in central defender Kewell converted from the spot.




Guerrero spirit
Hamburg's task got even harder four minutes after half-time when Arda Turan, a doubt before the game with a knee problem, cleverly worked space on the edge of the penalty area before delivering a perfectly-weighted ball for Baroš to adroitly lift over the onrushing Frank Rost. If that goal was all grace then, at the other end, Guerrero's goal to make it 2-1 was all pace as he rifled in from 25 metres. By the hour mark Hamburg had the initiative as Collin Benjamin's long ball forward eventually found Guerrero, who danced past three defenders before firing in and there was no way back for the shell-shocked hosts when Olić struck in added time.

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Here are the Goals:

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