^that is so bad and weird!! Exactly, who would have thought! :( i was vying for a Chelsea-Milan fina but oh well!
Well seems like chelsea all the way!
my prediction is that we will see Chelsea and Depor.
Chelsea has always been superb this season - it is only because they have spend so much money last summer that everyone expects them to win the treble immediately - realistically - as i said in the Premiership thread too - that is not possible.
but you gotta give credit where its due - Claudio Ranieri has done a marvelous job under-fire all season long - lady luck will be on their side.
as for Depor - they have always been good throughout all competitions - perenially - it's time for the world to know who Diego Tristan, Padiani and Valeron are.
Champions League photos
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Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 AC Milan (5-4 agg): Deportivo full-back Manuel Pablo slides in on Milan's Clarence Seedorf
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*Deportivo begin brightly as they try to overturn a daunting 4-1 first leg deficit at the Riazor Stadium *
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An early goal from Walter Pandiani and a 34th-minute header from Juan Carlos Valeron (right) sets Milan nerves jangling
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Milan's Brazilian starlet Kaka (right) spurns his side's best chance, failing to convert a one-on-one
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Further goals from Alberto Luque and Fran seal an outstanding victory for Deportivo as the reigning champions crash out
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*Lyon 1-2 Porto (1-4 agg): Carlos Alberto hugs Deco after the Porto playmaker creates the first of two goals for Maniche *
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*Peguy Luyindula pokes in Lyon's equaliser but the French side exit the competition in disappointing fashion *
Ranieri takes Chelsea blame](BBC SPORT | Football | Champions League | Ranieri takes Chelsea blame)
Monaco 3-1 Chelsea
Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri took full responsibility for the damaging Champions League semi-final first leg defeat against Monaco.
Ranieri produced a series of surprising substitutions as Chelsea slumped 3-1 against a Monaco side reduced to 10 men after Andeas Zikos was sent off.
He said: "I take the blame. I made a mistake. We lost the plot in the last 15 minutes and conceded two goals.
“It is my most disappointing night because it was such an important game.”
Ranieri took off Jesper Gronkjaer at half-time, replacing him with Juan Sebastien Veron, who looked well short of match fitness after a major back operation.
Maybe people were confused by my substitutions, but I wanted to win the game
He then replaced full-back Mario Melchiot with striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, before taking off midfield man Scott Parker and sending on young defender Robert Huth.
It resulted in Monaco taking control and running out deserved winners.
Ranieri said: "It was my fault. Maybe people were confused by my substitutions, but I wanted to win the game and Jimmy is another goalscorer for us.
"We played well until the last 15 minutes. We had the match under control, but after Monaco’s second goal we lost the plot.
"Everyone wanted something more from the game and we made too many mistakes.
"We are very depressed. We knew it would be difficult, but now it is even more difficult.
“We will be trying, but I would say we are only 20% to get to the final now. We will have to produce our best performance of the season in the second leg.”
Ranieri added: “I am always confident in the team, but to get two goals back will not be easy.”
I saw the match and i thought that Ranieri went nuts at the end :~( I dont htink Monaco will let slip two goals advantage
pin drop silence from blues fans :)
The "Baddua" of the gunners. :D
^ :)
yup, ziyadah ucchalnay lagay thay bacchay log, ab khamoosh bethay hain
when Vassilis Zikos got a red card - it didn't look good for Monaco - but DAMN they were able to pulled the game!
good game for Monaco - but it's not clear who'll reach the final - it's not so hard to score 2 goals against Monaco's defense and Chelsea will play a great game in London.
i still think Chelsea will go through, the away goal is very important. Great win for Monaco though, they are a quality team and it is great to score 2 goals when you are a man less than the other team. Deschamps has really done a great job with this team, he has really given them confidence and they really believe they can win it all.
Anyone saw Porto - Deportivo 0:0 game?
maybe Porto werent playing their best football and the draw could seem as the right result - but I feel that Marcus Merk made some huge mistakes - like in the last minutes, when Ferreira was clearely fouled in penalty area - the defender havent touched the ball, but touched the leg of Ferreira for sure - but it was no whistle - the same goes for attack in middle of second qaurter when Edgaras Jankauskas went almost 1-on-1 with goalkeeper - but defender touched only his legs ant not the ball on the line of penalty area.
Overall Porto looked somehow sleepy - especially in the first half. McCarty wasnt himself tonight and Jankauskas looked much better. Anyway it is better to have "not himself" McCarty on court than "himself" Carlos Alberto - who can only dribble the ball for hours and then just give it to the opposite team without any mind in attack!
Porto has pulled it off and handed Deportivo thier first home defeat of the season. Thus reached the final.
Lets see how chelsea fares againt monaco tonight.
Chelsea has lost too 5-3 on aggregate. They were up 2-0 and thats the result theu needed but let it slip and moncao equalized. Morientes, after bringing the downfall of its own club Real madrid contributed in this win (draw too) But chelsea has themselves to blame after missing many open goals.
so its going to be a monaco-porto final… who would have thought before the start of the competition this year.
Bye Bye Ranieri though 
^ Chelsea bye bye. :)
Hahahahaha, Chelsea
It is going to be a very hmm errree final this year - both teams play fast - attacking football - UEFA however is probably a bit disappointed about the fact that a "big" team didn't make it - the hype just isn't there in the same way as if the final had been Real Madrid-AC Milan...
Yeah - Ranieri´s Chelski days are over - Abramovich had a talk with Mourinho at the game...
i have to admit that Porto is a very solid team - they're better than Monaco but over a single game anything can happen - I've buried Monaco at least four times this year - so it's actually good news that i think Porto is better.
i think Porto is having a hate/love relationship with media and soccer fans! Everyone admires they're fighting spirit but most of them hate their style of playing!
Monaco should win it. 
The final of the Champions league is tonight between AS Monaco and FC Porto. Should be a good game.
Halftime: Monaco 0 Porto 1
Porto the toast of Europe after historic double](Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands.)
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AFP) - Portugal’s FC Porto became the first team in 27 years to win the UEFA Cup and Champions League in successive seasons with a 3-0 victory over French side Monaco.
Liverpool achieved the feat back in 1976-1977 and UEFA Cup winners Porto, who defeated Celtic 3-2 in last season’s final, wrote themselves into the history books thanks to goals from Carlos Alberto, Deco and substitute Dmitri Alenitchev.
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It is the second time the Portuguese champions have won Europe’s premier competition following up their 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in Vienna 16 years ago.
Porto succeed AC Milan as the kings of Europe but the future of their highly-rated coach Jose Mourinho is unknown with Chelsea and Liverpool locked in a battle for his services.
For losers Monaco it was a missed chance to repeat Marseille’s success in 1993 and end France’s 11 year wait for the Champions League.
Their coach Didier Deschamps was part of that victorious 1993 Marseille side and claimed it was ‘fate’ that the final was being played on the same date.
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But the French World Cup winner from 1998 was wrong and had to put the Champions League disappointment alongside his losses at Juventus in 1997 and 1998.
Monaco kicked off the 2004 final and nearly treated their bulk of the 53,000 fans at the Arena Auf Schalke to a goal after two minutes.
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Ludovic Giuly threaded a pinpoint pass to Spanish international Fernando Morientes, who had shrugged off an ankle injury to play, but Porto goalkeeper Victor Baia swept the ball from the feet of the Champions League top-scorer.
It was an even first quarter hour with the nerves of both teams, who are not used to playing in European Cup finals, tangible with stray passes.
Monaco were beginning to take the upper hand in the match but suffered a big blow on 24 minutes when the inspirational Giuly limped off injured.
Croatian international Dado Prso, who set a Champions League record this season by scoring four goals in the same game, came on for Giuly.
The loss of their talisman seemed to knock Monaco out of their stride and Porto took full adbvantage in the 39th minute.
Brazilian teenager Carlos Alberto, 19, took advantage of the ball coming off a Monaco defender to rasp a right-footed volley past Roma.
The Samba ace whipped his shirt off in elation and was consequently shown a yellow card by referee Kim-Milton Nielsen.
Porto entered the half-time interval with the initiative but wary that Monaco have a reputation of coming from behind as Real Madrid and Chelsea can confirm.
The Monaco followers looked to Morientes, winner of this competition in 1998, 2000 and 2002 in the colours of Real Madrid for inspiration and on 62 minutes the striker looked set to level when one-on-one only for the linesman to raise his flag for offside.
Midfielder Edouard Cisse was taken off at the expense of striker Shabani Nonda as Deschamps threw on his final trump card.
Back-to-back Portuguese champions Porto showed why they have lost just once in the Champions League this season, to Real Madrid in the group stage, with some resolute defending.
As their French opponents pushed forward Porto produced a lightning counter attack on 71 minutes that sliced Monaco in two.
Three Porto players swarmed over the French rearguard and worked the ball to playmaker Deco, 26, who picked his spot and curled home to give Porto a cushion.
The Brazilian-born Portguese international had not enjoyed his best match but the composure of his finish showed why Bayern Munich are eyeing his services.
Monaco were deflated after the goal and four minutes later conceded again with substitute Alenitchev latching onto a chipped through ball which was deflected into his path by a Monaco defender to lash home.
It was curtains for Monaco as Porto’s followers, donned in blue in white, celebrated a second successive win in Europe.
Bravo Porto! :k:
Monaco didn’t make one dangerous action! Great defensive strategie that Mourinho applied and the players executed! i liked what Mourinho did after the match - everybody of the media were talking to him because of the rumors about himself and the players were forgotten - he just left the field letting the players celebrate by themselves and made everybody watch the ones that really gave the title to porto.
VIVA O PORTO!