2-2

So Portsmouth had a victory snatched from them thanks to the close control and quick feet of Inzaghi. For a 35-year-old that was some finish. Have a look at it.



His fabulous close control and finishing has made him one of European football's greatest strikers and he merely reemphasised that notion against Portsmouth. Ronaldinho's freekick was also a thing of beauty.



Such displays of individual quality are what make Milan the odds-on favourite to win the UEFA Cup this season. This squad should really be playing in the Champions League but this is the consequence of their inconsistency last season. Fiorentina are now out of the Champions League and are likely to parachute down into the UEFA Cup. It just shows how they are not ready to take on the best of Europe yet.

Anyways back to the UEFA Cup, another result showing a team on the way up was Man City's surprising win over Schalke 04. The Germans are no pushovers and City's win will certainly give them some confidence. The fact that they managed such a victory without their star striker, Robinho, goes to show that they have the quality in their squad to go far in the competition. It also should show the rest of the Premiership that City's ambitions could be realised far sooner than first thought possible. Of course it will take a few more million to refurnish the club but that's another story for another time. For now, City fans can look back and be proud of a performance worthy of such adulation. Stephen Ireland in particular has been in a rich vein of form and he certainly will have a pivotal role in City's future endeavours.

Another stunning result was Olympiakos' 5-1 victory over Benfica. The Greeks played the Portuguese off the park and banished the memory of their opening day defeat to Galatasaray. However, I wasn't so interested in those results as I am in beautiful goals. To add to Ronaldinho's freekick, here is Gonzalo Colsa's fine equalising effort for Racing Club against PSG.



Ronaldinho or Colsa? Take your pick. The Manchester derby is on this weekend and although it may not rival some of the world's greatest derbies, it certainly will grow and intensify. Especially if City continue to make progress. Who knows? It may one day live up to the Glasgow, Milan or Buenos Aires' derbies. For now we'll just have to watch Robinho and Rooney go head to head. Should be an interesting match this weekend.

Ronaldinho's back!

He's back! Ronaldinho finally looks like he's on his way back to the top of world football. Granted he won the game for Milan in the UEFA Cup against a team unknown to most of the world (Braga), but there is no denying that he is playing much better this season with his new club. Although I didn't watch the game, the reaction of the goalkeeper after Ronaldinho's screamer flew in says it all. Braga deserved a point. Ronaldinho's moment of magic robbed them of it. Not that many of us care. It's good to see Ronaldinho back on form and his winner last night was not unlike this one.



Another last minute winner. Moments like those seemed like an eternity ago as Ronaldinho struggled at Barca for the past two seasons. The good times seem to be back. Hopefully it won't be a flash in the pan. It'll be like WWE, never as good as it was a few years ago. Somehow, you get the feeling that Ronaldinho is here to stay.

Moving onto another Brazilian, have a look at Robinho's fantastic strike below. It's a highlights package so be patient. It's not that long anyway.



I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of how Robinho would fit in at City when he first signed. I thought he had a bit too much talent to fail miserably but there's always the lingering doubt that accompanies South Americans to the Premiership. Brazilians have evolved over the years but Robinho isn't exactly tall and stocky. I'm pleased that I've been proven wrong for now but then again Juan Sebastian Veron promised so much when he first signed for United, especially in Europe. There's still a slight doubt in my mind but for the most part I've gladly accepted that Robinho has settled in nicely in England and with the extensive media coverage of Premiership clubs, I can easily watch one of my favourite players regularly.

On a completely unrelated matter what's up with Werder Bremen? These guys score for fun in the Bundesliga, yet always seem to udnerachieve in Europe. They scored five goals again on the weekend. I think I've seen them do that twice before but I'm a bit lazy to check up on that. What I do know is that they're underachieving in Europe and it's getting to me. Maybe they attack too much for their own good. Whatever it is they need to sort it out. They were expected to qualify from their Champions League group comfortably behind Inter. Instead they find themselves behind Cypriot wildcards Anorthosis and Panathinaikos. I still expect them to qualify but it's won't be a smooth path to the last 16. Anorthosis have proven to be no mugs and Panathinaikos showed what they were capable of by beating Bremen. Should be an interesting end to Group B.

I just previewed the layout of this post and I have to say the preview picture of the first video of Ronaldinho fits in perfectly with the title. RONALDINHO 80. Brilliant. Of course should you choose to watch it, the artistic nature of it will disappear. However, it is a sacrifice worth making. When did anyone prefer looking at a picture as opposed to a video?