Suspect charged after Vancouver car ramming leaves 11 dead    Suspect in killing of general claims he was paid by Ukraine    North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia for first time    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks Outkast but not Oasis    400-800 year old giant coral colony discovered within AMAALA waters in the Red Sea    Makkah police arrest Yemeni and Egyptian suspects of fake Hajj campaign    Kafalah grants 1,900 loan guarantees worth over SR4.8 billion to SMEs during 1Q 2025    Council of Senior Scholars reaffirms performing Hajj without a permit is a sinful act    HR Ministry launches 'Ajeer Al-Hajj' service for seasonal work during Hajj 2025    stc reports strong first-quarter 2025 results with 11% rise in net profit    King and Crown Prince offer condolence to Iranian president over the deadly port explosion    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR2.1 billion net profit after zakat and income tax for 1Q25    Virgin Atlantic celebrates one month of nonstop service between London and Riyadh    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Atletico and Liverpool exit; Chelsea survives
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 02 - 2013

LONDON — Holder Atletico Madrid was sent spinning out of the Europa League by Russian outsider Rubin Kazan Thursday, while Champions League winner Chelsea scored with almost the final kick to scrape into the last 16.
Another Russian club, Zenit St Petersburg, knocked out five-time European champion Liverpool on the away goals rule while little-known Czech side Viktoria Plzen surprisingly won its tie against Napoli which is riding high in Serie A.
Atletico slumped to a shock 2-0 home defeat by Rubin in Madrid last week and was ousted 2-1 on aggregate even though Radamel Falcao's 84th-minute strike earned it a 1-0 win in the return match in Russia.
It was the Colombia striker's 25th goal of the season for the Spanish team.
Coach Diego Simeone left a host of regular starters back in Spain for the last-32, second leg tie at a near-empty Luzhniki Stadium in freezing Moscow, suggesting Atletico was focusing more on maintaining second spot in La Liga.
The only blot on the night for Rubin was the straight red card given to captain Cesar Navas in the 89th minute of a match watched by a crowd of less than 10,000.
Rubin will meet another Spanish club, Levante, in the last 16, after the Valencia-based side won 1-0 at Olympiakos Piraeus to knock the Greeks out 4-0 on aggregate.
Champions League dropouts Chelsea, 1-0 up from the first leg, went behind in the 17th minute against Sparta Prague.
Stamford Bridge fell almost silent when David Lafata belted the ball into the roof of the net from close range.
Fernando Torres had another less than distinguished game in attack for Chelsea and produced a hat trick of near-misses in the first half with his right foot, left foot and head.
The misfiring Spaniard then failed to beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation in the second period before substitute Eden Hazard came to the rescue, cutting in from the left to send a searing left-foot drive into the top corner of the net.
Chelsea next plays Steaua Bucharest which edged past former European champion Ajax Amsterdam 4-2 on penalties after their clash ended 2-2 on aggregate.
Liverpool's 150th appearance in Europe was an unhappy affair as it went out to Zenit on away goals after the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate.
Luis Suarez netted twice from direct free kicks to help Liverpool record a 3-1 second-leg win in front of a typically noisy Anfield crowd, but Zenit hung on to set up a meeting with Swiss club Basel who put out Ukrainians Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.
Napoli, flying high in second place in Serie A, went out in tame fashion in the Czech Republic, losing 2-0 on the night to Viktoria and 5-0 overall.
Viktoria's goals both came in the second half from Jan Kovarik and Stanislav Tecl. It now takes on Fenerbahce after the Turks put out BATE Borisov of Belarus 1-0 on aggregate.
Tottenham Hotspur, winner of the competition when it was called the UEFA Cup in 1972 and 1984, looked to be heading out on away goals against Olympique Lyon until Moussa Dembele struck with a venomous left-foot drive in the 90th minute to secure a 1-1 draw on the night and a 3-2 aggregate triumph.
Maxime Gonalons had put Lyon 1-0 up in the second leg with a deft close-range header following a free kick out on the left from Clement Grenier.
Three Spurs fans were hurt in clashes in Lyon on the eve of the game. The Londoners now play Inter in a mouthwatering rematch of their 2010 Champions League group stage tie.
Fredy Guarin scored twice and Marco Benassi was also on target as Inter, UEFA Cup winners in 1991, 1994 and 1998, won 3-0 at CFR Cluj to breeze past the Romanians 5-0 on aggregate.
Former European champion Benfica beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in Portugal (3-1 on aggregate) and Girondins Bordeaux progressed with a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev in France (2-1 on aggregate).
Big-spending Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala was too strong for Germany's Hanover 96, cruising through 4-2 overall after a 1-1 away draw while Lazio beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0 to go through 5-3 on aggregate. — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.