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THE EURO RETURN

AC Milan take their squad of superstars to Pittodrie for tonights game.
The first leg went as expected with Milan winning 2-0,the second leg should be a diffarent ball game as Aberdeen have a good home euro record that they wont want to give that up.
It will be intresting to see how Milan bounce back as they suffered a home defeat in a league match to Juventus at the weekend.

Aberdeen are without McHattie(injured) Muirhead(Injured) and McNaughton(Suspended) for tonights match.

ABERDEEN LINE UP:-
GK:-Langfield
RB:-Payne
LB:-McCann
CB:-McGuire
CB:-Anderson(C)
RMC:-Flood
CM:-Paulinho
LMC:-Djordjic
CFR:-Mackie
CF:-Bavidge
CFL:-Prest
Subs:-Holloway,Diamond,Tiernan,Clark,Samba,Tate,Oliseh.

AC MILAN LINE UP:-(4-4-2 Defensive)
Dida,Thuram,Maldini,Coloccini,Simic,Gattuso,Kaladz e,Rui Costa,Pirlo,Shevchenko,Graffiedi
Subs:-Abbiati,Clayton,Junior,Okan,Borriello,Cafu,Laursen .

ABERDEEN VS. AC MILAN

Rui Costa was the first to test the keeper,his long range drive saved and held by Langfield(6mins.)
Paulinho stepped up to take a free kick about 25-30 yards out,He hit it quickly at goal,It bounced off the post having beat the keeper,Its hit the keeper on the way back and rolled in,Goal,1-0(21mins.)

The half comes to an end,Not much chances but Aberdeen will be happy with the score,they lead 1-0.

The first action of the second half sees Darren Mackie get sent off for punching Shevchenko,He trudges off towards the dressing room with his head hanging in shame,He has let the club down badly and he knows it(50mins.)
Aberdeen win a free kick after Payne is hacked down just inside the Milan half,Paulinho flights the ball in towards Anderson,He gets above his man and powers a header towards goal,Dida tips,Goal,2-0(55mins.)
Another free kick for the Dons this time Flood Launching it into the box,McGuire headed towards goal,Dida tips clear,Laursen clears the danger(63mins.)
Aberdeen make some subs,Samba and Diamond on for Payne and Prest(80mins.)
Aberdeen pushed forward to try and steal a winner,Bavidge playing the ball back to Flood,He hit a fierce shot that was tipped over by Dida,Laursen clears the corner(92mins.)

The full time whistle goes we will have extra time and maybe penalties if no one scores in the 30 minutes of added time.

Both teams seem happy to have pens as no chances are created in extra time.

Bavidge steps up to take the first kick....Goal,1-0
Pirlo steps up for Milans first kick....Goal,1-1
Samba steps up....Goal,2-1
Shevchenko for Milan....Goal,2-2
Djordjic next for Aberdeen....Goal,3-2
Rui Cost up next....Hes missed.
McGuire steps up....saved
Borriello up next....Goal,3-3
Paulinho steps up....Goal,4-3
Thuram steps up to keep Milan in the game....Its saved,Milan are out Aberdeen are through.

ABERDEEN 2 MILAN 0(Aberdeen win 4-3 after penalties)
GOALS:-Dida OG,Anderson(Aberdeen)
REF:-Erol Ersoy
YELLOW CARDS:-Thuram,Shevchenko(AC Milan)
RED CARDS:-Mackie(Aberdeen)
MAN OF THE MATCH:-Russell Anderson(Aberdeen)
ATTENDANCE:-21170

MANAGERS VIEW:-
Im speechless,I just dont know what to say we are through to the semi finals of the champions league,This is beyond our wildest dreams.
Our defence was fantastic tonight and it would have been the perfect night if it wasnt for Mackie getting himself red carded.
We will enjoy this one as after the first leg match i though the euro dream was over.
We can rest for a few days but then we need to rise again to try and knock Dundee out the Scottish cup.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER FINAL 2ND LEG(Both legs score in brackets)

Aberdeen(2) 2 Milan(2) 0(Aberdeen won 4-3 on penalties)
Arsenal(3) 1 Roma(5) 2
Chelsea(2) 1 Juventus(2) 2(Juventus win on away goals)
Dortmund(1) 1 Real Madrid(2) 1

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MOST MAN OF THE MATCHES
1.Thierry Henry(Arsenal) 5 mom awards
2.Hernan crespo(Chelsea) 4 mom awards
3.Amoroso(Dortmund) 3 mom awards
4.Daniele De Rossi(Roma) 3 mom awards
5.Antonio Cassano(Roma) 3 mom awards

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Thanks for the nice story and the well written comments,I will hopefully be posting more updates between now and FM 2005 so i hope you keep reading

The game is a bit unrealistic although i went Aberdeen cause thats the team i know everything about.
My tactics,training ect have been set up for the Aberdeen team since the game came out so if i went another team it would be a diffarent outcome.
When FM 2005 comes out i will start a new story with a diffarent team and you will see how bad i really am

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MACKIE SUSPENDED FOR EURO SEMI

Darren Mackie has been suspended for one match for his red card against Milan.
He has also been fined a weeks wages for his sending off as hitting an opponent is not acceptable at this level of football.
Gunn has warned Mackie any more behaviour like that and he will be forced to leave the club.

MACKIE FEELS FINE WAS UNFAIR

Darren Mackie spoke to the local paper today telling them how he thought it was unfair that he was fined for being sent off.
The forward made it clear that he had been treated unfairly and told the manager he was considering leaving.
we spoke to Mr Gunn this morning and he had this to say "Darren is being very childish and if he cant accept responsibility for his actions then this is not the club for him."

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL DRAW

Juventus V ABERDEEN
Roma V Real Madrid

MANGERS VIEW:-
We have nothing to lose against Juve we have beat some great sides this year and it has been a brilliant experience.
The lads know whats expected of them and they seem to rise for the big games.We will give it our best shot and with a bit of luck you never know.

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SCOTTISH CUP SEMI FINAL DAY

Dundee and Aberdeen take thier teams to Hampden for todays cup semi final.
The teams have never met in the cup although they have met 6 times on league duty,Aberdeen have won 5 of those games,with one ending in a draw.
Aberdeen look the big favourites as since Gunn has been in charge Dundee have failed to score a goal in the 6 matches played against the two sides.

Aberdeen are without Muirhead(Injured) and McHattie(Injured) for todays game.

ABERDEEN LINE UP:-
GK:-Langfield
RB:-McNaughton
LB:-McCann
CB:-Diamond
CB:-Anderson(C)
RMC:-Clark
CM:-Tiernan
LMC:-Djordjic
CFR:-Bagshaw
CF:-Samba
CFL:-Prest
Subs:-Holloway,McGuire,Flood,Lombardi,Mackie.

ABERDEEN VS. DUNDEE SCOTTISH CUP SEMI FINAL

Aberdeen come out and create the first real chance,Clark played the ball from the right to Djordjic at the edge of the area,Djordjic hit a shot but it traveled just over the bar(2mins.)
Dundee pushed forward as Milne managed to get into the box,He cut it back for Fotheringham just outside the box,He hit a fierce shot which rebounded off Diamond and sent the keeper the wrong way,Goal,1-0(14mins.)
Aberdeens last chance of the half came from another long range shot,This time Clark hitting the shot well over the bar(44mins.)

A half of very few chances ends with Dundee leading with the only shot they have had in the game,The score at half time is Aberdeen 0 Dundee 1.

Aberdeen start slow but make the first chance of the second half,Prest making space down the left,He crossed for Bagshaw who managed to get a header at goal,It was tipped clear by the keeper only to fall at Samabas feet,Goal,1-1(58mins.)
Ross pulles Samaba down just outside the box to give Aberdeen a dangerous free kick,Samba will take it himself,He steps up to hit a shot...It hits the post,Burley clears the loose ball(65mins.)
Aberdeen make some subs,Flood and Mackie on for Tiernan and Bagshaw(68mins.)
Clark made a superb run with the ball at his feet but instead of passing he hit a poor shot which went well over the bar(80mins.)
The final whistle calls time on the match,The score ends Aberdeen 1 Dundee 1.

ABERDEEN 1 DUNDEE 1
GOALS:-Samba(Aberdeen)Fotheringham(Dundee)
REF:-John Underhill
YELLOW CARDS:-Ross(Dundee)
RED CARDS:-None
MAN OF THE MATCH:-Cherno Samba(Aberdeen)
ATTENDANCE:-27812

MANAGERS VIEW:-
There was alot of tired players playing today and to make matters worse we now have to play a replay.
I think the players done all they could and we will go into the replay looking to win and claim our place in the final.

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FIXTURE PILE UP

Due to the cup replay Aberdeen have had to move the league game against Celtic to a diffarent day meaning the Dons will play 4 games in 7 days.
The run of games could not have come at a worse time as at the end of the 7 day marathon they play the mighty Juve.Starting on wednesday here is the week of games that Aberdeen have to play in:-
Wendesday, 20.4.05:-Dundee,Cup replay...Neutral.
Saturday, 23.4.05:- Dundee U,League...Home.
Monday, 25.4.05:- Celtic,League...Away.
Wednesday, 27.4.05:-Juventus...Away.

It could really make or break Aberdeens season and even the best teams would struggle to cope with this kind of demands.

THE OTHER SEMI-FINAL

Dundee U met Motherwell in the sunday semi-final
at Hampden Park.
It was Dundee United who looked to be the better side in the first half as they took the lead through Williams in the 25th minute.The teams went in a half time with United still a goal up.
In the second half Motherwell came out like a diffarent side,Clarkson scored to level the game after 48 minutes.John Paul Boyle added a second in the 52nd minute and he also added a 3rd on the 69th minute.
The score ends 3-1 to Motherwell,Motherwell are in the Scottish cup final.

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BACK TO HAMPDEN WE GO

Dundee and Aberdeen meet again at Hampden for the cup replay,This time the game will be played to a finish with the winner meeting Motherwell in the final.
The teams will have been able to get a good look at each other on saturday so we expect a better game this time around.

Aberdeen are without Muirhead(injured) and McHattie(injured) for todays game.

ABERDEEN LINE UP:-
GK:-Langfield
RB:-McNaughton
LB:-McCann
CB:-McGuire
CB:-Anderson(C)
RMC:-Flood
CM:-Paulinho
LMC:-Djordjic
CFR:-Mackie
CF:-Bavidge
CFL:-Prest
Subs:-Holloway,Diamond,Tiernan,Samba,Oliseh.

DUNDEE VS. ABERDEEN SCOTTISH CUP SEMI-FINAL REPLAY

The first chance fell to Aberdeen,Prest played the ball into the box,Bavidge got a shot in but the keeper tipped it out for a corner,Mair clears the corner to safety(10mins.)
Prest was taken out the game on the edge of the box to give Aberdeen a free kick slightly left of the goals,Paulinho stepped up to strike a shot....What a strike,Goal,1-0(22mins.)
Paulinho tried his luck after a pass from Flood but his shot skimmed the bar as it travelled over(35mins.)
A long ball by McNaughton was headed on by Mackie into Bavidges path,He hit a shot but Speroni was equal to it and saved well(38mins.)
Mackie tormented Dundee down the right before whipping in a brilliant cross,Prest was on the end of the cross for an easy tap in,Goal,2-0(40mins.)

The half comes to an end,Dundee have alot to do to get back into it as Aberdeen lead 2-0.

Fotheringham tries to repeat his long range effort from the first game but the Dundee player gets it all wrong and his shot goes high and wide(51mins.)
Aberdeens wasted a good chance to extend thier lead,Flood crossed the ball for Prest,Prest controlled it then hit a shot but his drive went over the bar from close range(57mins.)
Aberdeen make some changes,Diamond,Oliseh and Samba on for McGuire,Paulinho and Bavidge(60mins.)
Every time Dundee come forward Fotheringham seems to waste the possesion,Again he hit a shot over the bar when others infront were in a better position(63mins.)
Mackie again uses the right wing to show of his pace,This time he crossed for Samba who had a weak header saved by the keeper(79mins.)
Mackie again sets up Samba,This time Samba takes his time rounds the keeper and scores,Goal,3-0(86mins.)
The final whistle blows Aberdeen are through to the cup final,The score ends Dundee 0 Aberdeen 3.

DUNDEE 0 ABERDEEN 3
GOALS:-Paulinho,Prest,Samba(Aberdeen)
REF:-John Underhill
YELLOW CARDS:-Ross,Fotheringham,Novo(Dundee)Paulinho,Djordjic(Ab erdeen)
RED CARDS:-None
MAN OF THE MATCH:-Martin Prest(Aberdeen)
ATTENDANCE:-23997

MANAGERS VIEW:-
I liked what i saw out there today but it will be a real test of character over the next 7 days.
We can look forward to a day out at the end of the season and maybe get revenge over Motherwell knocking us out last year.
It is going to be a tough week so it was nice to start of with a victory we just need another 3 performances like that and we will be in good shape.

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DUNDEE UNITED TAKE ON TIRED ABERDEEN

Dundee United travel to Pittodrie to take on a tired Aberdeen in todays game.
Dundee United manager Mark Bowen has been under alot of pressure recently.It is rumoured one more bad result could lead to him losing his job after only 20 games.Dundee United sit 11th in the league table and have had a very poor season.
In past meetings between the clubs Aberdeen have won 4 of the 6 games,with one drawn and Dundee United winning 1.
Aberdeen will use some fringe players for this one as they have two important games to play in midweek.

Aberdeen are without McHattie(Injured),Muirhead(Injured) and Clark(Injured in training) for todays match.

ABERDEEN LINE UP:-
GK:-Langfield
RB:-Payne
LB:-Morrison
CB:-Diamond
CB:-McGuire
RMC:-Flood
CM:-Oliseh(C)
LMC:-Tiernan
CFR:-Bagshaw
CF:-Bavidge
CFL:-Lombardi
Subs:-Holloway,Tate,Paulinho,Mackie,Samba.

ABERDEEN VS. DUNDEE UNITED PREMIER LEAGUE

The first chance of the game came when Flood swung in a corner to Lombardi,Lombardi was fouled as he went for the ball,The ref points to the spot,Bavidge steps up to take it.....Goal,1-0(10mins.)
Oliseh demonstrates why he was dropped for so long,He hits a shot over the bar when passing was the better option(29mins.)
Dundee United won a free kick about 25 yards out,Holmes stepped up to hit a shot...Well over the bar(39mins.)
Oliseh now demonstrates the good side of his game,Payne passed it to him in space about 25 yards out he let fly with a brilliant curling shot,Goal,2-0(42mins.)

The half comes to an end with Aberdeen leading 2-0,Dundee United will have to make more use of the ball in the second half.

Oliseh tries to prove his point,Tiernan played it to Oliseh in space about 20 yards out,Oliseh let fly with another curling shot,Goal,3-0(46mins.)
Dundee United crumble,Flood whips in a corner,Diamond heads at goal,Keeper saves,Lombardi hits it,Goal,4-0(49mins.)
Oliseh wins Aberdeen the corner with a long range drive,Flood takes the corner,McGuire heads at goal,Keeper saves(54mins.)
Aberdeen make some subs,Mackie and Samba on for Flood and Bavidge(65mins.)
Samba nearly added a fifth towards the end,Tiernan playing the ball to him inside the box but Gallacher was equal to the shot(86mins.)
The final whistle goes Dundee United fail to turn up as the score ends Aberdeen 4 Dundee U 0.

ABERDEEN 4 DUNDEE UNITED 0
GOALS:-Bavidge,Oliseh 2,Lombardi(Aberdeen)
REF:-Alan Freeland
YELLOW CARDS:-McGuire(Aberdeen)
RED CARDS:-None
MAN OF THE MATCH:-Sunday Oliseh(Aberdeen)
ATTENDANCE:-14175

MANAGERS VIEW:-
It would have been a better game if Dundee United turned up,I thought we were good but you cant rate your own team when the opposition is so poor.
I expect the next 2 games to be a lot more difficult than this one.
Mr Oliseh has proved me wrong with his performance in that last game,I will be the first to admit that i might have been hasty in dropping him from the first team.It was also good to see Lombardi get his first senior goal.

SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS

Aberdeen 4 Dundee U 0
Dundee 2 Motherwell 5
Dunfermline 0 Celtic 0
Hibs 3 Falkirk 0
Livingston 1 Hearts 0
Rangers 5 Kilmarnock 0

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LAST GAME BEFORE THE LEAGUE SPLIT

Aberdeen take their team to Parkhead to play Celtic in a monday night match.
In past meetings Celtic have the upper hand winning 4 of the 7 games,Aberdeen have won 3 of the games.
Both teams have been neck and neck all season and this game could go a long way to deciding where the title will go.

Aberdeen are without Muirhead(Injured) and McHattie(Injured) for todays match.

ABERDEEN LINE UP:-
GK:-Langfield
RB:-Payne
LB:-Morrison
CB:-Anderson(C)
CB:-McGuire
RMC:-Tiernan
CM:-Paulinho
LMC:-Djordjic
CFR:-Mackie
CF:-Samba
CFL:-Prest
Subs:-Holloway,McCann,McNaughton,Bavidge,Flood.

CELTIC VS. ABERDEEN PREMIER LEAGUE

Samba and Mackie combine to give Aberdeen their first chance of the match,Mackie played it to Samba,Samba played a quick ball back to Mackie,Mackie let a low shot fly towards the corner of the net,Goal,1-0(8mins.)
Celtic come right back at the Dons from the kick off,Park made a good run up the right before crossing,Liam Miller beats the defenders to the ball and unleashes a powerful volley into the top corner,Goal,1-1(9mins.)
Aberdeen were causing Celtic problems on the counter,Payne played the long ball to Mackie,Mackie headed into Sambas path,Samba hits a shot at goal,Keeper gets a hand on it,Goal,2-1(13mins.)
Park was causing problems on the right,He beat a man before whipping in a perfect cross for Larssons head,Larssons header was saved in style by Langfield,McGuire cleared the loose ball(22mins.)
Aberdeen won a free kick just outside the Celtic area,Paulinho stepped up to have a go at goal...he hits his shot just wide(35mins.)
Park crossed again from the right,Sutton heading this time but his header cleared the bar(42mins.)

The whistle blows for half time,Aberdeen lead 2-1 but Celtic are not out of it yet.

Sutton was first to have a go in the second half,Larsson played a superb ball to him in the box,With the keeper out of position Sutton drove the ball into the side netting when it looked easier to score(48mins.)
Mackie used his pace up the right and made space for the cross,Samba got his head to the cross but the ball went wide of the goal(50mins.)
Celtic attacked down the left to see if that could get them back into the match,Thompson whipped in a nice looking ball,Miller brought it down and hit his shot into the back of the net,Goal,2-2(64mins.)
Aberdeen make a few subs,McCann,McNaughton and Bavidge on for Paulinho,Payne and Samba(66mins.)
Djordjic played a good ball to Bavidge,Bavidge run with the ball and hit his shot from around the edge of the area,The shot ballons over the bar and out for a goal kick(76mins.)
The points are shared as the full time whistle goes,The score ends Celtic 2 Aberdeen 2.

CELTIC 2 ABERDEEN 2

GOALS:-Miller 2(Celtic)Mackie,Samba(Aberdeen)
REF:-Alan Freeland
YELLOW CARDS:-Valgaeren,Ehiogu,Miller(Celtic)Prest(Aberdeen)
RED CARDS:-None
MAN OF THE MATCH:-Liam Miller(Celtic)
ATTENDANCE:-52919

MANAGERS VIEW:-
A Draw dosnt really do anyone any good,We done what we needed to do though so im happy.
Its off to Italy now and the massive task of facing Juventus,This will the biggest game of the teams life so i hope the players are fit enough to give it a real good go.

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A QUICK RUNDOWN

With 33 games gone the Scottish Premier League splits into 2 groups of six.Its a pointless format and it does not bring anything to the league apart from loss of revenue for the smaller teams that finish in the bottom 6.

Here is the standings after 33 games:-

1.Aberdeen:-Points 72
2.Celtic:-Points 71
3.Rangers:-Points 60
4.Hibs:-Points 50
5.Livingston:-Points 47
6.Dunfermline:-Points 46
-------------------------
7.Kilmarnock:-Points 44
8.Motherwell:-Points 39
9.Hearts:-Points 38
10.Dundee:-Points 34
11.Dundee U:-Points 30
12.Falkirk:-Points 13**

** Falkirk already relagated **

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WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE

Another massive game brings Aberdeen to the famous Delle Alpi stadium to play Juventus in the Champions league semi final.
Juventus have a team of superstars although Aberdeen seem to love playing the big names and getting one over them.
The teams have never met before but im sure both managers will have done thier homework on the opposition.
Juventus won this cup last year and thier fans will expect them to be in another final this year.

Aberdeen are without Miurhead(Injured),McHattie(Injured) and Mackie(Suspended) for todays game.

ABERDEEN LINE UP:-
GK:-Langfield
RB:-McNaughton
LB:-McCann
CB:-Anderson(C)
CB:-McGuire
RMC:-Flood
CM:-Paulinho
LMC:-Djordjic
CFR:-Samba
CF:-Bavidge
CFL:-Prest
Subs:-Holloway,Payne,Diamond,Tiernan,Bagshaw,Lombardi,Mo rrison.

JUVENTUS LINE UP:-(4-4-2)
Buffon,Birindelli,Zambrotta,Legrottaglie,Iuliano,C amoranesi,Nedved(C),Brighi,Davids,Di Vaio,Trezeguet.
Subs:-Mirante,Olivera,Appiah,Tudor,Miccoli,Blasi,Samuel.

JUVENTUS VS. ABERDEEN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL 1ST LEG

McNaughton put his keeper in trouble with a bad pass,Di Vaio run on to the loose ball and fired a shot at goal,Langfield done well to tip the ball out of play for a corner,McGuire heads the ball clear of danger(10mins.)
Nedved tried his luck from distance but Langfield watched the ball sail over the bar and out of play(28mins.)
Davids played a nicely weighted pass to Di Vaio in side the box,Di Vaio controlled it then aimed for the far corner but the ball goes wide of the post to the relief of Langfield(41mins.)
Brighi plays a wonderful ball to Di Vaio in the box for another chance,Di Vaio hits a nice looking shot but it cannons back off the bar and is cleared by McGuire(45mins.)

Juventus dominate the half as the whistle brings it to an end but the score stays Juventus 0 Aberdeen 0.

Di Vaio tried his luck at setting up the chance instead of being on the end of it,His chipped ball was picked up by Camoranesi,He took it in his stride the unleashed a shot at goal,The ball travelled well over the bar(49mins.)
Brighi was next up to try his luck,He hit a long range shot that beat the keeper but hit the side netting(61mins.)
Aberdeen make a couple of changes,Tiernan and Bagshaw on for Flood and Bavidge(65mins.)
Aberdeens luck finally runs out,Trezeguet played a superb ball to Davids in the box,Davids hit it first time past a diving Langfield,Goal,1-0(70mins.)
Blasi plays the ball to an unmarked Appiah,Appiah hits a shot from about 30 yards out,Goal,2-0(83mins.)
Juventus win a corner on the right,Nedved swings the ball in to the back post,Zambrotta is thier with the header,Goal,3-0(92mins.)
That proves to be the last chance of the game as Juventus destroy Aberdeen,The score ends Juventus 3 Aberdeen 0.

JUVENTUS 3 ABERDEEN 0

GOALS:-Davids,Appiah,Zambrotta(Juventus)
REF:-Erol Ersoy
YELLOW CARDS:-Legrottaglie(Juventus)Anderson,Djordjic(Aberdeen)
RED CARDS:-None.
MAN OF THE MATCH:-Edgar Davids(Juventus)
ATTENDANCE:-48885

MANAGERS VIEW:-
Well it looks like we finally met our match,I dont think we can come back from this one as Juventus were world class.We didnt even manage a shot at goal in the 90 minutes.
We held on well but once the first went in the floodgates were open.
It was a hard one for the lads but im not going to point fingers as they have all done so well to get here if it was a league game though they would have been pulled in for extra training as punishment.
We will go into the second leg looking for a win but 3 goals without reply is an impossible task against a club like Juventus.


CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL RESULTS

Juventus 3 3 V Aberdeen 0
Roma 1 V Real Madrid 2