UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Leg 1

Today we had he first Round of 16 fixtures between Lyon and Real Madrid which ended in a 1-0 victory for Lyon. Makoun's stunning goal at the start of the second half was enough for the French side to take the first leg. This doesn't mean Lyon are in the quarter finals, but they did take a giant step to get there. Real Madrid couldn't do very much to score or stop Lyon. Lyon had many chances while the Spanish giants failed to deliver. Real Madrid can reach the quarter finals, they have to beat Lyon by one goal to go into penalties or by two to qualify directly. Real Madrid has to be careful, and not concede a goal because of the away goal rule. Real Madrid has some adjustments to improve their defense which often makes mistakes with the aerial game. Lyon played a great match, and the don't need to change very much. They need to defend will, and take advantage of their counter attack opportunities. My prediction is that Lyon will eliminate Real Madrid from the Champion's League.

Apart from Real Madrid Lyon, there was a great match between AC Milan and Manchester United. David Beckham faced his old team, and he admit he wouldn't celebrate goal. The result was an away win for Manchester United with many goals, 2-3. The game started with an early goal from Ronaldinho, but Paul Scholes tied the game with a lucky goal. It seemed Milan would take the lead again, but just minutes after Luis Antonio Valencia came in for Nani, he set up a beautiful cross for Wayne Rooney who scored with an amazing header. Then, Milan was devastated, they lost control of the game. Man United took advantage, and once again, Rooney scored with his head. It all seemed like it was the end for Milan, but Clarence Seedorf scored a late goal to keep the Rossneri's heads held high. Milan has to score many goals at Old Trafford, but they can qualify directly with a 2-0 victory. Milan's defense has to improve. They failed to stop Wayne Rooney, and Rooney who is now one of the world's best forwards can't be left alone. They need to asphyxiate Rooney, and not let him touch the ball. If Milan play like they did in the first half of today's game, and the manage to stop Wayne Rooney, they should be able to get the job done at Old Trafford.

Tomorrow, there's another two fixtures. Bayern Munchen vs. Fiorentina, and FC Porto vs. Arsenal. Both seem to be interesting fixtures, but Arsenal comes out with five key injured players.