Barcelona Won UEFA Champions Legue

Manchester United discovered what it is like to lose a European Cup final as brilliant Barcelona ruled Rome on Wednesday, securing a comfortable 2-0 win.

If there is any consolation in failure to become the first side to retain the trophy in the Champions League era, it is that they lost to a side as fluent and brilliant to watch as they are.

Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi scored the goals either side of half-time but to single those two out for special praise would be unfair on their team-mates, and particularly Xavi, who was simply awesome.

For once Cristiano Ronaldo could provide no magic of his own, instead getting increasingly frustrated as defeat loomed.

Shakhtar Donetsk Won UEFA Cup

Shakhtar Donetsk became the last winners of the UEFA Cup by defeating Werder Bremen 2-1 in the final in Istanbul last night.

Mircea Lucescu's team also became the first Ukrainian side to win a European trophy thanks to Jadson's winner in extra-time.

The final - the last to be played before the competition is rebranded as the Europa League next season - finished all square on 90 minutes after Naldo had equalised Luiz Adriano's opener.

Jadson made it a trio of Brazilian scorers when his weak effort trickled past Werder goalkeeper Tim Wiese in the 97th minute to give Shakhtar the trophy.

North Queensland Fury cancelled its tour to Sabah

Fans of former Liverpool great, Robbie Fowler here will be disappointed after Fowler’s Australian club, North Queensland Fury cancelled its tour to Sabah that was initially scheduled at the end of May.

The club’s chairman, Don Matheson in a letter to the organiser of the tour here, Borneo Sports and Adventure, said the decision follows the cancellation of next month’s Intercontinental Cup U23 tournament due to the threat of swine flu in Malaysia.

He said the club had no choice but to follow the example set by FAM and the Malaysia’s Health Ministry.

“The team is heading into its debut Hyundai A-League season and this decision is about the long term well-being of the players. I was in Kota Kinabalu in 2008 and it is a beautiful place with great sporting facilities.

“I sincerely hope that arrangements can be made for our marquee player, Robbie Fowler and our team to make it to Sabah in 2010. I want to sincerely apologise to all local fans and we wish Sabah all the best in their remaining games for the 2009 season” said Matheson.

Meanwhile, touching on the cancellation, Borneo Sports and Adventure’s MD, Scott Ollerenshaw said “We are obviously disappointed to make this announcement, however the worldwide flu virus is simply out of our control.”

“An enormous amount of work has been carried out behind the scenes to make this tour possible and no one is more despondent that myself with this announcement” he said while thanking all the parties for their assistance.

He said that those who have bought tickets will be refunded and remineded those who have purchased the tickets to produce them at the same venue where they purchased the tickets.

He said those who would like more information can contact Ferdah at 088-249002.

Meanwhile, Ollerenshaw said that they were in negotiations to bring an English Premier League team to Sabah next year but did not disclose any further details.

He also said that the Borneo Football Cup has so far seen 10 junior teams from Australia confirming their participation in the tournament, adding that this was almost a 400 per cent increase compared to last year.

“This is a testament to our belief that sports tourism in Sabah will grow from strength to strength over the next few years” he added.

Manchester United v Barcelona - Champions League Final Preview

The 2009 European Champions League final will be played between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome.

Barcelona won in a dramatic fashion, beating Chelsea in away goal rules to capture that elusive second final spot.

Meanwhile, Manchester United progressed in a comprehensive fashion, beating Arsenal in their away match 3-1 to capture the first final spot. Park Ji-sung gave the lead in early minutes and Cristiano Ronaldo was spot on target with his two second-half goals.

While United is trying to hold on to the title it won in Moscow last year, Barcelona is chasing its third title and hoping to end the English Premier League's recent dominance in European soccer's most prestigious competition.

This champions League final promise to be an interesting match as both teams had secured the domestic leagues trophy. It is a meeting of perhaps the two most entertaining clubs in Europe, both of them with big-name forwards who enjoy taking opponents apart with their imaginative interpassing.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will have his three main strikers - Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez with Cristiano Ronaldo also attacking from the wings.

Guardiola usually sends his trio of strikers - Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o out together, and they have rewarded him with a combined 69 league goals out of a total of 100.

Both teams will be without some key players in the final through suspension and injury.

Defender Eric Abidal was sent off against Chelsea on Wednesday and will be suspended for the final, as will Daniel Alves, who picked up a second yellow card in the competition. Also missing for Barca will be center half Rafael Márquez. But Guardiola will have Carles Puyol back after serving a ban.

United midfielder Darren Fletcher will get that experience this time, after being harshly sent off for bringing down Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas in the semifinal second leg.

The final of the Champions League will be played in Rome on May 27th.

10 Facts About Wayne Rooney

Full Name : Wayne Mark Rooney

Birthday : 24th October 1985

Place of Birth : Croxteth, Liverpool, England

Position : Striker

Wayne Rooney is an amazing forward, however, he is sometimes criticized for his bad temper and him swearing a lot in matches.

Facts

1. Manchester United just signed Wayne Rooney before the summer transfer window was closed. When Manchester United signed him, he was 18 and Manchester United gave him an great contract with great clauses

2. Wayne Rooney burst onto the Old Trafford stage in September 2004, netting an unforgettable hat-trick against Fenerbahce on his debut

3. Wayne was only sixteen years old when he first played for Everton againts Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park

4. Rooney became the youngest player to play for England when he earned his first cap in a friendly against Australia on 12 February 2003 at seventeen, the same age in which he also became the youngest player to score an England goal. Arsenal youngster Theo Walcott broke Rooney's appearance record by 36 days in June 2006

5. Rooney met his wife, Coleen Rooney (née McLoughlin), while both were in their final year of secondary school. They married on 12 June 2008 after six years of dating

6. Wayne clocks up 9.70 m/s. And that’s not too far off the pace of a sprinter like Maurice Greene who weighs in at just over 10 m/s

7. Rooney has signed lucrative contracts with Nike, Nokia, Ford, Asda and Coca Cola. His marketing value is estimated at €46 million, making him the third-highest rated football player behind Ronaldinho and David Beckham. As a side note, he is featured on 500 million Coca-Cola cans

8. Rooney’s childhood football hero is former England and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer

9. Rooney has a cross tattoo on his upper right arm and a Coleen tattoo on his left

10. During a football match, on average Wayne walks for 4,000m, jogs for 4,800m, runs for 1500m, light sprinting for 1000m and 500m sprinting

"I love playing football but I think I am like everyone else, I hate losing and love winning. And if the time comes when I am not disappointed when things are definitely not going right, then that's when people should worry"