Mourinho finally returns to Chelsea

Chelsea have confirmed Jose Mourinho as their new manager on a four-year deal, with Ron Gourlay admitting: “He was the outstanding candidate.”

The 50-year-old Portuguese coach travelled to London on Monday to complete the formalities of a return to Stamford Bridge after his exit from Real Madrid was confirmed.

The 50-year-old succeeds interim manager Rafael Benitez, who had replaced Champions League-winning coach Roberto Di Matteo in November 2012, and following some initial difficulties went on to guide the Blues to a third-placed finish as well as winning the Europa League.


Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said on the club’s official website, www.chelseafc.com: “I am delighted to welcome Jose back to Chelsea. His continued success, drive and ambition made him the outstanding candidate.

“It is our aim to keep the club moving forward to achieve greater success in the future and Jose is our number one choice as we believe he is the right manager to do just that.

“He was and remains a hugely popular figure at the club and everyone here looks forward to working with him again.”

Mourinho will bring assistant coaches Rui Faria, Silvino Louro and Jose Morais to Stamford Bridge and they will work alongside current first-team staff Steve Holland, Christophe Lollichon and Chris Jones.

“If you have a look at every club Jose has been to, he has always been successful,” said Harris.

“People will say he has not done that well at Real Madrid, but he took an unfashionable club like Porto to winning the Champions League, and did the same thing at Inter Milan.

“If he was to come back to Chelsea again, and with one or two adjustments to the squad they will be a major force, challenging for all the major honours again next season.

“If you look defensively, they are quite sound, maybe they will be bringing in another full-back, then a midfield player and another striker or wide player, that would give Chelsea an awesome squad of players.”

Mourinho returns home

Before he left Spain, Mourinho spoke to TV football show Punto Pelota about his future plans.

“I’m going to London on Monday and at the end of the week I will be the manager of Chelsea,” he said. “I feel the people there love me and in life you have to look for that.

“Life is beautiful and short and you must look for what you think is best for you.”

Mourinho is expected to bring in some reinforcements ahead of the new season, with £15million-rated Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi a reported target.

The new Blues manager will look to shape his squad during their tour of Asia, which sees matches in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta from July 17.

The club confirmed Mourinho would be presented to the media on Monday, June 10.

Photos: Cristiano Ronaldo Measured Up To Be Immortalised In Wax At Real Madrid!

Christiano Ronaldo was spotted being measured up to have a wax work figure of himself created on Friday morning.
This guy preens himself so much that it will be difficult to differentiate him from his wax dummy!Other pictures after the cut ...

Jose Mourinho signs for Chelsea

Special One: Jose Mourinho has allegedly joined Chelsea (Picture: Getty)

Real Madrid assistant manager Aitor Karanka has confirmed Jose Mourinho has agreed terms to return to Chelsea this summer.

Mourinho, who has already announced his departure from Madrid, was reported to have met with Chelsea this week to discuss a dramatic return to Stamford Bridge.

And now according to Karanka, Mourinho has signed on the dotted line and is keen to take his trusty assistant with him to London.

‘Mourinho has joined Chelsea,’ said Karanka.

MORE: Six reasons why Jose Mourinho’s return to Chelsea WON’T be a success

‘He offered me the chance to go with him but Real Madrid hasn’t told me I’ll be released.

’I’ve still got three years left on my contract and I’d have to pay them to leave.Close: Mourinho wants Aitor Karanka (right) to join him at Chelsea (Picture: Getty)

‘If I do go though, I’ll join Mourinho at Chelsea – or maybe even become a manager at a top French club.’

The talk comes amid reports that Chelsea have given Mourinho lucrative terms on a three-year-deal, that will see him take home around £8.5million-per-season.

It’s a package that makes the 50-year-old the best paid manager in the Premier League, and is aimed at guaranteeing he sticks around to build a new Chelsea squad.

Bayer Leverkusen winger Andre Schurrle will be his first transfer after a £20million deal was struck this week.

'Mourinho will be a disaster at Chelsea' - Barcelona vice-president slams Real Madrid boss

'Mourinho will be a disaster at Chelsea' - Barcelona vice-president slams Real Madrid boss
Barcelona vice-president expects Jose Mourinho to cause trouble back at Chelsea
Carles Vilarrubi anticipates trouble at Stamford Bridge should the Portuguese be installed as the Blues' new manager after a tumultuous three years at the Santiago Bernabeu
Barcelona vice-president Carles Vilarrubi has warned Chelsea that bringing Jose Mourinho back to the club could end in disaster.

Goal understands the former Real Madrid boss is on the verge of returning to Stamford Bridge for a second spell in charge and will have his appointment confirmed in a matter of days.

But Vilarrubi believes his second stint with the club will only spell trouble for the Europa League winners.

"It's not good for English football; there is nothing positive in what he leaves in Spain," he toldThe Telegraph.

"Chelsea can think they had a good time with him, but now is when they will see the real Mourinho. If he acts the same way he has done in Spain, the relationship between them will be just unhappy.

"Mourinho will be a disaster at Chelsea; he is not going to change at his age. I don't talk this way only because he was a rival, but also because how he acted and what he did. His three years in Spain only left us arguments and disagreements."

The Barcelona official dislikes Mourinho's mentality against his opponents, saying the Portuguese is too often out on a personal mission for vengeance.

"He has always been like this," he continued. "What kind of coach wins the Champions League twice and does not fly home on the same aeroplane as his players?"

"A coach you would think he wants to celebrate with his players, enjoy the moment. Not him. He is thinking of himself. I don’t know what is wrong with him. In his mind there is something wrong."

Champions League - Robben Wins Final For Bayern Munich

Dutchman Robben raced into the area and beat goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller in a stunning finale.

Bayern, on the backfoot for much of the first half, struck on the hour with Robben cutting the ball back for Mario Mandzukic to poke home from close range.

The German champions' joy was short-lived though as Dortmund levelled eight minutes later with Ilkay Guendogan's well-struck penalty awarded for a clumsy Dante challenge on Marco Reus.

Dortmund looked to be holding on for extra time before Robben broke free to score the winner and send the Bayern fans into raptures.

What's on the line for Bayern, Dortmund, all of Germany in CL final

1. This doesn't mean the Bundesliga is the best league in the world. What constitutes "the best" football league? If it's affordability, sustainability, indigenous talent on pitches and a decent stadium experience, the Bundesliga is your bag. Most of these factors, while commendable, are only of real concern to German fans, however. As an international entertainment "product," the Bundesliga is still miles behind the Premier League and will continue to be so unless there are three or four Bayern Munichs, competing for the best international players and entering the Champions League with a realistic view to winning it. That will take a lot of time and even more hard, smart work, even if dormant giants like Hamburger SV, 1.FC Köln or VfB Stuttgart will begin to wake up.

2. For Dortmund, there is more at stake. Perceived wisdom suggests that all the pressure is on Bayern after two final defeats in a row, and a perfect domestic season, and it's true that Dortmund doesn't have to win this game. The club's official hashtag for the final -- #fairytale -- suggests as much. (Bayern's is #packmas, a Bavarian version of "let's do it"). But for the grand scheme of things, it's actually more important for Dortmund to win this game than Bayern. Klopp's team -- at least in their current guise -- have only an outside chance to get within 90 minutes of a trophy in the near future, whereas Bayern will continue to be contenders for years to come. Dortmund saw in 1997 what a difference the European Cup made to its fortunes: It's a shortcut to more fans, better sponsorship deals and a marketing bonanza. In a league that has to live within its means, nothing breeds success like success. If Dortmund really wants to close the gap with Bayern, getting one over at Wembley is the perfect -- once-in-a-lifetime -- opportunity.


3. German football has learned the lessons from the past. In 2008, newly promoted TSG Hoffenheim beat Dortmund 4-1 with a pressing game of unbelievable intensity. Ralf Rangnick was in charge of 1899 that day. Jürgen Klopp sat on the Borussia bench. Hoffenheim's performances were not sustainable, but Klopp, already a believer in collective football, took the lessons on board. A couple of years later, his side played on a tactical level that had never been seen before. Bayern, meanwhile, benefited from Louis van Gaal's possession-based, positional football -- for the first time in the modern era, the club known for the individual brilliance of its stars adopted a collective tactical identity. Jupp Heynckes has fused those two styles in an irresistible cocktail. Dortmund has less balance, but at its very best, a more direct game can beat the very best. German football -- once happy to rely on leadership and fighting spirit -- has become tactically astute. This progress has been underpinned by a new generation of players who are better trained, technically and tactically, than any of their predecessors.

4. Penalties? Advantage Bayern. After last season's heartbreak in the final against Chelsea, the thought of another penalty shootout seems scary for Bayern. But there's no good reason to suggest that history could repeat itself. First of all, the team is better prepared for that eventuality. In David Alaba (suspended in Munich) and Thomas Müller (substituted in Munich), they should have their two best takers available. If anything, the hard facts make Bayern favored if it came down to spot kicks: Keeper Manuel Neuer has an outrageously good rate of saving penalties: 34 percent. His counterpart, Roman Weidenfeller, meanwhile, has a much more modest success rate of 17 percent.

5. The real winner: Joachim Löw. This season's Bundesliga didn't feature a single German player who had won an international title with his club (Champions League, Europa League) or national team (World Cup, Euro). In other words, an entire generation of German players had never won on the big stage. Questions were naturally asked about a lack of bottle or winning mentality. But no longer: either the Bayern bloc (Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Müller, Neuer, Toni Kroos, Holger Badstuber) or the Borussia contingent (Ilkay Gündogan, Marco Reus, Marcel Schmelzer, Mats Hummels) will go to the World Cup in Brazil with the trophy under their belt. The fact that both finalists knocked out Spanish opposition will only increase the national team's confidence that it can topple Spain (or any other contender) come next year
.

Kate Henshaw Working Out To Keep Fit

This is how the beautiful actress stays trim and fit at her age. Its aactually very good of her. she's gonna stay cute and trendy

UEFA to monitor London security ahead of Champions League final on saturday

European football’s governing body UEFA says it will continue to monitor security ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final in London.

The British government held an emergency meeting on Thursday following the daylight murder of a British soldier in the capital the
previous day.

Owned by the English Football Association, Wembley is hosting the final of the prestigious European club competition for the second time in two years, but on match day it is UEFA which assumes responsibility for the stadium in north London.

UEFA said it was “confident” that the all-German final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund would not be affected by wider events in London.

“We obviously have a lot of security measures in place,” a UEFA spokeswoman told CNN. “We are confident they will guarantee there is a positive atmosphere in the city as well as inside the stadium.

“As for each final we contact the [local] police and security is in their hands. We will of course be monitoring the situation.

“Each time we hold a final we discuss various security matters [with the venues] where we discuss the number of stewards, security and police officers required.”

London’s Metropolitan Police Service has
not changed the “threat level” for the final since the murder, though the police will continue to keep their plans under constant review.

“In light of events in Woolwich we have looked at our policing plan for the Champions League final,” said Chief Superintendent Julia Pendry, who is heading up the policing operation for the final, said in a statement.

“We would like to reassure travelling fans and visitors to London that there is nothing at this stage to suggest any threat to this event and an appropriate policing response will be in place to ensure the safety and security of those who attend the event.

Source : CNN

Beckham Betrays Emotion As He Retires From Football

Beckham Betrays Emotion

David Beckham played his last game as a footballer tonight, with the Englishman captaining PSG in their last home game of the season after twenty years on consistent and active playing.

Beckham had looked emotional before the game, waving to the crowds and blowing kisses to his fans during the warm up for his final match.

And eventually bursted into tears as he was substituted off in the second half, with everyone in the stadium according him a standing ovation.
A visibly upset Beckham was surrounded by the PSG players who hugged him one by one as he walked off.

As his name was read out over the stadium’s speaker system, PSG fans gave out a huge cheer and continued to chant ‘Stay David, Stay’ throughout the match.

His wife Victoria and their four children Romeo, Brooklyn, Cruz and Harper all flew in from London to witness David put the finishing touches on a glittering 20-year career.

How To Keep Fit - By Your Favourite Celebrities

Being fit demands more exercises and incorporating rules to restructure your meals. These can help you to be permanently slimmer, healthier, happier and far more energised.

Here are a few rules to follow.

1. Embrace fruits and vegetables

Eat at least seven servings of fruit and vegetable every day and aim for 10 if you can. According to Yahoo!, a serving is approximately 80g in weight or the equivalent of an apple, banana, orange, and a handful of smaller fruits.

“I eat vegetables without oil. Before, I took four slices of bread but now, I take just half of a slice and it has to be wheat bread. I take lots of water whenever I feel light-headed and I eat regularly but in small bits. There are times I get a bit slack and add a kilo or two but I quickly shed it off. In fact, I weigh myself every morning

— Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke, First Lady, Cross River State

2. Cut out alcohol

If you are conscious of your weight and increasing energy levels, you either cut out alcohol altogether or limit it to one or two glasses a week.

“I don’t drink, but occasionally, when I go to parties, I take wine or champagne. Also, I exercise a lot. I wake up by 6a.m, jog, and then, I am at the gym for tummy exercise. I don’t eat late too

— Dr. Taiwo Afolabi (MON) businessman

3. Pack in some protein

Try to add a bit of protein to each meal in the form of nuts, seeds, beans, lean meat, chicken or fish.  Protein is naturally very satisfying so it’s a great way of keeping hunger at bay.

“I can eat beans three times a day as long as it is cooked in a special way. I have learnt to skip breakfast but I eat lot of fruits and vegetables. I avoid fat as much as possible.

Then, I try to do aerobics as often as I find time. I do sit ups too and take a lot of tea with lemon.”

— Hon. Abike Dabiri, politician

4. Have wholesome meals

 Don’t eat too many refined, fast releasing carbs. Rather, go for low Glycemic Index, high fibre and preferably wholegrain carbohydrates such as brown basmati rice, wholemeal pasta, wholegrain breads and cereals.

“I don’t eat crap, neither do I take junk. I eat wholesome meals. If you add stress with bad food intake, you will bloat. I go to the spa once in six weeks, get a scrub, have a facial and a massage.”

— Eugenia Abu, TV presenter/broadcaster

5. Enjoy your exercises

Jogging is a form of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise that provides you with many physical, mental and even social benefits. According to www. Healthylivingaz.central.com, jogging is an excellent way to lose weight. You will burn approximately 250 calories in a half-hour jog and about 500 calories after one hour. As you burn 3,500 calories over the course of a week or more without increasing your food intake, you will enjoy the benefit of losing a pound of fat. To boost this benefit of jogging, you can follow a calorie-reduced diet that adds to your weight loss. A reduction of 250 to 500 calories each day will help you lose a pound more each week, in addition to the weight you lose jogging.

“I have to be the best woman I can be and you should not allow yourself go down physically. I watch what I eat and I find time to exercise. I jog an hour daily.”

— Senator Chris Anyanwu, politician

“For health reasons, I work out regularly and it’s very good for me. I do a lot of walk-out within my vicinity especially in the evenings.”

— Aisha Falode, sports broadcaster

David Beckham Retires From Football

After so many years of active playing both At country and club side on 16th May 2013 London David Beckham will retire at the end of this season. The most capped outfield player in England's history announced today the end to an illustrious career spanning three decades.

David Beckham is one of the most successful and decorated players in the history of the game. After PSG's recent Ligue 1 win, he has now won 19 trophies, 10 of them League titles and is the only English player to win Championship titles in 4 different countries.

"I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level," said David Beckham.

Simon Fuller, Beckham's manager comments: "David has defined how a modern footballer with integrity and passion can reach the top of the sport he loves and also have such a positive influence on popular culture in so many remarkable ways. His dedication, respect for his peers and humility are what I believe make him such a unique and special man. David is now set to begin a new chapter in his life and with his global influence and popularity I am certain this is only the beginning of what will continue to be an inspiring and remarkable life's journey."

Making his debut in 1992, David Beckham would go on to be one of the most prodigious Manchester United players of all time. In securing 6 Championship titles, Beckham amassed 62 goals and 78 assists in 265 Premiership fixtures, contributing to more than half the goals scored by the team. Beckham was a key member in the historic Treble team, adding the Champions League, 2 FA Cups, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 4 Community Shields to a long list of honours.

David Beckham continued, "If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy. I'm fortunate to have realised those dreams."

David Beckham made his debut for England in 1996 and would go on to be the most capped outfield player in its history reaching a record 115 appearances. Beckham was the first English player to score in 3 consecutive World Cup Finals and has the joint-second most goal assists in European Championship Finals history.

"To this day, one of my proudest achievements is captaining my country. I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country. I'm honoured to represent England both on and off the pitch," said Beckham.

Beckham is one of very few British players to have a successful career abroad, playing for Real Madrid, AC Milan, LA Galaxy and Paris St Germain. He has been embraced by fans wherever he has played and would go on to become the first British player to reach 100 Champions League appearances. He won the La Liga title in his final season in Spain, the US MLS Championship twice and most recently The French Ligue 1 Championship.

Beckham added, "I wouldn't have achieved what I have done today without my family. I'm grateful for my parents' sacrifice, which made me realise my dreams. I owe everything to Victoria and the kids, who have given me the inspiration and support to play at the highest level for such a long period. I also want to thank Simon Fuller and his team for their continued support.

I want to thank all my team-mates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from. I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed."

David Beckham is a great advocate for the sport. In a ground breaking move to LA Galaxy, Beckham became a figurehead for soccer in North America that was transformed during his time there, generating unprecedented levels of awareness and interest worldwide. This year, Beckham is the first ever sportsman from outside of China to be invited to become the Ambassador for the sport in the country. David is a passionate ambassador of the sport he loves.

"Nothing will ever completely replace playing the game I love, however I feel like I'm starting a new adventure and I'm genuinely excited about what lies ahead. I'm fortunate to have been given many opportunities throughout my career and now I feel it's my time to give back."

David Beckham has two final games before the end of the season, the last home match of his career this Saturday against Brest at Parc des Princes.

Desperate Arsenal Relegates Wigan Athletic

FA Cup winners Wigan were relegated from the Premier League after losing 4-1 to a rampant Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in a game where only three points would have saved their top-flight status. Arsenal couldn't afford to loose the match. same for Wigan but Unfortunately for the winner of this season FA cup they took a bow to arsenals pressure making them relegate

Chelsea, Benfica Battle for Europa Throphy

Chelsea celebrating the winning of the League trophy

Call it Battle Royale, Royal Rumble or whatever you think is appropriate, the issue here is Chelsea and Benfica are chasing history in Europa final making it a real truffle.

After a turbulent season, history beckons for Chelsea in Wednesday’s Europa League final in Amsterdam, where they will meet a Benfica team reeling from a devastating domestic defeat by arch rivals Porto.

The premature end to Chelsea’s Champions League defence had threatened to leave a cloud over their entire campaign.

Roberto Di Matteo’s dismissal as manager created a negative atmosphere that only got worse when the unpopular Rafael Benitez was appointed as his interim successor, but now, salvation is in sight.

Saturday’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa essentially secured the club’s place in next season’s Champions League, and victory over Benfica would turn an unhappy campaign into one etched in Chelsea folklore.

The all-German Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund on May 25 means Chelsea’s fans will not be able to crow that they are the champions of Europe for much longer.

But if they overcome Benfica, they will become the first club to hold both European titles at the same time.

They are also bidding to become only the fourth team to have won the Champions League, the Europa League and the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup — which they won in 1971 and 1998 — after Bayern, Juventus and Ajax.

Chelsea beat Benfica in the quarter-finals en route to last season’s Champions League triumph, but Spanish midfielder Juan Mata remains wary of Jorge Jesus’s side.

“We’re playing against Benfica, a historic team in Europe that will be very tough to beat, as we saw last season in the Champions League,” he wrote on his personal blog on Monday.

Amsterdam was the scene of Benfica’s second European Cup triumph, in 1962, but it remains the last venue where they have tasted success in a European final.

There have been six painful defeats since then, although the most recent was 23 years ago, when they lost 1-0 to AC Milan in the final of the 1990 European Cup.

There was fresh heartache on Saturday, when a stoppage-time goal gave Porto a 2-1 win over their closest rivals that took them to the brink of the Primeira Liga title.

Benfica coach Jesus fell to his knees in disbelief as a low shot by Porto substitute Kelvin crept in at Estadio do Dragao, and he admitted it would be a challenge to rouse his players.

“It’s a difficult moment for us, because on Wednesday we’ve got a final and this loss has knocked us back,” he said.

Nonetheless, with 51 years having now passed since Benfica’s last continental title, there is no shortage of motivation.

“Benfica are always under pressure when they play and we know that in every competition we take part in, the aim is to get to the final and win,” he told uefa.com.

“I was born in ’54, but I know the history of the club because I have read about it and it is illustrated in photos at the training ground.”

At Chelsea, the three-year tenure of former coach Jose Mourinho left a strong Portuguese connection.

The two Portuguese players in the current squad — Paulo Ferreira and Henrique Hilario — are unlikely to feature in Amsterdam, but Brazilians Ramires and David Luiz both joined the club from Benfica.

Mourinho’s shadow looms large over Benitez, amid reports he is poised to return to the club from Real Madrid, but the Spaniard has history of his own to pursue.

Having won the competition with Valencia in 2004, he could become only the second coach — after Giovanni Trapattoni — to win the Europa League with two different clubs.

Benitez has concerns over captain John Terry and Eden Hazard, both of whom sustained injuries at Villa Park.

Terry sat out last season’s Champions League coronation due to suspension and fellow Chelsea stalwart Frank Lampard says it would be a bitter blow for him to miss another major chapter in the club’s history.

“I’m gutted for him because I know what it meant to him to miss last season’s final, even though he turned up and supported the team brilliantly,” Lampard said.

“Whatever we do, it’s as a club, and as long as John’s here, he’s part of it.”

Osaze finally quits West Brom

Osaze Odemwingie’s future with West Bromwich Albion was decided during talks between the club and the PFA last week – with the striker set for a summer exit, irrespective of Saturday’s flare-up with Baggies supporters.

It has also emerged that TV presenter Adrian Chiles has apologised for the comment he made about the striker at the club’s end-of-season dinner.

Odemwingie’s future was pretty much resolved during last Thursday’s meeting involving himself, the PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor, Albion’s sporting and technical director Richard Garlick and the club’s chief executive Mark Jenkins.

The 31-year-old made it clear during those talks that he wants to leave this summer.

Albion will not stand in his way, provided a suitable agreement can be reached with another club as the Nigeria international will still have 12 months left to run on his current deal.

Odemwingie also contested the four separate fines – one of which was suspended – imposed by the club for misconduct during January and February .

That situation has been resolved amicably, although it remains unclear how many of the fines have been rescinded.

Chiles’ remark, which drew criticism from Steve Clarke last week, was also brought up during the same meeting.

The ITV Sport presenter later called Odemwingie on Friday to apologise.

Saturday’s game with Wigan re-opened old wounds when substitute Odemwingie was involved in an ugly exchange with a fan as he warmed-up in front of the West Stand.

The drama unfolded when he briefly broke off from his exercises to speak to his wife and child, who were in the front row.

At that point a fan seated nearby launched a verbal attack which prompted an angry reaction from Odemwingie.

While Odemwingie was tolerant of the booing, he took exception to the six-letter expletive being yelled within earshot of his wife and baby.

SOURCE: PUNCHNEWSPAPER

Bayern Munich beat Barcelona, reach final

BARCELONA (AFP) – Bayern Munich cruised into their third Champions League final in four years as a 3-0 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Wednesday gave them an incredible 7-0 aggregate victory.

The absence of Lionel Messi from the Barca starting line-up almost eradicated any hope of an unlikely comeback before the game had even begun, but Bayern showed their 4-0 first-leg win last week had been no fluke with a display of controlled dominance.

Arjen Robben opened the scoring for the visitors with a trademark left-foot str

ike just after half-time before a Gerard Pique own-goal and Thomas Mueller’s header in the final 20 minutes ensured Bayern booked their place in an all-German final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on May 25 in some style.

Already without Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba through injury and suspension respectively, Barca were handed another huge blow before kick-off as the persistence of a hamstring injury suffered in the first leg of the tie against Paris Saint-Germain in the last round forced Messi to start on the bench.

Without their talisman, Barca started tentatively and only a desperate sliding challenge from Pique prevented Robben from having a clear shot on goal after he galloped clear down the left on 11 minutes.

Pique had to be alert again seven minutes later as he again slid in to deny Philipp Lahm at the end of a wonderful Bayern move.

Pedro finally forced Manuel Neuer into a save on 23 minutes with a long-range effort that the German number one turned round the post and Xavi then had the hosts’ best chance of the first period as he hooked over on the volley after Cesc Fabregas had chested the ball down inside the area.

However, Barca were still out of sorts with a number of uncharacteristically long balls failing to find their target and another weak effort from distance by Adriano was the only other effort they managed on goal before the break.

It only took three minutes after the restart for Bayern to completely wipe away any lingering doubts they would be travelling to London for the final when Robben collected a raking crossfield pass from David Alaba, cut inside Adriano onto his favoured left foot and buried a rasping drive past Victor Valdes into the far corner.

Robben ought to have had a second moments later as another quick Bayern break caught Barca outnumbered at the back, but this time the former Real Madrid man couldn’t get the required touch to Franck Ribery’s cross and the ball dribbled wide.

A sustained period of possession from the German champions then brought cries of “ole” from the visiting fans, much to the chagrin of the locals as Barca chased shadows in the way they are so accustomed to making their opponents do.

With home coach Tito Vilanova acknowledging the game was up, he then withdrew Xavi and Andres Iniesta, whilst Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes took off Bastian Schweinsteiger to avoid him picking up another yellow card which would see him miss the final.

But further pain was inflicted upon the hosts 18 minutes from time when a beautiful pass from Luis Gustavo played in Ribery down the left and his cross was sliced into his own net by Pique.

And three minutes later it was 3-0 on the night as more terrific play from Ribery saw him burst past Alex Song and dink a lovely ball to the far post for Mueller to head home his third goal of the tie.

Mourinho Might Leave madrid Next season!

Jose Mourinho has added to ongoing speculation surrounding his Real Madrid future by refusing to state that he would remain with the club next season.

A 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-final return fixture was not enough for los Blancos to overturn their first-leg deficit and book a place in the final, and following the failure the 50-year-old coach revealed his uncertainty regarding his current job.

When asked if he would be with Madrid next season, Mourinho, who has been consistently linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu, told ITV: "Maybe not. I want to be where people love me to be."

"I have a contract, respect for the club and the president. I want to play the [Copa del Rey] final, finish the season, finish second," the Madrid coach later told Sky Sports.

"I know I'm loved in England. Loved by the fans, the media. I know I'm loved by some clubs - especially one. In Spain it's different - some people hate me. It's difficult to make a decision because I like the club. I like the president."

The former Inter boss also lamented his side's first leg performance in which they were defeated 4-1 and says the Spaniards could still have progressed despite that result.

"In football, you win or you lose. I think we could [have won the tie]. They had a couple of big chances but as a consequence of the way we were playing in the last part of the match, where we risked absolutely everything," he said.

"But I think today [Tuesday] we were a team with character, desire and we could do it. I don’t forget the first match and in the first match we were very, very bad.

"And in this moment we are punished. Not because of this result but the result of the first leg."

Mourinho will now turn his attention to this weekend's meeting with Valladolid as his side look to secure second position in La Liga.

Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund: as it happened

Latest

REAL MADRID 2 DORTMUND 0
(Agg: 3-4, Dortmund going through. Just.)

21.42 What an unusual game. Dortmund deserve their place in the final after an outstanding first leg, and were the better team for much of this evening but were let down by some disappointing finishing. Real's finishing was far, far worse, but their energy and approach deserved something to shout about. It came too late in the end, but I think we all enjoyed those last 15 minutes quite a lot. Thanks for your company, I'll talk to you again soon.

21.40 Well, the Germans seem happy:

FULL TIME

90+6 min Blimey! Santana pushes over Benzema in the box... Must surely be a dive, though, neither official close to him flinch. That'll be all.

90+5 min Lopez hammers it upfield. Someone's offside. Gah!

90+4 min Real throw close to the corner flag. Little comes of it. Dortmund break. Verrry verrry slowly. They put it out for a throw at the other end.

90+3 min Madrid corner. Lopesz is forward. Ramos heads it wide.

90+1 min Five minutes of added time. Does not seem like enough. Lots of timewasting by Dortmund.

90 min Bender's been down since the goal was scored. Looks like he's being stretchered off. Madrid feel this is a ploy to suck up their growing momentum. Santana's on, but for Blaszczykowski. Dortmund down to 10.

89 min GOAL!! Real Madrid 2 Dortmund (Ramos)
Well. Well. WELL. Real's relentless pressure brings its reward, with Benzema bringing a high ball out of the sky and keeping it in by the skin of the ball's teeth before picking out Ramos who's lurking on the edge of the six yard box. He hammers it past Weidenfeller like he's Robert Lewandowski in training.

88 min Great save, Weidenfellder! Beautiful dummy from Benzema, who has been a vast improvement on Higuain. He shoots, it deflects, Weidenfeller tips over. Another corner. Pressure mounting.

87 min Lewandowski trots off the field in super slow-motion, Kehl replaces him. Modric wins Real a corner.

85 min Ozil takes thew free kick and puts it on Ramos' head close to the six yard box. Weidenfeller is brave, and gets in the way.

84 min Madrid, to clarify, need two more goals in the six normal-time minutes that remain. Modric fouled just shy of the corner of the box by Reus. Dortmund looking a bit leggy.

83 min GOAL!! Real Madrid 1 Dortmund (Benzema)
Finally. At last. Phew. Etc. Neat passing move from Real, worked quickly to Ronaldo on the right. He crosses low, Benzema becomes the first player to take an easy chance so far this evening.

82 min Khedira is booked, for a late slide on Blaszczykowski. Meh. This has become quite a frustrating match to watch.

81 min Here's Jurgen Klopp looking less relaxed than you might expect for this stage in the tie:

79 min Ramos finally gets a yellow card and will be suspended for the Champions League third-place play-off against Barcelona. Wait, what?

78 min Some more believable shouts for a penalty now from the Real Madrid support, who want handball on Hummels. He slid into a low Ronaldo shot. May have been just outside the area. But was probably a handball.

76 min Reus, increasingly the rampaging presence that you might have expected Cristiano Ronaldo to be in this game, gets into the area and pulls it back for Lewandowski. Lopez is out of his goal, but Essien throws himself in front of the shot to deny the large Pole. Not, you will note, a large pole. That's something else entirely.

74 min Modric, another energetic but impotent presence for Dortmund tonight, is tackled cleanly at full speed in the box. The Bernabéu wants a penalty, but I don't think even they believe that they're going to get one.

73 min Madrid going ever-closer. Kaka stabbing at a Di Maria pass from the left flank. Just wide.

72 min Teasing cross from Ozil from the right. Ronaldo the target. It's just over him and marginally evades Di Maria who was sliding in behind the Portuguese fella with the lovely tan. Goal kick.

71 min Real miss. Again. Ronaldo this time, Di Maria teeing up Ronaldop in the box. He was put under pressure by Bender, to be fair to Ronaldo. As I always am. Another vote for Belgian football dominance, this time from David Prentice:

Marc 'War Pig' Wilmots - the marvellous nickname of the Belgium coach propels them into my No1 reckoning.

68 min Di Maria puts his 74th badly-hit shot wide of the game. He's been full of energy and running but pretty risible in front of goal.

67 min Sammy Khedira about to come on, a sub that smacks of a team doing damage limitation rather than chasing an improbable win. Unless he's coming on for Diego Lopez, I guess. No, it's Alonso that makes way.Wandile Mtana reckons Dortmund have done enough:

64 min Benzema was criminally offside as Madrid broke from Gundogan's saved shot. Replays suggest Gundogan might have done better with his finish.

62 min Great save, Lopez! Another marvellous Dortmund move, Blaszczykowski, Grosskreutz and Schmelzer exchanging passes on the right. Blaszczykowski crosses, where Gundogan looks to have a tap-in, but Lopez throws himself at it and gets a strong elbow to it.

60 min Di Maria makes a poor decision, passing when a shot looked like a better option. Dortmund break, as they are doing with ominous regularity and promise at the moment, and there's a tangle between Lewandowski and Ramos.They exchange exactly one handbag each.

57 min Double sub for Real. Coentrao and Higuain off for Kaka and Benzema. Here's Cristiano Ronaldo stuck on his "disappointed" setting:

55 min Lewandowski beginning to exert some revenge on Ramos after all that nasty business in the first half. He attempts a volley and ends up catching Ramos somehwere, erm, between the legs. Ouch.

53 min Reus wins a corner off Varane. The Germans well on top now.

51 min Lewandowski hits the bar! Getting closer, I suppose. Still, he might have done better. Real are looking stretched and Blaszczykowski threads a ball through their inside left channel which puts the striker in a one on one situation with Lopez. He absolutely leathers it, beats the keeper, but it comes cannoning back off the bar.

49 min I'll tell you something. That's often what I do in this context... Here we go: The finishing in this game has been nothing short of bobbins. Reus does well to keep a ball in on the left and crosses. It's well left by early sub Grosskreutz and arrives at Lewandowski in space just inside the area. He's off balance and skies it. Yuck.

48 min Nothing doing from the second corner. Here's Statman Soren Assmann:

Minutes needed by Hamburger SV to score 4 goals against Dortmund: 71. Minutes needed by Sweden to score 4 goals against Germany: 31. Real Madrid only has one chance left: They need to become Swedish.

47 min Hummels, having a good game, is alert to head a Di Maria cross behind for a corner. It leads to another. Off Hummels again.

46 min Here we go, it's a second half. Paul Hayward sees what Sergio Ramos is doing and doesn't like it one little bit:

20.28 Wild first half, marked by erratic finishing and Madrid wasting their momentum. They were knocking on the door again towards the end but really needed to be in on-the-night credit by now. It will take something, frankly, incredible, for them to rescue it from here. See you in 15.

HALF TIME

45+2 min Ronaldo gets his free kick almost entirely wrong. Well over.

45+1 min Bender booked too now, for a trip on Ronaldo. Both of Dortmund's defensive midfielders on yellows. Real free kick about 35 yards out. Two minutes of added time will be played.

45 min Higuain in the book too now. No idea why. This time I was watching, the cameras just elected not to show us. He's having a frustrating evening.

44 min Gundogan booked by Webb for a challenge on Alonso in the centre circle. Madrid fans making a terrifying noise of outrage every time they feel wronged by Dortmund thus far. I'm finding it really quite annoying.

43 min Lewandowski and Ramos having an entertainingly physical scrap now. They collide, Howard Webb says Real free kick. Not sure. Ronaldo plays a quick pass towards Higuain who's playing off Subotic's shoulder but is marginally offside.

40 min Good work from Higuain, latching onto a ball he had no right to then taking Piszczek out of contention on the left with a clever turn. Stands it up for Ronaldo in the box, but Weidenfeller claims.

39 min Ramos seems to have paid close attention to Mourinho's words about not fouling Lewandowski enough in the first leg, and catches him with an arm on the head when Howard Webb is looking elsewhere.

36 min Another optimistic Di Maria ball from deep on the right-hand side for Ronaldo to chase. This one runs all the way through to Weidenfeller.

34 min Bender's improvement in the past 10 minutes has dragged the rest of his team up a level. He's been cutting out more and more through the middle, and looks to have the better of a deep-lying Luka Modric. He's also involved in all of Dortmund's keep-ball, which has been more and more prominent in the last section of the game. Here are the thoughts of Jon Taylor with regard to the question posed above:

Belgium will do for me. So quiet and unassuming and yet so...good-on-paper. Kompany, Hazard, Fellaini, Benteke et al. I hope their manager can knit them together and evoke the Enzo Schifo team that Maradona eventually devoured in the semis of 86.

32 min Has Real's chance gone? They failed to take three presentable chances early on, and haven't created one since Ozil's glaring miss after 15 minutes. Dortmund hanging onto the ball far more effectively now, as befits their status as our footballing saviours. Meanwhile Jose is looking pensive:

30 min Di Maria is seeing a lot of the ball but things aren't quite working out for him. He tries to ping a ball to the other flank, but Ronaldo, leg outstretched to almost telescopic levels, can't bring it down.

28 min Coentrao's been booked. Not sure what for, but the Dortmund bench were livid about it. Dortmund far more in the game than they were, especially in wide areas.

25 min Ozil goes on an adventurous run up the middle of the pitch, evading a number of despairing Dortmund players on his way. The defensive midfielders Bender and Gundogan are having a negligible impact so far. Ozil picks out Di Maria, who's arriving cloe to the edge of the box, but his shot is wide. Feels like the ninth time he's done that so far this evening. What's the Spanish for "shooting boots"?

24 min Ramos having something of a blinder. Schmelzer breaks promisingly down the left and puts a reasonable cross towards Lewandowski at the far pos. Ramos is there first with an excellent defensive header.

22 min Dortmund with their first genuinely threatening break of the game. Piszczek sprints forward down the right-hand side and has three men up with him to his left. His cutback as he enters the box is a little too telegraphed, and Ramos makes a neat tackle which stops the full-back in his tracks.

20 min Ronaldo looks tetchy, adrenlaised, like he's playing right on the edge. He runs with purpose down Real's right-hand side but his shot at the end of it is harmless. Here's Henry Winter with some slightly odd noise from the Bernabéu. Especially if it's being sung in English:

17 min Breathless start to this, it's quite shocking that Real have failed to capitalise. Dortmund having a nervy game thus far, plenty of passes going astray and an all-pervading lack of confidence in their work.

15 min Huge miss by Ozil! That is the third, THIRD time Real have had a player in behind the Dortmund defence. Ozil has around 10 seconds to compose himself, and Higuain in support and in space to his left. He ignores him and has a rotten shot of his own. Wide. Awful.

14 min Another big chance for Real! Ronaldo volleys right at Weidenfeller after a ball over the top seemed to catch the Dortmund defence napping. Moments earlier Lewandowski had an almost identical chance at the other end, with an almost identical outcome.

13 min Gotze's off the pitch and receiving some treatment. Not looking good for him, he's doing some head-shaking to the team doctor. I assume he's the doctor... His big coat says "DOC" on it. Perhaps his initials are just D.O.C.

11 min Higuain heads wide from an Ozil free kick. He's offside, in any case. Don't worry, liveblog fans. European email behemoth Soren Assman is among us:

Dortmund only lost five games in 30 in the league, Munich leads the league with only one loss in 30. They DID however lose a game 1:4 this year already - against the Hamburger SV in the league. Dortmund only lost six overall - and their only loss without a goal of themselves was the 0:1 in the cup against Bayern Munich. They ride a six consecutive winning streak and a nine consecutive without a loss. I firmly believe they will remember the game of Germany vs. Sweden where it came all down in 20 minutes (Reus and Götze played in that), and the Hamburg loss - and will prevail tonight. Dortmund players that played in the legendary 4:4 of Germany vs. Sweden in October 12 after a 4:0 lead: Götze, Reus. Teams that beat Dortmund this season: Schalke 04 (twice), Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV (twice), Bayern Munich (cup). Teams that defeated Dortmund this season by 1:4 or better: Hamburger SV (1:4). Borussia Dortmund streak: nine consecutive non-losses, six consecutive wins. Losses without scoring at least one goal this season: one (vs. Bayern Munich in the Domestic Cup, 0:1).

YES!

9 min Extremely encouraging start for Real, and for the eager television audience. They're finding gaps in the Dortmund defence, especially between Hummels and Schmelzer. Ronaldo fires over at the end of the home side's latest move.

7 min Lewandowski drifts into the sort of territory he did MAXIMUM DANGER from last week, but Ramos is a better guardian for Madrid than Pepe was last week, and ushers him off the ball.

4 min Big save by Weidenfeller! Higuain's in behind the Dortmund defence after some dallying on the ball by Schmelzer. but hurries his finish a little, Weidenfellder makes the stop with his legs. Real have started well, but a goal there would have been very nice indeed.

2 min Early corner for Real, after Coentrao is fed by Ronaldo on the right. Varane the target but Dortmund get it away. Di Maria has a go from long range. Over.

1 min Here we go then, Dortmund get us started.

19.40 Sky Sports' German arm has done some Champions League-class mickey taking out of Spain ahead of tonight's games:

19.35 Roy Keane, trailblazer that he is, is pronouncing Lewandowski's name as it is written, if you're speaking English. Loo-un-dow-ski. Well done Roy.

19.30 This Borussia Dortmund supporter has an evening of anxious fake-hair twirling ahead of her:

19.15 Henry Winter is in the Spanish capital for us tonight:

18.56 Here are tonight's teams:

Real Madrid: Diego Lopez; Essien, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Coentrao; Xabi Alonso, Modric; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Higuain.
Subs: Casillas, Pepe, Khedira, Kaka, Benzema, Albiol, Morata.

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gündogan, Bender; Kuba, Götze, Reus; Lewandowski.
Subs: Langerak, Kehl, Leitner, Sahin, Grosskreutz, Schieber, Felipe Santana.

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

18.45 Evening liveblog fans.

It would be a fairly revolutionary left turn if the Champions Leagueelected to abandon semi-final second legs, but there is a slight stench of pointlessness to both of this week's fixtures.

Our benign new footballing overlords for Germany hold an 8-1 aggregate lead, and if the thousands and thousands of words written on the subject last week are anything to go by they will at least quadruple their lead over the coming two nights.

I exaggerate, of course. In a number of different ways. I also believe there's a reasonable chance Real Madrid can still turn this into a reasonably tight contest.

Cristiano Ronaldo on song, a couple of quick goals, some noisy supporters making encouraging noises.