I have no idea how this soccer business works over in Europe. I just watched Manchester United beat Hull City on Comcast Sports Net, and now, 45 minutes later, Man U is playing again, this time against FC Barcelona. I guess tonight they’ll fly across the pond and play the Mets tomorrow in a doubleheader.

I took Man U and the over (2.5) so spoil away if you want. Here’s video of the finish of last year’s UEFA Champions League final (is there a shorthand for that?), where Man U beat Chelsea on penalty kicks. Hey, they’re playing in the rain. But where are their sticks? I know nothing about soccer…

Some people are really bent out of shape about this Champions League semifinal result after Chelsea lost to FC Barcelona yesterday by the score of 1-1. Yeah, that looks like a tie score to me, too, but Chelsea were worked up about the officiating of that guy who looks like he used to work on the Jerry Springer show.

Hiddink admitted his side, who had performed with superb discipline in the goalless first leg and gone ahead in the tie through a stunning Michael Essien strike, had contributed to their own downfall by failing to take the chances they had to kill the match.

But that did not stop him from branding the performance of Norwegian official Tom Henning Ovrebo – who turned down a string of strong penalty appeals by Chelsea – as the worst he had seen in his long coaching career.

The appeals in question involved two handballs–one that was ridiculously blatant–and a takedown during a Chelsea attack in the penalty area late in the second half. The well-named Andres Iniesta tied the match in extra-time for Barcelona, which gave them the lead as goals scored on the road break ties in this kinda tournament, which reminds me of this economist joke that really isn’t funny enough for me to type out here.

|Y! News, image via Who Ate All The Pies?|

Lionel Messi, hailed as the successor to Diego Maradona as Argentina's next great striker, has already recreated Maradona's famous "Goal of the Centrury."  And now, by getting away with this handball goal against Espanya, Messi has also recreated Maradona's most infamous score, as well.

Up next for Messi: doing shitloads of cocaine and getting fat. 

(Via The Offside) 

You don't need to like soccer to be impressed by this.

That's Lionel Messi, Argentina's long-hyped 19-year-old, dribbling through five Getafe defenders to score a goal for Barcelona in the Copa Del Ray.  It's the closest we've seen to Maradona's Goal of the Century in the 20+ years since it happened. 

I saw this first at The Offside, but MJD Nathan Fowler has a great write-up at the FanHaus as well. You know, if you like "insight" and "analysis." *Yawn.*