José Mourinho Paid Tribute To APOEL FC's Organisation

José Mourinho paid tribute to APOEL FC's "organisation and character" after watching the Cypriot minnows keep his Real Madrid CF side out for 74 minutes before succumbing 3-0.
The result was fair. We tried to contain them but they upped their tempo towards the end and we couldn't hold on. It was very gratifying to play against a team like Real Madrid. We all saw first hand what a quality side they are. You could say this game was a crowning moment for the fantastic campaign we produced this season in the competition. My players have done themselves proud throughout this campaign and once again against superior opponents like Madrid. Madrid are in the semi-finals; there is no question about that. I even believe that they will reach the final and, hopefully, win it.

This year has been surreal. Our aim was first and foremost to enter the group stage. To get into the knockout phase ahead of Zenit, Porto and Shakhtar was a fantastic accomplishment, as was our being able to eliminate Lyon. Perhaps the fact that we got the chance to play Madrid was another gift. It was an honour to play against them.

The second leg will be harder. We need to try and exit the competition in the best possible fashion. Our campaign will forever be written in gold in the history of not just our club but Cypriot football also. The Champions League may have taken its toll on us in terms of injuries and fatigue but it has been worthwhile. The experiences of being here and playing here was worth it but there are many games left in our own league and we are still in with a chance of reclaiming the title.

José Mourinho, Real Madrid coach
It took us a long time to open the scoring but that had a lot to do with our opponents, they played very well and to their strengths. Obviously they don't have the outstanding individual talent that other teams in the Champions League have but in terms of organisation and character they are fantastic.

We had to play well in order to win here; we had to be good at the back and good in our use of the ball. In the end we finished off the tie. [Nuri Şahin] did very well for us which makes us all happy as he is a great guy who had a difficult period arriving at a club like Madrid when he wasn't fit enough to even train. This was the perfect game for him because he knew we would have a lot of possession.

We won tonight because we played well. Defensively, APOEL did well and they always played with a good spirit. What they are doing this season is fantastic. We had to be at our best tonight in order to achieve this result. When Marcelo and Kaká came on, our opponents were running out of energy [and the substitutions] proved decisive. We had a lot of respect for our opponents tonight, the same respect we will show them at the Santiago Bernabéu; they are the most important team in [this season's] Champions League.

Manchester United And Milan Make A Success

Manchester United FC ended the weekend top of the Premier League for the first time since October, while AC Milan extended their lead atop Serie A. UEFA.com recaps the action.

Manchester United FC may have played second fiddle to rivals Manchester City FC for much of the season, but Sir Alex Ferguson's side look to be timing their run to perfection after ending the weekend at the Premier League summit. AC Milan also enjoyed a successful Sunday, extending their lead in Serie A, while Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund were overshadowed by FC Bayern München. UEFA.com recaps the action.

England
Manchester United are back on top of the Premier League with ten games to go after jumping a point ahead of neighbours Manchester City FC. A pair of Wayne Rooney goals – the second a penalty – sealed a 2-0 win against West Bromwich Albion FC for United, while City slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Swansea City AFC. "Only a few weeks ago we were seven points behind," said Sir Alex Ferguson, whose side are in pole position for the first time since 15 October. "We've turned round eight points, which is a credit to the players and to the resilience of our squad." Chelsea FC improved their prospects of finishing fourth with a 1-0 victory against Stoke City FC, and that was also the scoreline as Liverpool FC lost at Sunderland AFC.

Italy
Milan have room to breathe at the Serie A summit after they defeated US Lecce 2-0 and nearest challengers Juventus were held to a goalless draw at Genoa CFC. The Bianconeri now trail the leaders by four points. "We have to focus on what we have to do without making any calculations," said Rossoneri coach Massimiliano Allegri. "Only the numbers will tell you who won at the end of the season. You don't win or lose the league every [weekend]." Third-placed S.S. Lazio missed the chance to close on Juve as they went down 3-1 at home to Bologna FC, while Udinese Calcio's 1-0 loss at struggling Novara Calcio helped SSC Napoli take over in fourth, their 6-3 defeat of Cagliari Calcio also costing Davide Ballardini his job.

Germany
Bayern enjoyed a fruitful weekend, triumphing 7-1 against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with the help of Mario Gomez's 11th top-flight hat-trick. "It was a classy performance," said coach Jupp Heynckes. "The way we made our goals was straight out of the textbook. It was a joy to watch." Bayern are five points behind leaders Dortmund after the champions were held 0-0 at FC Augsburg. Heynckes' side received a further fillip as third-placed VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach drew 0-0 with SC Freiburg. FC Schalke 04 trail Mönchengladbach by a point following a 3-1 win against Hamburger SV.

Spain
Real Madrid CF continue to edge closer to their first Liga title since 2008 after preserving their ten-point advantage at the top for another week. Madrid celebrated José Mourinho's 100th game in charge with a 3-2 win at Real Betis Balompié – their 11th successive league victory. "I'm more than happy with the three points, but Betis deserved more," said the Portuguese. "We gave our all. There was no control and we never knew who would win." Lionel Messi scored two more goals as second-placed FC Barcelona responded in kind, winning 2-0 at Real Racing Club, while Valencia CF dropped further off the pace with a 2-2 draw against RCD Mallorca.

France
Paris Saint-Germain FC continue to lead the way in Ligue 1 following a 2-1 success at Dijon FCO, Kevin Gameiro burying the winner in added time after Mohamed Sissoko had been dismissed in the first half. "We know what we want and we'll chase our objectives match after match and win after win," said Gameiro. "If we don't slip up, we'll go all the way." Second-placed Montpellier Hérault SC remain a solitary point behind the capital club after they dispatched SM Caen 3-0, while Olympique Lyonnais saw off LOSC Lille Métropole 2-1, leaving the champions 11 points off the pace in third.

Elsewhere
FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven suffered blows in the Eredivisie title race after respective losses to NEC Nijmegen and NAC Breda left them four points behind leaders AZ Alkmaar. Over in Portugal, meanwhile, FC Porto's lead is down to a single point as their 1-1 home draw with A. Académica de Coimbra allowed SC Braga and SL Benfica to turn up the pressure. There was a change at the summit in Austria as FC Salzburg beat previous pacesetters SK Rapid Wien 3-1, and Bosnian-Herzegovinian Premier League top dogs FK Željezničar increased their advantage to four points by edging NK Široki Brijeg 1-0.

David Beckham Is The Football God In The World

David Beckham is the super star all over the world, I believe that all the women love him very much, and he is the idol of everyone. David Beckham was born around the London area of England and as a child soon developed a passion for playing football. His dad would take him to the local park to practice his skills including how to trap and control a ball.

He would at times kick it up in the air as high as he could and would then ask David to attempt to control it as it came back down towards the ground. Young Beckham would also practice the art of scoring a goal from the other half of the pitch. This is a particular skill which is very hard to perfect. Years later when he played a famous game at Wimbledon, he scored such a goal which highlighted his talent and put him on the football map.

Beckham was soon spotted as a youngster by a variety of clubs but decided to join Manchester United. He still remains a staunch United supporter despite moving to play for Madrid and admits that he is still hurt by the way Alex Ferguson hounded him out of the club. David always believed that he would end his career at Manchester but this was not to be. He is now very happy at Real Madrid and the supporters have really taken to him. Despite a lack of silverware at his new club, Beckham has kept his form and has been one of the most consistent performers in the team.

Beckham is a football god, he did not need to get rid of other opponents as others who are with very fast speed and fancy technology, he just kicked the ball to the place he want the ball arrive and reach, his realm has exceed all the players, he is absolutely a legendary! He is also the most handsome stars in the football circles, perhaps in the future there will be no more handsome people than he, but his myth perhaps no one can replace, England may no longer appear a second David Beckham. This should be the sorrow of England football players which are now at explosive strength but no one can have the technology of the football skill as David Beckham.

During a particular rough stretch of games, Beckham is not playing very well. He seems to be trying to do too much and running all over the field. Instead of confronting him face-to-face, Donovan sends him a text message stating that the team needs him to stay farther up the field. The text message incident would not have been so bad if both players did not share lockers right next to each other.