Group G of this season 2012/2013 UEFA Champions League was a very tight one as it featured Celtic and FC Barcelona. Favorites FC Barcelona were put in the same group as Scottish Premier League giants Celtics but the latter have been unable to take the top spot of Group G with just the 7 points they garnered from their 4 games. FC Barcelona took 9 points from their 4 matches but their last encounter with Celtic resulted in a defeat although pro soccer star Lionel Messi found the net in the 2nd half. Perhaps, it was the brilliant saves of the former Newcastle goalkeeper Fraser Forster which blocked the Catalans from seeing a nice victory.
Celtic 2-1 Barcelona
CELTIC
| LINE-UP | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS | No | Name | SH | SG | G | A | OF | FD | FC | SV | YC | RC |
| G | 1 | Fraser Forster | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 7 | - | - |
| D | 2 | Adam Matthews | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D | 4 | Efe Ambrose | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| D | 6 | Kelvin Wilson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| D | 23 | Mikael Lustig | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
| M | 15 | Kris Commons | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - |
| M | 16 | Joe Ledley | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| M | 21 | Charlie Mulgrew | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 67 | Victor Wanyama | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| F | 7 | Miku | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | - | 1 | - |
| F | 9 | Georgios Samaras | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - |
| SUBSTITUTES | ||||||||||||
| POS | No | Name | SH | SG | G | A | OF | FD | FC | SV | YC | RC |
| G | 24 | Lukasz Zaluska | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D | 44 | Marcus Fraser | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 20 | Patrick McCourt | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 31 | John Herron | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 33 | Baram Kayal | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 46 | Dylan McGeouch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F | 32 | Tony Watt | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
BARCELONA
| LINE-UP | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS | No | Name | SH | SG | G | A | OF | FD | FC | SV | YC | RC |
| G | 1 | Victor Valdés | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| D | 2 | Dani Alves | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| D | 14 | Javier Mascherano | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - |
| D | 15 | Marc Bartra | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| D | 18 | Jordi Alba | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | - |
| M | 6 | Xavi | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 8 | Andrés Iniesta | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| M | 25 | Alex Song | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | - |
| F | 9 | Alexis Sánchez | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| F | 10 | Lionel Messi | 6 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F | 17 | Pedro | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| SUBSTITUTES | ||||||||||||
| POS | No | Name | SH | SG | G | A | OF | FD | FC | SV | YC | RC |
| G | 13 | José Manuel Pinto | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D | 3 | Gerard Piqué | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D | 19 | Martin Montoya | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 4 | Cesc Fábregas | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 12 | Jonathan Dos santos | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F | 7 | David Villa | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F | 37 | Cristian Tello | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
United Struggled in the Beginning But Won in the End
Manchester United were able to gain the 3 points they needed when they faced S.C. Braga in an away match of the UEFA Champions League tournament. It was the optimum efforts of Wayne Rooney, Robbie Van Persie and Javier Hernandez which stopped the Portuguese home team from snatching a win: Brazilian midfielder Alan’s 49th minute goal was not decisive.
Braga 1-3 Manchester United
BRAGA
| LINE-UP | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS | No | Name | SH | SG | G | A | OF | FD | FC | SV | YC | RC |
| G | 33 | Beto | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| D | 4 | Nuno Coelho | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| D | 20 | Elderson | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
| D | 25 | Leandro Salino | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - |
| D | 44 | Douglao | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
| M | 5 | Ruben Amorim | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| M | 27 | Custódio | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - |
| M | 30 | Alan | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| M | 45 | Hugo Viana | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - |
| F | 14 | Ruben Micael | 6 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | 1 | - | - | - |
| F | 17 | Eder | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | - |
| SUBSTITUTES | ||||||||||||
| POS | No | Name | SH | SG | G | A | OF | FD | FC | SV | YC | RC |
| G | 1 | Quim | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D | 21 | Ismaily | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 8 | Mossoró | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 10 | Hélder Barbosa | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| M | 15 | Carneiro Wanderson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 22 | Djamal | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F | 29 | Zé Luís | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
MANCHESTER UNITED
| LINE-UP | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS | No | Name | SH | SG | G | A | OF | FD | FC | SV | YC | RC |
| G | 1 | David De Gea | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - |
| D | 3 | Patrice Evra | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| D | 6 | Jonathan Evans | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| D | 7 | Antonio Valencia | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - |
| D | 12 | Chris Smalling | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 2 | - | 1 | - |
| M | 8 | Anderson | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
| M | 11 | Ryan Giggs | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 17 | Nani | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| M | 19 | Danny Welbeck | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
| F | 10 | Wayne Rooney | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| F | 14 | Javier Hernández | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| SUBSTITUTES | ||||||||||||
| POS | No | Name | SH | SG | G | A | OF | FD | FC | SV | YC | RC |
| G | 13 | Anders Lindegaard | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D | 2 | Rafael | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| D | 5 | Rio Ferdinand | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 16 | Michael Carrick | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 18 | Ashley Young | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M | 23 | Tom Cleverley | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F | 20 | Robin Van Persie | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
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