Rant about football

Villa and Hearts manage to make their escape while Everton and Fulham potentially ruin their season by cluttering it with meaningless fixtures by suffering the indignity of having to remain in this bloody awful competition.

Sigma Olomouc 1 – Everton 1 (Agg. 1-5)

The Toffeemen made a nervy start and were a player down within 10 minutes when Tony Hibbert saw red. Steven Pienaar put the tie beyond all doubt shortly before halftime, but the hosts salvaged some pride in the closing stages as a well worked free-kick between substitutes Rudolf Otekpa and Pavel Sultes nestled in the bottom corner of Tim Howard’s net.

Aston Villa 2 – Rapid Vienna 1* (Agg. 2-2)

Nikica Jelavic’s away goal stunned Villa Park and knocked Martin O’Neill’s side out of Europe, and what a relief that will be. James Milner’s first half penalty levelled the aggregate, although Ashley Young had missed an earlier spot-kick for the Villains. John Carew, making his first appearance of the season, doubled the Aston Villa lead as the Norway striker broke down the right and cut inside and drilled the ball home with a low finish. The match turned 12 minutes from time when Brad Guzan parried a shot into the path of Nikica Jelavic who scored the crucial away goal.

Hearts 2 – Dinamo Zagreb 0 (Agg. 2-4)

That man Michael Stewart sparked early thoughts of overturning the 4-0 first leg deficit with his 16th-minute opener. Marius Zaliukas hooked in the second shortly after the break but Hearts never really came close to getting back into the tie. Time to concentrate on the league.

Roma 7 – Kosice 1 (Agg. 10-4)

Did they really draw 3-3 in the first leg? A quick fire brace from big Francesco Totti got the Italians on their way. Stefano Guberti added a third, while Alessio Cerci struck a powerful strike fourth, Jeremy Menez notched number five, before Jan Novak pulled one back. All that was just the first half. Liverpool legend John Arne Riise made it 6-1 before Totti grabbed his hat-trick to complete the pummeling.

Levadia Tallinn 1 – 1 Galatasaray (Agg. 1-6)

Fenerbahçe 2 – 2 Sion (Agg. 4-2)