By Khilen Mehta

This game could have been all over in the third minute, but when Cristiano Ronaldo missed his penalty, Manchester United missed their opportunity. The tie still hangs firmly in the balance but if United play as tamely as this in the return leg, then their chances of reaching the final in Moscow will be significantly diminished. Barcelona were by far the better team, they created the better chances, but just like United, they failed to convert their dominance into goalscoring opportunities. However, if they create half as many chances as they did in the Nou Camp, they will fancy their chances of grabbing an away goal at Old Trafford.

United started brightly and following an audacious free kick attempt from Ronaldo, they won a corner from which Gabriel Milito inexplicably handled the ball following Ronaldo’s flick on. So an early chance for United to take the lead.  But the normally so composed and arrogant Ronaldo blazed his penalty wide. Some would argue he was put off by the wall of noise behind the goal, but by changing his usual penalty style, he always ran the risk of becoming too big for his own boots.  And so United missed their chance, and for the remaining 87 minutes it was more or less all Barcelona.

The tempo was high, and Barcelona looked menacing everytime they went forward. Lionel Messi in particular was in scintillating form and his link up play with the forwards caused United problems everytime they went forward. United lacked cohesion, lacked tempo and for 87 minutes lacked the necessary class to break down the Barcelona defence. Edwin Van der Sar on the other hand had to be on top form to keep the Barcelona attack at bay, especially after the introduction of Thierry Henry after 76 minutes. The frenchman threatened the United goal on numerous occasions and Van der Sar had to be alert to parry away the danger.

So as we head into the second leg this week, the tie remains in the balance. Chances are guaranteed but no one is sure which team will be heading to Moscow on May 21st.

by Maja Gojkovic

Amy Winehouse has made it onto the rich kids list that features Britain’s richest young stars. The volatile celebrity is said to have raked in a £10million fortune.

Amy,24,  who has been in re-hab and whose husband is in prison is believed to have continued to rake in cash despite her continuous and lengthy booze and drugs battle.

Winehouse is the 10th wealthiest singer on the list all under the age of 30. The list of young richies feature in the Sunday Times Young Music Millionaires list.

Other artists who have suprisingly made it onto the list include Leona Lewis who is at No14 on the rich list with a fortune of £6million, definitely boosted by her recent US chart success.

List editor Ian Coxon said: “Although Amy’s had her troubles off stage, she’s a great performer. However, if things continue, it might well be that Leona overtakes her.” Both trail far behind No1 Dhani Harrison, with £160million inherited from late Beatle dad George.

The rich list also includes:

RICH KIDS LIST

1 Dhani Harrison £160m

2 Vanessa-Mae Nicholson £32m

3= Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland & Will Champion (Coldplay) £30m

6 Karen Elson and Jack White £25m

7 Katie Melua £18m

8 Joss Stone £12m

9 Charlotte Church, Gavin Henson £11m

10=Craig David, Amy Winehouse & Will Young £10m

13 Katherine Jenkins £9m

14= Corinne Bailey Rae, Natasha Bedingfield, Leona Lewis and Simon Webbe £6m

According to the  rich list, Amy is still continuing to do well for herself despite her rocky and somewhat decadent lifestyle. 

By Khilen Mehta

From May 2nd to May 4th, basketball’s most important competition comes to Madrid’s Palacio de Deportes. This event is guaranteed to cause a stir in the city as the continent’s best four teams battle it out to become European basketball champions. In a city so dominated by football, there was always a risk that the event could be overshadowed by the end of the football season, but basketball has firmly established itself as Madrid’s second sport.

To add to the excitement this year, a Spanish club has made it through to the final four. Tau Ceramica, from the capital of the Basque country, Vitoria, will be battling it out at the beginning of May against the likes of Russia’s CSKA Moscow, Israel’s Maccabi Elite and Italy’s Montepaschi Siena.

The favourites for the competition will be CKSA Moscow. With easily the biggest budget of any of the teams, their team value and class easily surpasses any of the remaining teams. Having already beaten Tau Ceramica home and away, few will bet against them reaching the final at least. CSKA have already reached the final six times before and will also be looking for revenge after being beaten in last year’s final. Maccabi Elite are also in the Final Four for the fourth time in five seasons and will be looking to clinch their third title within this time period. Italian champions Montepashci Siena are back again for the third time in six seasons, but going up against some of European basketball’s mightiest powers, head coach Simone Pianigiani may be happy to have his team considered the underdogs in Madrid. As Spain’s sole representative in the competition, all eyes will be on Tau Ceramica. They will be making their fourth consecutive appearance at the Euroleague Basketball Final Four this season, but are still chasing their first Euroleague crown.With the popularity of basketball in Spain these days, tickets for the event are hard to come by. But make sure your keep your eyes peeled for any shocks during the three days.Also make sure you take a look at the May edition of European Vibe magazine for an exclusive interview with Tau Ceramica player Will Mcdonald!