Messimesmerized

Messimesmerized.......

Barcelona magician Lionel Messi mesmerized Arsenal so much over the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final that the English team was left chasing shadows, manager Arsene Wenger reflected.

The world player of the year single-handedly led the European champions into a semifinal with Inter Milan, with the Argentine scoring all of Barca's goals in a 4-1 victory at the Nou Camp on Tuesday.

"Messi can make a difference at any moment in a game. He can take advantage of any mistakes you make," Wenger told a news conference.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi celebrates his fourth goal during Tuesday's Champions League soccer match against Arsenal in Barcelona.

"Messi's very young but he can achieve a lot. I don't know many players who can score the four goals he scored tonight and he has the team to help him.

"Barca is more than Messi. They are an exceptional team with an exceptional player. In exceptional games, it is the exceptional players that make the difference."

The 22-year-old Messi grabbed his team by the scruff of the neck and dragged it back into the game after it was shaken by Nicklas Bendtner's 18th-minute opener.

He sprinted towards the area three minutes later, and when Mikael Silvestre's weak clearance rebounded back into his path, he hammered a shot high into the net for the equalizer.

Messi later pulled wide and fired the second goal over the diving Arsenal goalkeeper in the 37th minute and completed his hat-trick with a scooped lob over the advancing Manuel Almunia, after bursting away on a counter-attack just before the break.

The fourth goal, at the end of the game, saw Messi beat Almunia after twisting and turning past defenders inside the area.

"He is a brilliant player. He was fantastic," Almunia told Sky Sports. "As a goalkeeper you try and anticipate what he is going to do, but he can do anything, so it is very hard to stop him because he has such fantastic skill.

"He was great tonight, I think he is the best player I have ever played against and is the best in the world."

INTER MILAN 1 CSKA 0

MOSCOW / Wesley Sneijder propelled Inter Milan to its first Champions League semifinal since 2003 when his early goal provided a victory over CSKA Moscow in the second leg of their quarter-final clash.

The playmaker, who will have a key role for the Netherlands at the World Cup in South Africa, fired the visitors ahead less than six minutes into the game when his low 20-metre free kick skidded under CSKA's defensive wall and evaded goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev.

With Inter holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Sneijder's goal all but killed the home team's chances as the Italian champions held firm for a comfortable 2-0 win on aggregate.

CSKA's Nigerian defender Chidi Odiah was sent off in the 49th minute after he picked up his second yellow card after a foul on Samuel Eto'o.

Tuesday's match was played amid high security after 40 people were killed in last week's two bomb blasts in the Moscow metro.

AND for todays match up between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, with a upper hand and late injury stoppage winner by Olic…has bayern in strong position, but united playing in Old Trafford with the home support and the atmosphere the best can feel the pressure. With the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben back from suspension and injury; with there first leg scorer in Franck Bilal Ribéry the Bayern Side looks good going forward; with Mark van Bommel in front of the defenders.

About the United side the major upset would be the talisman Wayne Rooney been injured and unlikely to take part in important leg. With the likes of Edwin van der Sar; Ryan Giggs, Scholes have gone through this; the Red Devils are having good experience to go ahead…the major incentive would be for Dimitar Berbatov's to prove that he is a world class player and to perform when the talisman Rooney is not around…

United must play with pace, passion and power to beat Bayern…

SAVE TIGERS.....

Save Tiger…..




The tiger is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem








How can we save the tiger
What WWF-India is doing to save the tiger?
At the turn of the 20th century, according to sources, India had an estimated 40,000 tigers in the wild. In 2002, based on pug mark census, this number was 3,642. As per the monitoring exercise by Wildlife Institute of India in association with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India using camera traps, in 2008 we were left with only 1,411 tigers. This number is so small that they will be gone soon if we don’t wake up to the crisis.

WWF-India aims for a strategic and focused approach in its tiger conservation efforts. Our goal is to restore, maintain and protect tigers as well as their habitat and prey base in important tiger landscapes in India.

The objectives are to:
• Protect, restore corridors to ensure connectivity between tiger habitats while ensuring that human-tiger conflicts are reduced.
• Reduce pressures on the tiger habitats by promoting alternative livelihoods for local communities in and around tiger habitats.
• Create incentives for local communities as well as state and regional government and opinion-makers to support tiger conservation.
• Enhance capacities of the Forest Department to control poaching of tigers and prey species.
• Provide policy inputs at state and central levels to ensure effective measures for conservation of tigers and their habitats.
• Promote the political will as well as popular support within all sectors of society for tiger conservation.



With one tiger, we protect about a 100 sq. km of forest
Volunteer with us








• Volunteer form for ‘Save Our Tigers’ campaign
What you can do to save the tiger?
The tiger is not just a charismatic species. It’s not just a wild animal living in some forest either. The tiger is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. It is a top predator and is at the apex of the food chain and keeps the population of wild ungulates in check, thereby maintaining the balance between prey herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed. Therefore the presence of tigers in the forest is an indicator of the well being of the ecosystem. The extinction of this top predator is an indication that its ecosystem is not sufficiently protected, and neither would it exist for long thereafter.

If the tigers go extinct, the entire system would collapse. For e.g. when the Dodos went extinct in Mauritius, one species of Acacia tree stopped regenerating completely. So when a species goes extinct, it leaves behind a scar, which affects the entire ecosystem. Another reason why we need to save the tiger is that our forests are water catchment areas.

When we protect one tiger, we protect about a 100 sq. km of area and thus save other species living in its habitat. Therefore, it’s not just about saving a beautiful animal. It is about making sure that we live a little longer as the forests are known to provide ecological services like clean air, water, pollination, temperature regulation etc. This way, our planet can still be home to our children.


Without adequate and timely protection there is a real possibility of these children never seeing a tiger in the wild once they grow up
Spread the word: Go out loud and tell others that tigers are dying and that they need our help. You can form forums (or join existing ones) on the web for discussions and exchange views on tiger conservation. Reach school going children. WWF can help you in this regard.

Be a responsible tourist: The wilderness is to be experienced and not to be disturbed and polluted. Follow the forest department guidelines when visiting any wilderness area, tiger reserve in particular. As the saying goes ‘Don’t leave thing anything behind except foot steps, and don’t take anything except memories.’

Write to the policy makers: If you are really concerned and feel that more needs to be done for tiger conservation, then write polite letters to the decision makers - the Prime Minister, the Minister for Environment and Forests or even your local MP.

Informing the nearest police station: If you know of any information on poaching or trade of illegal wildlife. You can also contact TRAFFIC- an organisation fighting the powerful poachers and pass on the information to them.

Reducing pressure on natural resources: By reducing the use of products derived from forests, such as timber and paper.



Without adequate and timely protection there is a real possibility of these children never seeing a tiger in the wild once they grow up








Support our work: Donating for this cause and encouraging others to donate too.