2008–09 Latvian Hockey League season
The 2008-09 Latvian Hockey League season was the 18th season of the Latvian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Latvia. Eight teams participated in the league, and HK Liepājas Metalurgs won the championship.


2008–09 Lebanese FA Cup
The 2009 version of the Lebanese FA Cup is the 37th edition to be played. It is the premier knockout tournament for football teams in Lebanon.


2008–09 Lebanese FA Cup
Al-Mabarrah went into this edition as the holders. Al Ansar holds the most wins with 11 titles.


2008–09 Lebanese FA Cup
The cup winner were guaranteed a place in the 2010 AFC Cup.


2008–09 Lebanese FA Cup, Round 1
18 teams play a knockout tie. 8 clubs advance to the next round, 1 club gets a bye to the 3rd round. Ties played over 11 to 15 October 2008


2008–09 Lebanese FA Cup, Round 2
8 teams play a knockout tie. 4 clubs advance to the next round. Ties played on 21 October 2008


2008–09 Lebanese FA Cup, Round 3
16 teams play a knockout tie. 8 clubs advance to the next round. Ties played over 26 & 28 December 2008


2008–09 Lebanese FA Cup, Quarter finals
8 teams play a knockout tie. 4 clubs advance to the semi finals. Ties played on 1 February 2009


2008–09 Lebanese FA Cup, Semi finals
4 teams play a knockout tie. 2 clubs advance to the Final Ties played on 24 February 2009


2008–09 Lebanese Premier League
The 2008–09 Lebanese Premier League is the 48th season of Lebanon's football league. The league kicked off on October 11, 2008, Safa SC defeated Salam Zgharta at the opener. In that game, Mohammad Kassas scored the first goal of the season for Safa.


2008–09 Lebanese Premier League
Al Ahed is the defending champion. Salam Zgharta and Shahab Al-Ghazieh promoted from the second division.


2008–09 Lebanese Premier League
Prior to the start, Tripoli SC announced its withdrawal due to several problems. Lebanese Football Federation confirmed the withdrawal on October 9, the league is going to resume with 11 teams.


2008–09 Lebanese Premier League
Due to the restructuring of Asian competitions, Lebanese teams were entered into the AFC Cup. The Arab Champions League on the other hand would not be played.


2008–09 Lebanese Premier League, Teams
Al-Irshad and Al-Ahli Sidon were relegated to the second level of Lebanese football after ending the 2007–08 season in the bottom two places. Promoted from the second level were Salam Zgharta and Shabab Al-Ghazieh.


2008–09 Lebanese Second Division
The 2008–09 Lebanese Second Division was the 75th season of the second-highest level of Soccer in Lebanon. This season once again featured 14 Clubs just like the season before.


2008–09 Lebanese Second Division, Overview
In the 2007–08 Premier League, both Al-Irshad(finished 11th) and Al-Ahli Sidon (finished last) were relegated. They joined the Second Division along with Al-Riyadah and Al-Khoyol who were promoted to the Second Division from the Third Division in the 2007–08 season. Unlike the previous 3 seasons, no clubs pulled out before the season even started, a bonus for the league.


2008–09 Lebanese Second Division, Overview
The 2-Group Round-Robin format was once again used in order to determine the 4 clubs to qualify for the promotion play-off group. The winner of the group would be automatically promoted to the Premier League for the 2009–10 Season. The runners-up would also be promoted to the Premier League.


2008–09 Lebanese Women's Football League
The 2008–09 Lebanese Women's Football League was the 2nd edition of the Lebanese Women's Football League since its inception in 2008. Defending champions Sadaka won their second title, with a 2–0 victory over Homenmen in the final matchday of the season.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Leeds United F.C. 's second consecutive season in the third tier of English football and for the second year running saw them finish in the play-offs in League One.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season
The season began with Gary McAllister still managing Leeds, and they appeared to be in automatic promotion contention after a promising start. However, a humiliating FA Cup exit to Football Conference side Histon saw the team's form completely collapse, and with any hope of automatic promotion having all but ended even before Christmas Day, McAllister was sacked. He was replaced by Simon Grayson, and after a nervy first few games, Grayson lifted the side from eighth to fourth, resulting in a place in the play-offs. During this time, the club recorded eleven consecutive home wins.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season
Although to the heartbreak of Leeds fans, the club failed in the play-offs again, being defeated by Millwall in the semi-finals. During the season, Jermaine Beckford scored 34 goals in all competitions – the highest in the country. Once again, the club received the highest attendance outside the Premier League on three occasions; the largest in the play-off semi final, recording a crowd of over 37,000. Off the pitch, the club made a profit for the first time in years.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Events
This is a list of the significant events to occur at the club during the 2008–09 season, presented in chronological order (starting from 26 May 2008 and ending on 14 May 2009). This list does not include transfers or new contracts, which are listed in the transfers section below, or match results, which are in the matches section.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Players, Squad information
Appearances (starts and substitute appearances) and goals include those in The Premiership, The Championship (and playoffs), League One (and playoffs), FA Cup, League Cup, Football League Trophy, and UEFA Cup. 1Player first came to the club on loan and was transferred the following year. 2Player is at the club on loanSquad includes players registered with the club on the last day of the season (14 May 2009) only.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Players, Captains
Last updated: 15 May 2009Source: Competitive match reports. Competitive matches onlyMatches started as captain onlyCountry: FIFA nationality; No. : Squad number; P: Position; Name: Player name; No. Games: Number of games started as captain.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Players, Disciplinary record
Last updated: 7 May 2009Source: Only competitive matches = Number of bookings;  = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card;  = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Awards, Internal Awards, Official Player of the Year Awards
The results of the 2008–09 Leeds United F.C. Player of the Year Awards were announced at a dinner on 14 April 2008 at Elland Road .


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Awards, Internal Awards, Official Goal of the Month
1Winning goal was the player's third goal in the match. 2Winning goal was the player's first goal in the match.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Awards, External Awards, League One Team of the Week
The following Leeds players have been selected in the official League One team of the week.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Transfers, In
1As the player was under the age of 23 at the time of the transfer, an undisclosed compensation package was due to the player's former club. 2Although intended to be undisclosed, it was revealed on Yorkshire Radio on 18 April 2009 that the compensation paid to the player's former club was £35,000. 3Although intended to be undisclosed, chairman Ken Bates revealed on Yorkshire Radio on 19 May 2009 that the compensation paid to the player's former club was £300,000. 4Player originally joined the club on a non-contract basis, but signed a one-year contract lasting until 2009 several weeks after. 5Player joined the club on a non-contract basis.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Transfers, Out
1Player was at the club on a non-contract, pay-as-you-play deal which include a clause in which either party could cancel the agreement with 7 days notice. The player was the party that triggered the clause, resulting in his release from the club.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Transfers, New Contracts
1Automatically extended until 2012 if the club is promoted to The Championship. 2Player's first contract included an appearance related clause which was automatically triggered in March, resulting in a one-year contract extension commencing in June 2009.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Club, Non-playing staff
Last updated: 5 May 2009Source: Leeds United F.C. Official Handbook


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Club, Former staff
Date = Date the staff member left the club. Reason = Reason for departure from the club.


2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season, Competitions, League One, Play-offs
Last updated: 15 May 2009. Source: Competitive Matches1Scunthorpe beat MK Dons 7–6 on penalties.


2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A
The 2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A season, known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons, was the 87th season of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the top tier professional basketball league division of the Italian basketball league system.


2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A
The regular season ran from September 30, 2007 to April 27, 2008, 16 teams played each other team in home and away matches. At the end of the regular season, the top 8 teams advanced to the championship play-off whilst the lowest ranked teams, GMAC Bologna and Snaidero Udine, were relegated to the Legadue.


2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A
The original number of teams was 18, but on September 20, 2008 the Federal Council of the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) discovered administrative irregularities committed by Basket Napoli and UPEA Capo d'Orlando and decided to deny them professional licenses. The council also chose not to substitute them with any teams from LegADue, and at the same time decided to permanently reduce the number of teams in the top flight to 16.


2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A
Montepaschi Siena swept virtually all before them domestically, winning the SuperCoppa Italiana before the season and the Coppa Italia at midseason, losing in the league only once (at Fortitudo Bologna), and going unbeaten through the playoffs to claim their third straight title.


2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A, Supercoppa Italiana
The Italian Supercup is played as a single match before the start of the season between the previous year's Serie A champion and Coppa Italia winner (if a club wins both, the match instead pits the top two teams from the previous season's league). This season, the game, played September 30 in Siena, pitted two-time defending league champion Montepaschi Siena against Coppa Italia winner Air Avellino.


2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A, Standings
Following the season, the owner of Fortitudo (GMAC) Bologna failed to make required payments to remain in the Italian professional ranks, and the club were further relegated to the country's third level, the nominally amateur Serie A Dilettanti. An appeal was unsuccessful.


2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A, Coppa Italia
The top eight teams at the halfway point of the regular season (15 rounds) competed in the Italian Cup, seeded according to their league placement at that time. The cup tournament was held at Futurshow Station in Casalecchio di Reno from February 19 to February 22, 2009, with top seed Montepaschi Siena winning the cup for the first time.


2008–09 Lega Basket Serie A, Playoffs
The playoffs, which began on May 18, featured the top eight teams from regular-season play, seeded by league position. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds were best-of-five, while the final expanded for the first time from its traditional best-of-five format to best-of-seven.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione
The 2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione season is the thirty-first since its renaming to Serie C1 in 1978, and the first edition since the renaming from Serie C1 to Lega Pro. It was divided into two phases: the regular season, played from September 2008 to May 2009, and the playoff phase from May to June 2009.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione
The league was composed of 36 teams divided into two divisions of 18 teams each, whose teams was divided mainly according to geographical principles. Teams will play only other teams in their own division, once at home and once away for a total of 34 matches.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione
Teams finishing first in the regular season, plus one team winning the playoff round from each division, were promoted to Serie B; teams finishing last in the regular season, plus two relegation playoff losers from each division was relegated to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. In all, four teams was promoted to Serie B, and six teams were relegated to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Events, Start of season
The league was to feature four teams relegated from Serie B in 2007–08; Avellino, Ravenna, Spezia, and Cesena. Two vacancies were created with the re-admission of Avellino to Serie B, and the bankruptcy of Spezia.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Events, Start of season
It featured six teams promoted from 2007–08 Serie C2: Pergocrema, Reggiana, Benevento, Lumezzane, Portosummaga, and Marcianise.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Events, Start of season
The remaining 26 teams were to come from the teams that played in 2007–08 Serie C1 that were neither promoted nor relegated. Of those, Lucchese (8th in Girone B), and Massese (13th in Girone B) were also banned creating two more vacancies.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Events, Start of season
Three of the four vacancies were filled by Virtus Lanciano, Pro Patria and Lecco which had lost in last year's Serie C1 relegation playoffs and were destined to play in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. The fourth vacancy was filled by SPAL, which lost in last year's Serie C2 promotional playoffs and was thus destined to remain there.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Events, Promotions
Cesena won direct promotion to Serie B for the 2009–10 season by finishing first in Girone A. Just one year ago Cesena was directly relegated from the same Serie B for finishing in last place. Gallipoli also won direct promotion to Serie B by being crowned champions in Girone B. It was Gallipoli's third consecutive year in Lega Pro Prima Divisione/C1 after winning promotion from Serie C2 in 2005–06.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Events, Relegations
Legnano and Potenza were the first two teams relegated by finishing last in their respective divisions. Both teams had been in Prima Divisione/C1 for two consecutive years after winning promotion from 2006–07 Serie C2.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Events, Relegations
Four teams were relegated by losing in the relegation playoffs. Pro Sesto was relegated after 4 seasons in Prima Divisione/C1, winning promotion from C2 in 2004–05. Pro Sesto was forced to play in the playouts two other times, winning one and losing the other in 2006, but asked to remain in C1 to fill vacancies. Sambenedettese also lost in the Girone A playouts after 7 seasons in Prima Divisione/C1, winning promotion from C2 in 2001–02.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Events, Relegations
In Girone B, Pistoiese and Juve Stabia lost in the relegation playoffs. Pistoiese had been in 2001–02 Serie B, and after being relegated that year, spent the next 7 years in Prima Divisione/C1. Juve Stabia was promoted from C2 2004–05, spending the next four seasons in C1/Lega Pro.


2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Teams
On 14 August 2008 the following clubs were confirmed to be competing in the division:


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
The 2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season was the thirty-first football (soccer) league season of Italian Lega Pro Seconda Divisione since its establishment in 1978, and the first since the renaming from Serie C2 to Lega Pro.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
It was divided into two phases: the regular season, played from September 2008 to May 2009, and the playoff phase from May to June 2009.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
It was composed of 54 teams divided into three divisions of 18 teams each, whose teams were divided geographically. Teams only played other teams in their own division, once at home and once away for a total of 34 matches each.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
Teams finishing first in the regular season, plus one team winning the playoff round from each division were promoted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione; teams finishing last in the regular season, plus two relegation playoff losers from each division were relegated to Serie D.  In all, six teams were promoted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione, and nine teams were relegated to Serie D.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Events, Start of season
The league was to feature six teams relegated from Serie C1 in 2007–08; Lecco, Manfredonia, Pro Patria, Lanciano, Martina, and Sangiovannese. Four vacancies were created with the re-admission of Pro Patria, Lanciano, and Lecco to Lega Pro Prima Divisione in 2008-09, and the non-admission of Martina.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Events, Start of season
It featured nine teams promoted from 2007–08 Serie D; Alessandria, Aversa Normanna, Como, Figline, Fortitudo Cosenza, Giacomense, Isola Liri, Itala San Marco, and Sangiustese.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Events, Start of season
The remaining 39 teams were to come from the group of teams that played in 2007–08 Serie C2 that were neither relegated nor promoted. Of those, Nuorese (9th in Girone A), Sassari Torres (13th in Girone A), Teramo (8th in Girone B), and Castelnuovo (15th in Girone B) were banned or failed to register, creating four more vacancies. A fifth vacancy from this group was created when SPAL, which lost in last year's promotional play-offs, was admitted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione anyway to fill a vacancy.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Events, Start of season
In all, nine vacancies were created. They were filled as follows:


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Events, Start of season
Considering all changes, the final team list includes only 2 teams that played in Serie C1 last year, 38 teams that played in Serie C2, and 14 teams that played in Serie D.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Events, Promotions
Two of the three division champions were playing in Serie D in 2007–08. Figline and Cosenza won direct promotion to Lega Pro Prima Divisione for the 2009–10 season by winning Girone B and Girone C respectively. The year before they had been division champions in their respective Serie D divisions, and have thus both been promoted twice in consecutive years. Varese won direct promotion by winning Girone A.  Varese played in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione/C2 for three years after winning promotion from Serie D in the 2005–06 season.


2008–09 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Teams
On August 14, 2008 the following clubs were confirmed to be competing in the division:


2008–09 Legia Warsaw season
During the 2008-09 Season, Legia Warsaw participated in the Polish first division, the Ekstraklasa.


2008–09 Legia Warsaw season, Squad
As of 18 February 2009. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Leicester City F.C. 's 104th season in the English football league system and their first and, to date, only season in the third tier of English football, after being relegated to League One the previous season.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season
Under the stewardship of new manager Nigel Pearson (who managed to become the first Leicester manager in five years to last an entire season), Leicester comfortably took the League One title to earn instant promotion back to the Championship, which included a club record run of 23 games league unbeaten between 1 November and 7 March.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season
Leicester also broke club records for the most points ever gained in a season (96), the most league wins ever gained in a season (27) and the fewest league defeats in a season (4), the latter record especially impressive considering the amount of league seasons Leicester have had to play fewer than 46 games.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season
Matty Fryatt also became the first Leicester player to score over 30 goals in one season since legendary striker Arthur Rowley, 52 years previously.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season, Players, 2008-09 squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season, Kit and sponsorship
Leicester City retained the previous season's home kit. A yellow away kit and a black third kit were also used.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season, Kit and sponsorship
The kits were produced by German company Jako and sponsored by British company Topps Tiles.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season, Pre-Season Friendlies
The Leicester City players reported back for Pre-Season  on 1 July 2008. They played the following Friendlies:


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season, Results, Football League One
1 - Match postponed due to International call-ups. 2 - In some match reports, this goal is mistakenly awarded to Mark Davies


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season, Awards, Club awards
At the end of the season, Leicester's annual award ceremony including categories voted for by the players and backroom staff, the supporters and the supporters club, saw the following players recognised for their achievements for the club throughout the 2009–10 season.


2008–09 Leicester City F.C. season, League One statistics, Club standings
Last updated: 2 May 2009. Source: LCFC League One Results


2008–09 Leinster Rugby season
The 2008–09 Leinster Rugby season was Leinster's eighth competing in the Celtic League alongside which they competed in the 2008–09 Heineken Cup. Though Leinster were ultimately to lose their Celtic League crown to rivals Munster, they were to cap a great year for Irish rugby with their victory over the Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup Final at Murrayfield.


2008–09 Leinster Rugby season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.


2008–09 Leinster Rugby season, Match Attendance
Leinster's average Celtic League attendance was 14,728, up 415 on the 2007-08 season.


2008–09 Leinster Rugby season, Match Attendance
Leinster's Heineken Cup semi final against Munster, held in Croke Park set the record for the highest attendance in club rugby history at over 82,000.


2008–09 Libyan Cup
The 2008-09 Libyan Cup is the 19th edition of the competition since its inception in 1976.


2008–09 Libyan Cup, Rules
45 teams will be entering the competition, composed of 5 sides from the Libyan Third Division, and 40 sides from the Libyan Second Division. 26 were drawn into the First Round, while the other 18 were automatically drawn into the Second Round. The sides participating in the First Round were drawn into regional groups. The Second Round will consist of 32 sides, 18 in the Eastern Section, and 14 in the Western Section. 16 sides from the Second Round will go through to the Round of 32, where they will be joined by the 16 sides in the Libyan Premier League. All ties this season will be one-off ties, compared to previous seasons, where the later rounds were two-legged affairs.


2008–09 Libyan Cup, Rules
If any of the matches end in a draw, then the tie(s) will be settled by a penalty shootout. This stands until the semi-final stage, where the tie(s) will be settled by two 15-minute halves of extra time, then followed by a penalty shootout if the scores remain level.


2008–09 Libyan Cup, Round of 32
The draw was made on March 26, 2009 at 22:00 EET. Matches will be settled by a penalty shootout immediately after the match should a tie end in a draw. The stadia were selected by the Libyan Football Federation. The ties will be played between May 1, 2009 and May 6, 2009. If ties are won by the team playing at home, then this team will play away from home against their next opponents in the Round of 16.


2008–09 Libyan Cup, Round of 16
The draw was made on May 23, 2009 at 22:00 EET. Matches will be settled by a penalty shootout immediately after the match should a tie end in a draw. The stadia were selected by the Libyan Football Federation.


2008–09 Libyan Cup, Quarter-finals
The draw was made on June 22, 2009 at the LFF headquarters in Tripoli. The ties will be played over three days commencing June 30, 2009.


2008–09 Libyan Cup, Semifinals
The draw was made on June 30. The ties will be played over July 5 and July 6.


2008–09 Libyan Division I Basketball League
The 2008–09 season of the Libyan Division I Basketball League.


2008–09 Libyan Premier League
The 2008–09 Libyan Premier League season was the forty-first edition of the competition since its establishment in 1963. Al Ittihad were the defending champions, having won their fourteenth Libyan Premier League title with just one round of matches to spare in the previous season. The campaign began on Friday October 17, 2008, delayed due to Libya's World Cup qualifiers, and, depending on the Libyan Cup, is scheduled to finish on June 26, 2009. A total of 16 teams contested the league, including 13 who competed in the previous season and three promoted from the Libyan Second Division. (see 2007–08 Libyan Second Division)


2008–09 Libyan Premier League
The first goal of the season was scored by newly promoted Wefaq Sabratha's Stefan de Paul against 2003-04 champions Al Olomby in the thirty-second minute of the game on the opening day of the season on October 17. Atef Hussein of Al Olomby scored the first hat-trick of the season against Al Sweahly on December 16, netting two in the final six minutes to help his side to a 3–3 draw.


2008–09 Libyan Premier League
The season paused for its usual mid-season break. However, this season's break was extended due to the national team's participation in the 2009 African Championship of Nations, and participation (at club level) in Africa's continental competitions. The season continued on March 13.


2008–09 Libyan Premier League
Wahda Tripoli were the first club to be relegated following a 4–1 defeat to Ahly Benghazi on May 28, 2009.Wefaq Sabratha's relegation was also confirmed on June 18, 2009 despite defeating Jazeera 4–1, as other results went against them. Jazeera's defeat also meant that they would not be remaining in the division for next season. Aman al Aam were relegated on the final day of the season. Although they defeated Khaleej Sirte 2–0, they needed Hilal Benghazi to lose to Sweahly to stay up on head-to-head record. Hilal secured a 0–0 draw, ensuring their survival by one point.


2008–09 Libyan Premier League
Ittihad Tripoli won the title on June 19, 2009 after defeating Sweahly 2–1 to gain an unassailable lead over second-placed Ahly Benghazi. This was Ittihad's 5th league title in succession, and their 15th overall.


2008–09 Libyan Premier League, Team summary
1 As the 28 March Stadium was not re-opened until October 22, 2008, Benghazi clubs played at stadia selected by the Libyan Football Federation. Some fixtures were also re-arranged so that these clubs played away from home for rounds 1 & 2. 2 Due to Al Jazeera's ban from their Zuwara Stadium, the club will play their remaining home games at 9 July Stadium for the remainder of the season. 3 Wefaq Sabratha's used the Ajaylat Stadium from rounds 1-8 as their own Sabratha Stadium was undergoing maintenance.


2008–09 Libyan Premier League, Team summary
NB: The newly constructed Benina Stadium will be used to host matches held in Benghazi, as the 28 March Stadium is undergoing maintenance. The 28 March Stadium will not be in use for the rest of this season.


2008–09 Libyan Second Division
The 2008–09 edition of the Libyan Second Division began on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. 45 clubs (shown below in their respective groups) will attempt to win promotion to the Libyan Premier League for the 2009–10 season.


2008–09 Libyan Second Division, System
The clubs are sorted by their geographical location in Libya. Groups A & B contain 23 teams that hail from Tripoli, Misrata, Zawiya and Sabha. Groups C & D contain 22 teams that hail from Benghazi, Sirte, Jabal al Akhdar and Al Butnan.


2008–09 Libyan Second Division, System
The top two in each group progress to the Final Qualification stage, making 8 teams. These eight teams will be placed in one group, and will play each other, home and away, to determine the two clubs that win promotion to the Libyan Premier League for the 2009-10 season. The club that finishes top of the Final Qualification group claims the Libyan Second Division title for the 2008-09 season. Any bookings, sendings-off or other punishments will be carried forward to the Final Qualification stage.


2008–09 Libyan Second Division, System
The two clubs that finish bottom of their respective groups are directly relegated to the Libyan Third Division for the 2009-10 season.


2008–09 Libyan Second Division, System
If two or more teams are tied for a particular position, the tie-breaker is as follows:


2008–09 Libyan Second Division, Participating clubs, Group B
1(Al Shabab al Wahdawi withdrew from the competition at the mid-season break, and therefore had all matches cancelled)


2008–09 Libyan Second Division, Championship Stage
The top two teams in each group will qualify to this stage of the competition, making 8 teams. These 8 teams will play each other home and away, and the top two sides at the end of these 14 matches will be promoted to the Libyan Premier League for the 2009–10 season. The top team will be crowned champions for this season.


2008–09 Libyan Second Division, Championship Stage
The draw for the Championship Stage will take place on May 27, 2009, at 11:00 EET


2008–09 Libyan Second Division – Championship Stage
The Championship Stage of the 2008–09 Libyan second division football competition will consist of a mini league of 8 teams, who play each other twice to decide the two clubs who will be promoted to the Libyan Premier League for the 2009–10 season. The top two teams in each group of the regular season will compete in this stage of the competition.


2008–09 Libyan Second Division – Championship Stage
The draw for the Championship Stage took place on May 27, 2009, at 11:00 EET


2008–09 Libyan Second Division – Championship Stage, Fixtures and results, Round 1
Fixtures announced May 27, 2009All other fixture dates announced on June 1, 2009, times TBC


2008–09 Libyan Third Division
The 2008–09 Libyan Third Division sees the clubs in the Northern, Eastern and Southern sections play for places in the Libyan Second Division for the 2009-2010 season.


2008–09 Libyan Third Division, Playoffs
The top team in each regional group qualify to the final stage. The eight teams are split up into two groups of four teams; the first group is made up of the champions of the Tripoli, Zawiya, Misrata and Sabha regions, and the second group is made up of the champions of the Benghazi, Sirte, Jabal al Akhdar and Butnan regions. The four teams in each group will play each other once. The top team in each group wins promotion to the Libyan Second Division for the 2009–10 season. These two teams will then play a play-off match to decide winner of the Libyan Third Division for the 2009-10 season.


2008–09 Libyan Trophy
The 2008-09 Libyan Trophy, known as the Libyana Cup for sponsorship reasons, will be contested between the sixteen sides currently playing the 2008-09 Libyan Premier League. It is the second edition of the competition.


2008–09 Libyan Trophy, Rules
This is a competition aimed at under-21 players. However, each club is permitted to enter three members of its senior side, as long as they are not foreign players. The 16 clubs will be split into three groups, depending on their geographic location. The sides in each group will play each other once. The winner of each group will enter a Championship Group. The three sides in this group will play each other home and away to determine the title.


2008–09 Libyan Trophy, Draw
The draw was made by the Libyan Football Federation on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 in Benghazi. The 16 sides in the Libyan Premier League for the 2008-09 season were drawn into three groups, two of 5 and one group of 6. They were sorted according to geographic location.


2008–09 Libyan Trophy, Final stage
Khaleej Sirte, Aman al Aam and Ittihad Tripoli qualified from the groups


2008–09 Liechtenstein Cup
The 2008–09 Liechtenstein Cup was the sixty-fourth season of Liechtenstein's annual cup competition. Seven clubs competed with a total of eighteen teams for one spot in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. Defending champions were FC Vaduz, who have won the cup continuously since 1998.


2008–09 Liechtenstein Cup, First round
The First Round featured fourteen teams. The only first team of a club that had to compete in this round was FC Triesen, while the other two teams eligible for the first round, FC Triesenberg and FC Schaan, received a bye. The games were played on August 26 – 28, 2008.


2008–09 Liechtenstein Cup, Second round
The six winners of the First Round, along with the two teams who had received a bye, competed in the Second Round. The first teams of FC Balzers, USV Eschen/Mauren, FC Ruggell and FC Vaduz were all given a bye in this round. The games were played on September 17 and 19, 2008.


2008–09 Liechtenstein Cup, Quarterfinals
The four winners of the Second Round, along with the four teams who had received a bye, competed in the Quarterfinals. The games were played on October 21, 22, 28 and 29, 2008.


2008–09 Liechtenstein Cup, Semifinals
The four winners of the Quarterfinals competed in the Semifinals. The games were played on April 28 and 29, 2009.


2008–09 Liechtenstein Cup, Final
The Final was played on May 21, 2009 at Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz.


2008–09 Liga ABF
The Liga ABF 2008–09 was the 52nd season of women's handball top flight in Spain since its establishment, running from 13 September 2008. to 23 May 2009. SD Itxako won the championship for the first time with a seven points advantage over Balonmano Sagunto. CBF Elda, Bera Bera, Mar Alicante and CB Elche followed in European positions, while CB Zuazo and CBF Monóvar were relegated.


2008–09 Liga Alef
The 2008–09 Liga Alef season was the last season of Liga Alef as the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system. Third tier, Liga Artzit, was scrapped, while the Premier League and Liga Leumit were expanded to 16 clubs each, making Liga Alef the third tier, as well as expanding the two regional divisions to 16 clubs.


2008–09 Liga Alef
The season saw Ahva Arraba (champions of the North Division) and Maccabi Be'er Sheva (champions of the South Division) winning the title and promotion to Liga Leumit.


2008–09 Liga Alef
At the bottom, the bottom clubs in each division, Maccabi Ironi Shlomi/Nahariya, Beitar Ihud Mashhad (from North division), Ironi Ramla and Hapoel Masos/Segev Shalom (from South division) were all automatically relegated to Liga Bet, whilst the two clubs which were ranked in 12th place in each division, Maccabi Kafr Qara and Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda entered a promotion/relegation play-offs, and both remained in Liga Alef after winning the play-offs.


2008–09 Liga Alef, Changes from last season, Format changes
At the end of the season no relegation play-offs were held. The two bottom clubs were relegated automatically, while the third from bottom club was safe from relegation.


2008–09 Liga Alef, Relegation play-offs, North play-off
The 12th-placed team, Maccabi Kafr Qara, faced the Liga Bet promotion playoff winner Hapoel Daliyat al-Karmel.


2008–09 Liga Alef, Relegation play-offs, South play-off
The 12th-placed team, Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda, faced the Liga Bet promotion playoff winner Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva.


2008–09 Liga Alef, Relegation play-offs, South play-off
Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda remained in Liga Alef; Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva was promoted after Hapoel Umm al-Fahm (which relegated from Liga Artzit to Liga Alef) folded during the summer.


2008–09 Liga Artzit
The 2008–09 Liga Artzit season started on 5 September 2008 and ended on 29 May 2009.


2008–09 Liga Artzit
Two teams from Liga Alef were promoted at the end of the previous season: Hapoel Umm al-Fahm and Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam along with two teams relegated from Liga Leumit: Hapoel Nazareth Illit and Hapoel Rishon LeZion. The two teams relegated to Liga Alef were Hapoel Kfar Shalem and Maccabi HaShikma/Ramat Hen.


2008–09 Liga Artzit
It was scheduled to be the last season before the league closing, as the top two divisions are both expanded to 16 clubs. As a result of the restructuring, the top seven clubs were promoted to Liga Leumit, whilst the eight-placed club played in a play-off against the 11th-placed club in Liga Leumit for a place in that division. The losers of that match and the bottom four clubs in Liga Artzit were relegated to Liga Alef, which has regain its status as the third tier of Israeli football.


2008–09 Liga Artzit, Results
The schedule consisted of three rounds. During first two rounds, each team played each other once home and away for a total of 22 matches. The pairings of the third round were then set according to the standings after first two rounds, giving every team a third game against each opponent for a total of 33 games per team.


2008–09 Liga Artzit, Results, Third round
Key numbers for pairing determination (number marks position after 22 games):


2008–09 Liga Artzit, Promotion playoff
Maccabi Kafr Kanna as the 8th-placed team faced the 11th-placed Liga Leumit team Ironi Ramat HaSharon for a two-legged playoff, Maccabi Kafr Kanna lost both games and were relegated to Liga Alef.


2008–09 Liga Bet
The 2008–09 Liga Bet season was the last season of Liga Bet as the fifth tier of the Israeli football league system. The third tier, Liga Artzit was scrapped at the end of the season, making Liga Bet the fourth tier.


2008–09 Liga Bet
The season saw Maccabi Ironi Jatt (champions of the North A division), Maccabi Umm al-Fahm (champions of the North B division), Shimshon Bnei Tayibe (champions of the South A division) and Hapoel Tzafririm Holon (champions of the South B division) winning the title and promotion to Liga Alef.


2008–09 Liga Bet
The runners-up in each division entered a promotion/relegation play-offs, which saw a change of format, as this time, the North runners-up faced each other, as well as the South runners-up, with the winner of each match faced the clubs ranked 12th in Liga Alef North and South divisions respectively, for a decisive matches. Hapoel Daliyat al-Karmel lost to Maccabi Kafr Qara of Liga Alef North and Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva lost to Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda of Liga Alef South. However, Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva was eventually promoted to Liga Alef after a vacancy was created in the South division, since Hapoel Umm al-Fahm folded during the summer break.


2008–09 Liga Bet
At the bottom, Bnei Abu Snan, Beitar Kafr Kanna (from North A division), Hapoel Deir el-Asad, Maccabi Sha'ab (from North B division), Hapoel Hod HaSharon, Maccabi Or Yehuda (from South A division), Hapoel F.C. Hevel Modi'in and Hapoel Jaljulia (from South B division) were all automatically relegated to Liga Gimel


2008–09 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, North play-off
Liga Bet North A and North B runners-up, Hapoel Ahva Haifa and Hapoel Daliyat al-Karmel faced each other. The winner advanced to the decisive play-off match against the 12th placed club in Liga Alef North, Maccabi Kafr Qara.


2008–09 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, North play-off
Hapoel Daliyat al-Karmel qualified for the decisive play-off match against Maccabi Kafr Qara.


2008–09 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, South play-off
Liga Bet South A and South B runners-up, Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva and Maccabi Sderot faced each other. The winner advanced to the decisive play-off match against the 12th placed club in Liga Alef North, Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda.


2008–09 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, South play-off
Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva qualified for the decisive play-off match against Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda.


2008–09 Liga Bet, Promotion play-offs, South play-off
Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda remained in Liga Alef; Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva was promoted after Hapoel Umm al-Fahm (which relegated from Liga Artzit to Liga Alef) folded during the summer.


2008–09 Liga Femenina de Baloncesto
The 2008–09 Liga Femenina de Baloncesto was the 46th edition of the Spanish premier championship for women's basketball teams. Ros Casares Valencia defeated Perfumerías Avenida in the final to win its third title in a row, an overall sixth. Rivas Ecópolis also qualified for the FIBA Euroleague along with Ros Casares and Avenida, while Feve San José, Espanyol Olesa and EBE Puig d'en Valls qualified for the FIBA Eurocup. On the other hand, Mann Filter Zaragoza and Extrugasa Cortegada were relegated as the two bottom teams. However, Feve San José was disbanded following the end of the season and Espanyol Olesa renounced to its Eurocup place for financial reasons, so Mann Filter Zaragoza was spared from relegation and invited to the Eurocup along with CB Islas Canarias.


2008–09 Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, Championship Play-offs, Semifinals
Rivas Ecópolis qualifies for the FIBA Euroleague. Feve San José qualifies for the FIBA Eurocup. However, Feve San José later disappeared and was replaced by CB Islas Canarias.


2008–09 Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, FIBA Eurocup Play-Offs
Espanyol Olesa and EBE Puig d'en Valls qualify for the FIBA Eurocup. However, Espanyol Olesa later renounced and was replaced by Mann Filter Zaragoza.


2008–09 Liga Gimel
The 2008–09 Liga Gimel season saw 83 clubs competing in 6 regional divisions for promotion to Liga Bet. This was the last season that Liga Gimel was the sixth tier in the Israeli football league system, a position it held since 1998–99.


2008–09 Liga Gimel
At the end of the season, due to the league system restructuring, two clubs from each division were promoted to Liga Bet.


2008–09 Liga Gimel, Upper Galilee Division
Hapoel Jatt Yanuh HaGlilit, Hapoel Hatzor and Maccabi Kafr Yasif all registered to play in the division, but withdrew before playing a single match.


2008–09 Liga Gimel, Jezreel Division
Hapoel Muawiya registered to play in the division, but withdrew before playing a single match.


2008–09 Liga Gimel, Central Division, Promotion Play-offs
As F.C. Kiryat Gat, Hapoel Rahat and Bnei Yichalel Rehovot finished level on points, the three clubs played a promotion play-offs to determine the league winner and the promoting clubs to Liga Bet.


2008–09 Liga I
The 2008–09 Liga I was the ninety-first season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. Season began on 26 July 2008 and ended on 10 June 2009. CFR Cluj were the defending champions.


2008–09 Liga I, Teams, Promoted
Teams promoted from Liga II at the beginning of the season.


2008–09 Liga I, Teams, Relegated
Teams relegated to Liga II at the end of season.


2008–09 Liga I, Champion squad
Goalkeepers: Giedrius Arlauskis  (30 / 0); Cătălin Grigore (2 / 0); Daniel Tudor (2 / 0). Defenders: Valeriu Bordeanu (30 / 0); Pablo Brandán  (26 / 1); George Galamaz (32 / 4); Ersin Mehmedović  (18 / 0); Bruno Fernandes  (19 / 0); Epaminonda Nicu (30 / 0). Midfielders: Iulian Apostol (28 / 2); Tiberiu Bălan (25 / 4); George Bârlădeanu (2 / 0); Jacob Burns  (10 / 0); Sorin Frunză (25 / 1); Răzvan Pădurețu (31 / 3); Ricardo Vilana  (20 / 1); Dinu Todoran (22 / 2); Dacian Varga (14 / 4). Forwards: Bogdan Aldea (1 / 0); Marius Bilașco (27 / 8); Cristian Dănălache (20 / 3); Bogdan Mara (17 / 5); Marius Onofraș (22 / 8); Raul Rusescu (23 / 5). (league appearances and goals listed in brackets)


2008–09 Liga I (women's football)
The 2008–09 season of the Liga I Feminin was the 19th season of Romania's premier women's football league. CFF Clujana won the title.


2008–09 Liga II
The 2008–09 Liga II was the 69th season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 16 August 2008 and lasted until 13 June 2009.


2008–09 Liga II
The format has been maintained to two series, each of them consisting of 18 teams. At the end of the season, the top two teams of the series promoted to Liga I and the bottom fourth places from both series relegated to Liga III.


2008–09 Liga II, Team changes, Note (**)
Unirea Sânnicolau Mare was absorbed by newly founded FCM Târgu Mureș, as a result of a merge. Unirea Sânnicolau Mare was refounded in the lower leagues.


2008–09 Liga II, Team changes, Note (**)
FCM Câmpina was absorbed by Dunărea Galați, as a result of a merge. Dunărea Galați continued in the second tier on the place of Câmpina and FCM Câmpina was dissolved.


2008–09 Liga II, Team changes, Renamed teams
Luceafărul-Lotus Băile Felix was moved from Băile Felix to Bacău and renamed/ re-founded as Știința Bacău.


2008–09 Liga III
The 2008–09 Liga III season was the 53rd season of Liga III, the third tier of the Romanian football league system.


2008–09 Liga III
The winners of each division got promoted to the 2009–10 Liga II season. There were also two playoff tournaments held at neutral venues involving the second placed teams, one with those from series 1, 2 and 3, the other with those from series 4, 5, and 6. The winners of the playoffs also got promoted to the 2009–10 Liga II season. The bottom three from each division were relegated at the end of the season to the Liga IV. From the 15th placed teams, another three were relegated. To determine these teams, separate standings were computed, using only the games played against clubs ranked 1st through 14th.


2008–09 Liga IV
The 2008–09 Liga IV was the 67th season of the Liga IV, the fourth tier of the Romanian football league system. The champions of each county association play against one from a neighboring county in a play-off match played on a neutral venue. The winners of the play-off matches promoted to Liga III.


2008–09 Liga IV, 2008–2009 Promotion Play-Off
The matches was scheduled to be played on 17 June 2009.


2008–09 Liga IV Bacău
The 2008–09 Liga IV Bacău was the 41st season of Liga IV Bacău, the fourth tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 10 August 2008 and ended in 31 May 2009.


2008–09 Liga IV Caraș-Severin
The 2008–09 Liga IV Caraș-Severin (known as Liga IV Complet Construct Caraș-Severin for sponsorship reasons) was the 41st season of the Liga IV Caraș-Severin, the fourth tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 23 August 2008 and ended on 6 June 2009.Berzobis Berzovia crowned as county champion and qualify to the promotion play-off.


2008–09 Liga IV Caraș-Severin, Promotion play-off
Champions of Liga IV – Caraș-Severin County face champions of Liga IV – Alba County.


2008–09 Liga IV Suceava
The 2008–09 Liga IV Suceava was the 41st season of the Liga IV Suceava, the fourth tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began on 23 August 2008 and ended on 6 June 2009.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division
The 2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division (also known as Liga Esia for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the Liga Indonesia Premier Division. It was the first season for the Liga Indonesia Premier Division as the second tier of the Indonesian football pyramid, following the creation of the Indonesia Super League as the first tier.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Changes from 2007–08 season
The Football Association of Indonesia's decision to create a new Indonesia Super League relegated the Liga Indonesia Premier Division to the second tier of Indonesian football for the first time.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Changes from 2007–08 season
For the 2007 season, teams were allocated to one of two groups (with 15 and 14 teams respectively) in the first round. The top four in each group advanced to the second round, or quarter final. The eight teams in the second round were divided into two groups of four, the top two teams in each group advancing to the semifinal in a knock-out system. Champions, runners-up, and 3rd-place teams were promoted to the  Indonesia Super League, while the 4th-place team faced the 15th-place team from the Indonesia Super League in a promotion/relegation play-off match. The 14th and 15th-place teams in the first round from each group were relegated to the First Division.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Season overview
Twenty-nine teams took part. The season began on 4 August 2008 and the last games were played on 29 May 2009.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Season overview
The top four from group 1 in the first round were Persisam Samarinda, PSPS Pekanbaru, Mitra Kukar, and Persikabo Bogor, and from group 2 Persema Malang, Persebaya Surabaya, Persiba Bantul, and Persigo Gorontalo. The group winners – Persisam Samarinda and Persema Malang – hosted the quarter finals, both advancing to the semifinal, again as group winners. In the semifinal Persisam Samarinda beat PSPS Pekanbaru and Persema Malang beat Persebaya Surabaya. The championship was won by Persisam Samarinda with a 1–0 victory over Persema Malang.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Season overview
Persisam Samarinda, Persema Malang, and PSPS Pekanbaru were automatically promoted to the Indonesia Super League. The promotion/relegation playoff was won by Persebaya Surabaya, who beat Indonesia Super League 15th-place team PSMS Medan in a penalty shoot-out to also win promotion. Persibat Batang, PSP Padang, and Persekabpas Pasuruan were relegated to the Liga Indonesia First Division.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Season overview
On 12 November 2008, in their match away to Persibom Bolaang Mongondow at Gelora Ambang Stadium, Kotamobagu, PSIR Rembang players attacked and injured the referee. The incident began when referee Muzair awarded a penalty to Persibom. Angered by the decision, PSIR players punched and kicked the referee, knocking him to the ground and trampling on him; the bruised official had to be rushed to hospital. A similar fate almost befell his replacement, Jusman R.A. He was chased and stripped naked on the field of play after showing a red card to a PSIR player who committed a bad challenge.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Season overview
The match ended 1–0 for Persibom. PSIR were suspended for two years as a result, but on appeal on 1 December 2008 the suspension was lifted, and their next match was rescheduled. The day after the incident PSIR players Yongki Rantung, Tadis Suryanto and Stevie Kusoi were banned from football for life. Five days later Stanley Mamuaya also received a life ban, and fellow players Stanley Katuuk, Gery Mandagi, and M Orah were banned from football for two years. Muzair Usman, Jusman R.A and match inspector Sukarno Wahid subsequently received a reward from PSSI in recognition of their justice, bravery and loyalty, which was considered to have promoted the image of football in Indonesia.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Season overview
On 7 March 2009, during a match between Persela Lamongan and PKT Bontang at Mulawarman Stadium, Jumadi Abdi was hospitalized after colliding with Persela's Deny Tarkas. Abdi suffered an injury to the stomach and had surgery on his intestines, but died eight days later.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Groups
The competition was divided into two groups, based on geography. Group 1 or West Group was for clubs from Sumatera,  Kalimantan and the Western part of Java, while Group 2 or East Group was for clubs from the Eastern part of Java and Eastern Indonesia.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Promotion/relegation playoff
The promotion/relegation play-off match was held in SIliwangi Stadium, Bandung, on 30 June 2009. Persebaya Surabaya, the 4th-place team in the Liga Indonesia Premier Division played PSMS Medan, the 15th-place team in the Indonesia Super League. The winner would play in the Indonesia Super League the following season, while the loser would play in the Liga Indonesia Premier Division.


2008–09 Liga Indonesia Premier Division, Awards, Top scorers
This a list of top scorers in the 2008–09 season.


2008–09 Liga Leumit
The 2008–09 Liga Leumit season began on 29 August 2008 and ended on 29 May 2009.


2008–09 Liga Leumit
Two teams from Liga Artzit were promoted at the end of the previous season: Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata along with two teams relegated from Israeli Premier League: Maccabi Herzliya and Hapoel Kfar Saba. The two teams relegated to Liga Artzit were Hapoel Nazareth Illit and Hapoel Rishon LeZion.


2008–09 Liga Leumit
Due to an expected league expansion, at the end of the season five clubs were automatically promoted to the Israeli Premier League, whilst the sixth-placed club in Liga Leumit played in a play-off match against the 11th-placed team in the Premier League. Only one team relegated automatically, and one team played in a play-off match against a team from Liga Artzit (which ceased to exist, with the regionalised Liga Alef becoming the third tier).


2008–09 Liga Leumit, Stadia
1Currently undergoing construction work to convert it to a 5,000-seat stadium. In the meanwhile they play at the Nahariya Municipal Stadium.


2008–09 Liga Leumit, Results
The schedule consisted of three rounds. During first two rounds, each team played each other once home and away for a total of 22 matches. The pairings of the third round were then set according to the standings after first two rounds, giving every team a third game against each opponent for a total of 33 games per team.


2008–09 Liga Leumit, Results, Third round
Key numbers for pairing determination (number marks position after 22 games):


2008–09 Liga Leumit, Promotion/Relegation playoff, Promotion playoff
Maccabi Ahi Nazareth as the 6th-placed team faced the 11th-placed Israeli Premier League team Hakoah Ramat Gan for a two-legged playoff. Maccabi Ahi Nazareth won both games and were promoted to the Israeli Premier League.


2008–09 Liga Leumit, Promotion/Relegation playoff, Relegation playoff
Ironi Ramat HaSharon as the 11th-placed team faced the 8th-placed Liga Artzit team Maccabi Kafr Kanna for a two-legged playoff, Ironi Ramat HaSharon won both games and will continue playing in Liga Leumit next season.


2008–09 Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo season
The 2008–09 Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo season was the 35th season of the Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo, the top level of ice hockey in Spain. Seven teams participated in the league, and FC Barcelona won the championship.


2008–09 Liga Premier de Ascenso season
The 2008–09 Liga Premier de Ascenso season was split in two tournaments Apertura and Clausura. Liga Premier was the third-tier football league of Mexico. The season was played between 8 August 2008 and 31 May 2009.


2008–09 Liga Premier de Ascenso season
As of this season, the Segunda División de México was divided into different branches: the Liga Premier de Ascenso for the more developed teams that have aspirations for promotion to Liga de Ascenso and the Liga de Nuevos Talentos for those clubs with less infrastructure.


2008–09 Liga Premier de Ascenso season, Torneo Apertura, Inter–groups matches
In the Apertura 2008 and Clausura 2009 tournaments, the league determined the celebration of two weeks of matches between teams belonging to different groups.


2008–09 Liga Premier de Ascenso season, Torneo Clausura
In the final part of the Clausura 2009 tournament, the regular season and the start of the playoffs were affected by the 2009 swine flu pandemic, so some games were canceled and the coefficient of points/games played had to be used to determine the final positions of the classification table. In addition, some games were played behind closed doors, however, the season could end in the usual way.


2008–09 Liga Premier de Ascenso season, Torneo Clausura, Inter–groups matches
In the Apertura 2008 and Clausura 2009 tournaments, the league determined the celebration of two weeks of matches between teams belonging to different groups.


2008–09 Liga Premier de Ascenso season, Promotion Final
The Promotion Final is a series of matches played by the champions of the tournaments Apertura and Clausura, the game is played to determine the winning team of the promotion to Liga de Ascenso. The first leg was played on 27 May 2009, and the second leg was played on 30 May 2009.


2008–09 Liga de Honra
The 2008–09 Liga de Honra season is the 19th season of the competition and the 75th season of recognised second-tier football in Portugal. Trofense are the defending champions.


2008–09 Liga de Nuevos Talentos season
The 2008–09 Liga de Nuevos Talentos season was split in two tournaments Apertura and Clausura. Liga de Nuevos Talentos was the fourth-tier football league of Mexico. The season was played between 29 August 2008 and 23 May 2009.


2008–09 Liga de Nuevos Talentos season
As of this season, the Segunda División de México was divided into different branches: the Liga Premier de Ascenso for the more developed teams that have aspirations for promotion to Liga de Ascenso and the Liga de Nuevos Talentos for those clubs with less infrastructure.


2008–09 Liga de Nuevos Talentos season, Relegation Table
Last updated: 18 April 2009 Source: P = Position; G = Games played; Pts = Points; Pts/G = Ratio of points to games played


2008–09 Liga de Nuevos Talentos season, Promotion Final
The Promotion Final is a series of matches played by the champions of the tournaments Apertura and Clausura, the game was played to determine the winning team of the promotion to Liga Premier de Ascenso. The first leg was played on 20 May 2009, and the second leg was played on 23 May 2009.


2008–09 Ligat Nashim
The 2008–09 Ligat Nashim was the 11th season of women's league football under the Israeli Football Association.


2008–09 Ligat Nashim
The league was won by Maccabi Holon, its sixth consecutive title. By winning, Maccabi Holon qualified to 2009–10 UEFA Women's Champions League.


2008–09 Ligue 1
The 2008–09 Ligue 1 season was the 71st since its establishment. Bordeaux became champions for the sixth time on the last weekend of the season. The fixtures were announced on 23 May 2008. The season began on 9 August 2008 and ended on 30 May 2009. A total of 20 teams contested the league, consisting of 17 who competed the previous season and three that were promoted from France's second division Ligue 2.


2008–09 Ligue 1
Bordeaux consecutively won their last 11 league games of the season and clinched the title on 30 May 2009 after the 1–0 victory against Caen. This was Bordeaux's sixth title and their first since the 1998–99 season. Bordeaux's title victory ended a historic run for Lyon, who had won seven consecutive titles beginning with the 2001–02 season. Le Havre, Nantes and Caen were relegated to Ligue 2. Both Le Havre and Nantes were promoted from Ligue 2 last season. Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Lille all secured European football for the 2009–10 season through their league position.


2008–09 Ligue 1, Teams, Promotion and relegation
RC Lens, RC Strasbourg and FC Metz were relegated to the 2008–09 Ligue 2 after finishing in the bottom three spots of the table at the end of the 2007–08 season. Lens were relegated to the Ligue 2 after 17 seasons of continuous membership in the top football league of France, while Strasbourg and Metz made their immediate return to the second level.


2008–09 Ligue 1, Teams, Promotion and relegation
The three relegated teams were replaced by three 2007–08 Ligue 2 sides. Champions Le Havre, who terminated their second-level status after five years, runners-up FC Nantes, who returned to the top flight after one season in second level and Grenoble Foot 38 returned to highest French league for first time after 35 years.


2008–09 Ligue 1, Awards, Annual awards
Here are shown the nominees for Ligue 1 annual awards. The winners, displayed in bold, were determined at the annual UNFP Awards on 24 May 2009.


2008–09 Ligue 2
The Ligue 2 season 2008–09 was the sixty-seventh edition since its establishment, and began on 1 August 2008 and ended on 29 May 2009. The fixtures were announced on 23 May 2008.


2008–09 Ligue 2, Stats, Top goalscorers
Grégory Thil wins the Ligue 2 Trophée du Meilleur Buteur.


2008–09 Ligue 2, Stats, Assists Table
Paul Alo'o wins the Ligue 2 Trophée du Meilleur Passeur.


2008–09 Ligue 2, Awards, Player of the Year
The nominees for Ligue 2 Player of the Year. The winner will be determine at the annual UNFP Awards on May 24. The winner will be displayed in bold.


2008–09 Ligue 2, Awards, Keeper of the Year
The nominees for the Ligue 2 Goalkeeper of the Year. The winner will be displayed in bold.


2008–09 Ligue 2, Awards, Manager of the Year
The nominees for Manager of the Year. The winner will be displayed in bold.


2008–09 Ligue Magnus season
The 2008–09 Ligue Magnus season was the 88th season of the Ligue Magnus, the top level of ice hockey in France. 14 teams participated in the league, and Brûleurs de Loups de Grenoble won their sixth league title.


2008–09 Lithuanian Football Cup
The Lithuanian Football Cup 2008–09 was the 20th season of the Lithuanian annual football tournament. The competition started on May 7, 2008 with the First Round games and ended on May 16, 2009 with the Final. The defending champions were Kaunas.


2008–09 Lithuanian Football Cup, First round
In this round entered 38 teams from Lithuanian third, fourth and fifth division. The games were played on May 7 – 11, 2008.


2008–09 Lithuanian Football Cup, Second round
This round featured 19 winners from the previous round and 5 teams from the Lithuanian second division (LFF I lyga). The matches were played on June 1 – 6, 2008.


2008–09 Lithuanian Football Cup, Third round
In this round entered winners from the previous round as well as 4 other LFF I lyga teams. The games were played on July 2 – 9, 2008.


2008–09 Lithuanian Football Cup, Fourth round
In this round entered winners from the previous round together with 2 remaining LFF I lyga teams and 6 lowest-placed 2007 LFF Lyga teams. 2 out of 6 2007 LFF Lyga were relegated to the Lithuanian second division while the rest remained in A lyga. The games were played on August 20 – 27, 2008.


2008–09 Lithuanian Football Cup, Fifth round
This round featured winners from the previous round. The games were played on September 12 – 17, 2008.


2008–09 Lithuanian Football Cup, Quarterfinals
In this round entered winners from the previous round and teams placed first to fourth in 2007 LFF Lyga. The games were played on October 1, 2008.


2008–09 Lithuanian Football Cup, Semifinals
The first legs were played on April 8, 2009. The second legs were played on April 22, 2009.


2008–09 Lithuanian Hockey League season
The 2008–09 Lithuanian Hockey League season was the 18th season of the Lithuanian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Lithuania. Four teams participated in Group A of the league, and SC Energija won the championship. Group B, which consisted of six teams, was won by LRK Kedainiai.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was the 117th season of competitive football played by Liverpool. It began on 1 July 2008 and concluded on 20 June 2009, with competitive matches played between August and May. Having finished the previous Premier League season in fourth place behind Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, Liverpool improved to end the 2008–09 campaign in second place, four points behind Manchester United, with a record of 25 wins, 11 draws and two defeats. Liverpool made little progress in the domestic cup competitions and were eliminated in the fourth round of both the FA Cup and League Cup by Everton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. They were defeated in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season
Liverpool acquired eight players in the transfer market, including Philipp Degen, Andrea Dossena and Diego Cavalieri who arrived in early July. They were supplemented by striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham and midfielder Albert Riera in August. A total of eight players departed including John Arne Riise, Steve Finnan, Harry Kewell, goalkeeper Scott Carson and striker Peter Crouch who were all transferred in the summer transfer window. Six months after arriving at Liverpool, Keane was sold back to Tottenham in the winter transfer window.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season
Liverpool began the season in good form; they won eight of their first ten matches before suffering a defeat against Tottenham. They picked up their form after this and a 5–1 victory over Newcastle United at the end of 2008 ensured that they would be top of the league going into the New Year. Three successive draws at the turn of the year meant that Manchester United caught Liverpool and a 2–0 defeat by Middlesbrough at the end of February dented their hopes of winning the league. Liverpool then won ten of their final eleven matches, including a 4–1 victory over Manchester United. The run was not enough to overhaul United and Liverpool finished four points behind in second place.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season
Twenty-six different players represented the club in four competitions, and there were 16 different goalscorers. Liverpool's top goalscorer was Steven Gerrard, who scored 24 goals in 44 matches. Defender Jamie Carragher made the most appearances during the season with 54.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Background
Liverpool did not win any trophies in the 2007–08 season. Despite new signing Fernando Torres scoring 33 goals in all competitions, including 24 in the Premier League, the team finished in fourth place, 11 points behind eventual winners Manchester United. They fared little better in the cup competitions, exiting the FA Cup in the fifth round by losing 2–1 to Championship club Barnsley at Anfield. A 2–0 defeat against Chelsea resulted in Liverpool's exit from the League Cup in the quarter-finals. Liverpool fared better in European competition, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. For the fourth consecutive year in the competition, they faced Chelsea, but lost the tie 4–3 on aggregate.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Background
Liverpool made a number of additions to their squad during the pre-season. Defenders Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena were the first to arrive from Borussia Dortmund and Udinese respectively. Goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri was signed from Brazilian club Palmeiras as backup to Pepe Reina, while French striker David N'Gog joined from Paris Saint-Germain. The biggest signing of the summer transfer window was the purchase of striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £19.3 million. Midfielder Albert Riera joined from Spanish club Espanyol at the end of the summer transfer window.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Background
At the end of the 2007–08 season, Liverpool sold a number of players. Defender John Arne Riise was sold to Serie A club Roma after seven years at the club. Forward Anthony Le Tallec was sold to French club Le Mans, while midfielder Harry Kewell joined Turkish club Galatasaray on a free transfer. Later in July, striker Peter Crouch joined his former club, Portsmouth, for £11 million and goalkeeper Scott Carson was sold to West Bromwich Albion. Defender Steve Finnan and midfielder Danny Guthrie left in August to join Espanyol and Newcastle United respectively. During the January transfer window, striker Robbie Keane returned to Tottenham after only six months at Liverpool. Sebastián Leto joined Olympiacos on a two-year loan after his application for a work permit was rejected, while striker Andriy Voronin was loaned to Hertha BSC.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Background
Manchester United were the pre-season favourites to retain their league title with Chelsea considered their main challengers. Liverpool were expected to struggle initially while their new signings adapted to the squad. The Guardian's Paul Doyle opined, "If they are to sustain a challenge for the title beyond Christmas, Liverpool will have to develop the offensive diversity and unpredictability to turn last season's costly draws against smaller teams into victories."


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League
A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2008–09 season. Each team played 38 matches; two against every other team and one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top two teams qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League; teams in third and fourth needed to play a qualifier. The provisional fixture list was released on 16 June 2008, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, international football, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, August–October
Liverpool travelled to Sunderland on the opening weekend of the season. The match was goalless until the 83rd minute when striker Fernando Torres scored from 25 yards (23 m) to secure a 1–0 victory. The following weekend, Liverpool hosted Middlesbrough at Anfield. The visitors went ahead in the 70th minute when Mido scored. They appeared to be heading for victory, until the 86th minute when Jamie Carragher's shot deflected off Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz into the Middlesbrough goal.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, August–October
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Steven Gerrard scored from the edge of the penalty area to secure a 2–1 victory for Liverpool. A trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa was next for Liverpool. Torres was forced off with an injury within the first half-hour and both sides failed to capitalise on chances to win, as the match finished 0–0.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, August–October
Due to international fixtures, Liverpool did not play another game for two weeks. On the resumption of club football, they faced reigning champions Manchester United at home. Liverpool started without Gerrard and Torres, who were substitutes following their return from injury. The visitors took the lead in the third minute when Carlos Tevez scored. An own goal by United defender Wes Brown levelled the score in the 27th minute. Liverpool took control of the match following their equaliser, but it was not until the 71st minute that they asserted their dominance, when substitute Ryan Babel scored. United's misery was compounded when defender Nemanja Vidić was sent off in the 90th minute for a second bookable offence. The win marked the first time, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez had beaten United in the League since his arrival in 2004.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, August–October
The following weekend, Stoke City were the visitors to Anfield. Liverpool appeared to have taken the lead in the second minute when Gerrard scored from a free kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Despite a number of chances, neither side was able to score and the match finished 0–0. Benítez was adamant Gerrard's goal should not have been disallowed stating: "Nobody knows why the effort was ruled out." Liverpool's next match was against local rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby. Following a goalless first half, Torres scored twice in three minutes to secure a 2–0 win. Torres was confident Liverpool could challenge for the title following the victory: "We know if we can stay near the top of the table in January or February we can win it."


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, August–October
Manchester City were the opposition the following week, as Liverpool travelled to their home ground, the City of Manchester Stadium. They were losing 2–0 at half-time after goals by Stephen Ireland and Javier Garrido. However, Liverpool improved in the second half and two goals from Torres levelled the score. A draw appeared likely until Dirk Kuyt scored in the 90th minute to give Liverpool a 3–2 victory. The following weekend, Liverpool faced Wigan Athletic at Anfield.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, August–October
Liverpool went behind when Wigan striker Amr Zaki opened the scoring, Kuyt equalised in the 37th minute, before Zaki scored again in the 45th minute. Liverpool struggled to find an equaliser until the 80th minute when Riera scored. Kuyt scored again in the 85th minute, to secure a 3–2 victory for Liverpool. The following weekend, they travelled to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, August–October
A Xabi Alonso goal in the 10th minute was enough to secure victory for Liverpool, as they won the match 1–0, becoming the first team since February 2004 to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Three days later, a Gerrard penalty in the 76th minute secured a 1–0 home victory over Portsmouth.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, November–December
The following weekend, Liverpool faced Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. They took the lead in the 3rd minute, when Kuyt scored. However, an own goal by Carragher and a last-minute goal from Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko meant Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the season in the Premier League. Liverpool rebounded the following week as they beat West Bromwich Albion 3–0 at Anfield, courtesy of two goals from Keane and one from Álvaro Arbeloa. They faced Bolton Wanderers the following weekend, at the Reebok Stadium, with goals from Kuyt and Gerrard securing a 2–0 victory.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, November–December
Liverpool hosted Fulham at Anfield the following weekend. They were without injured captain Gerrard for the match, but welcomed back Torres from injury. However, his return did not have the desired impact, as Liverpool failed to score, drawing 0–0. After the match, manager Benítez lamented his side's performance: "It was a bad day, we did not have enough energy and we did not pass the ball well enough."


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, November–December
West Ham United were the next opposition, and the match at Anfield finished with the same scoreline. Despite their inability to convert their chances, Liverpool moved to the top of the table following the draw. Liverpool travelled to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers in their next match and returned to winning ways with a 3–1 victory. Goals from Alonso, Yossi Benayoun and Gerrard secured victory for Liverpool. Liverpool hosted Hull City in their next match, but they fell behind to a goal from defender Paul McShane and an own goal by Carragher.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, November–December
Liverpool recovered through two goals from Gerrard, but were unable to score any further goals, with the match finishing 2–2. Writing in The Observer, Duncan Castles stated the result was "no way to win a title", ridiculing Benítez's claim that the title was 80 per cent Liverpool's if they were top at Christmas. Liverpool travelled to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal the following weekend. Arsenal striker Robin van Persie opened the scoring in the 24th minute, but Keane equalised in the 42nd minute. Despite Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor being sent off in the 62nd minute, Liverpool were unable to score a winning goal and the match finished 1–1.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, November–December
Liverpool faced Bolton Wanderers at Anfield on Boxing Day. A first half goal by Riera and two in the second half by Keane secured a 3–0 victory. Two days later, Liverpool travelled to St James' Park to face Newcastle United. Two goals from Gerrard, and one each from Sami Hyypiä, Babel and a penalty from Alonso, gave Liverpool a 5–1 victory. The result meant Liverpool had a four-point lead at the top of the table going into the New Year. Following the match, captain Gerrard was arrested over an incident in a bar where it was alleged that he punched a man over a row about music. He was subsequently cleared of the charges in July.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, January–February
On 10 January 2009, Liverpool faced Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. In his pre-match press conference, manager Benítez attacked Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson over observations he had made about upcoming fixtures. Liverpool subsequently drew the match 0–0 with Stoke City. Benítez was content with the result: "It is a game we could win but we could also have lost too, and it was important not to lose. When we play against 10 men and an organised team it is not easy." Nine days later, Liverpool faced local rivals Everton at Anfield. Gerrard scored from 25 yards (23 m) in the 68th minute to give Liverpool the lead. However, they were unable to hold onto the lead as Everton midfielder Tim Cahill scored in the 87th minute to level the score at 1–1.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, January–February
Liverpool's next match was against Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium. Midfielder Benayoun gave Liverpool the lead in the 41st minute but as in the two previous matches, they were unable to hold onto the lead. Midfielder Lucas conceded a penalty for a foul on Jason Koumas, which was converted by striker Mido on his debut in the 83rd minute to level the score at 1–1. The result saw Liverpool drop to third in the table. Liverpool faced Chelsea in their next match at Anfield.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, January–February
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard was sent off in the 60th minute for a foul on Alonso, but Liverpool struggled to make their numerical advantage count. It was not until the 89th minute that they did so, when Torres headed in a cross from Fábio Aurélio. Torres scored again a minute later to give Liverpool a 2–0 victory.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, January–February
Liverpool travelled to Fratton Park for their next match against Portsmouth. They fell behind in the 62nd minute when David Nugent scored. Aurelio levelled the score with a free kick before Hermann Hreiðarsson gave Portsmouth the lead again. Kuyt equalised with five minutes remaining before Torres scored 'a dramatic late header' to secure a 3–2 win for Liverpool. Liverpool hosted Manchester City when club football resumed after the international break. A 'poor Liverpool' drew the match 1–1 to fall further behind leaders Manchester United after they had beaten Blackburn. Liverpool faced Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium the following weekend. Their 'title ambitions were dealt a severe blow' as Middlesbrough won the match 2–0.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, March–May
Sunderland were the next opposition in a midweek match at Anfield. Goals from N'Gog and Benayoun secured a 2–0 victory for Liverpool. Following the resumption of club football after the international break, Liverpool travelled to Old Trafford to face league leaders Manchester United. Liverpool were trailing United, who had a game in hand, by seven points as they went into the match. Liverpool went behind to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty, before Gerrard and Torres scored to give them a 2–1 lead at half-time.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, March–May
Further goals from Aurelio and Dossena secured a 4–1 victory for Liverpool, reducing their deficit to United to four points. Liverpool hosted Aston Villa the following weekend. A win was imperative after rivals Manchester United lost to Fulham. A Gerrard hat-trick with goals from Kuyt and Riera secured a 5–0 win, as they moved to one point behind United. Manager Benitez was confident Liverpool could keep the pressure on United: "Clearly we have confidence and the team is playing well. But we must just wait to see what happens next to United, while we must keep going and keep the team playing at this level."


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, March–May
Liverpool travelled to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in their next match. They struggled to break down the Fulham defence, with Dossena and Alonso hitting the crossbar, while Torres hit the post with a shot. However, Benayoun secured a 1–0 victory with a 'dramatic injury-time winner.' The following weekend Liverpool hosted Blackburn Rovers. A 4–0 victory was secured courtesy of two goals from Torres and one from Daniel Agger and N'Gog. Ten days later, Liverpool faced Arsenal at Anfield.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, March–May
They went behind to a goal from Andrey Arshavin in the first half, but goals from Torres and Benayoun early in the second half gave them a 2–1 lead. Arshavin scored two goals in three minutes before Torres scored again to level the score at 3–3. Arshavin scored his fourth goal in the last minute, but Benayoun scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure a 4–4 draw.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, March–May
Liverpool travelled to the KC Stadium four days later to face Hull City. Two goals from Kuyt and one from Babel secured a 3–1 victory. Newcastle United were the opposition the following weekend at Anfield. Goals from Benayoun, Kuyt and Lucas secured a 3–0 victory for Liverpool. Their next match was against West Ham United at the Upton Park. Two goals from Gerrard and one from Babel secured a 3–0 victory.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, March–May
The victory put Liverpool ahead of rivals Manchester United at the top of the table, but United had two games in hands over their rivals, including the Manchester derby against Manchester City. Captain Steven Gerrard was hopeful United would slip up in one of the games: "They have a tough game against Manchester City, who have come into form recently, and it's a derby match, which are never easy. We hope Manchester City can do us a favour." Liverpool's next match was a 2–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Premier League, March–May
Goals from Gerrard and Kuyt won the match, but they were not enough to sustain their title challenge. United's draw against Arsenal the previous day meant they finished the season as champions. Liverpool's final match of the season was against Tottenham, a 3–1 victory with goals from Torres, an Alan Hutton own goal and Benayoun. The match marked defender Sami Hyypiä's 464th and final appearance for Liverpool and confirmed their second-place finish in the league with 86 points, four points behind United's total of 90.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, FA Cup
Liverpool entered the competition in the third round, by virtue of their Premier League status. Their opening match was away against Preston North End. A goal from Riera in the first half and a last minute goal by striker Fernando Torres secured a 2–0 victory for Liverpool at Deepdale.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, FA Cup
Liverpool were drawn against local rivals Everton at home in the fourth round. A Joleon Lescott goal in the first half gave Everton the lead, which they held until the 54th minute when Gerrard equalised. Neither club was able to score a winning goal and the match finished 1–1. The tie was replayed at Goodison Park on 4 February 2009. No goals were scored during 90 minutes, so the match went to extra time. With two minutes remaining, Everton midfielder Dan Gosling scored to secure a 1–0 victory.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, League Cup
The League Cup is a cup competition open to clubs in the Premier League and Football League. Like the FA Cup it is played on a knockout basis, with the exception of the second round and semi-finals, which are contested over a two-legged tie. Together with the other clubs playing in European competitions, Liverpool entered the League Cup in the third round. They were drawn to face Crewe Alexandra on 30 August 2008. Benítez fielded a relatively young team for the tie, which took the lead in the 15th minute when Agger scored. Crewe equalised ten minutes later when Michael O'Connor scored. A goal by Lucas in the second half secured a 2–1 victory for Liverpool.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, League Cup
Liverpool faced Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round. They fell behind in the 38th minute when Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko scored. Tottenham extended their lead four minutes later courtesy of a Fraizer Campbell goal. A further goal before half-time for Campbell, gave Tottenham a 3–0 lead. Damien Plessis pulled a goal back for Liverpool early in the second half, but three minutes later Pavlyuchenko scored again to extend Tottenham's lead. A Hyypiä goal in the 63rd minute was the final goal of the match, which Liverpool lost 4–2, exiting the competition.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
As Liverpool had finished fourth in the league the previous season, they needed to play a qualifying round against Standard Liège to ensure progression into the group stages. A 0–0 draw in the first leg meant the tie hinged on the result of the second leg at Anfield. With the match goalless in extra time, Kuyt scored to give Liverpool a 1–0 victory. Liverpool were drawn in Group D along with Atlético Madrid, Marseille and PSV Eindhoven.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool's first match in the group was away to Marseille. Two goals by Gerrard gave Liverpool a 2–1 victory over the French team. The next match at Anfield against PSV resulted in a 3–1 victory for Liverpool, with Keane scoring his first goal for the club. Atlético Madrid were the opponents in the third matchday at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. Keane scored again, but a goal for Atlético by Simão meant the match finished 1–1.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
The score in the reverse fixture at Anfield was the same, with Gerrard scoring a penalty in the 95th minute after Maxi Rodríguez had given Atlético the lead. Liverpool faced Marseille in the fifth match of the group stage and secured progression to the knockout phase, after winning 1–0 thanks to a Gerrard goal. Liverpool's last match was at the Philips Stadion against PSV, which they won 3–1. They finished top of the group with 14 points after 4 wins and 2 draws.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool were drawn against Spanish team Real Madrid in the knockout phase. They won the first leg 0–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu thanks to a Benayoun goal. Fernando Torres opened the scoring for Liverpool in the second leg at Anfield, before two penalties from Gerrard and a goal from Dossena secured a 4–0 victory and a 5–0 aggregate win. Chelsea were the opposition in the quarter-finals, marking the fifth consecutive season that the two sides had met in the competition. Liverpool took the lead in the first leg at Anfield when Torres scored in the sixth minute.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, UEFA Champions League
However, two goals from defender Branislav Ivanović and one from striker Didier Drogba secured a 3–1 victory for Chelsea. Liverpool scored two goals in the first half through Aurélio and Alonso to level the tie at 3–3. Drogba, defender Alex and midfielder Frank Lampard scored to give Chelsea a 3–2 and a three-goal advantage in the tie midway through the second half. However, Liverpool scored two late goals through Lucas and Kuyt to take a 4–3 lead in the match, with one more goal sufficient to progress to the semi-finals courtesy of the away goals rule. A further goal by Lampard in the 89th minute ended any hopes of a comeback as the match was drawn 4–4, with Chelsea winning the tie 7–5 on aggregate.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Squad statistics
Liverpool used a total of 28 players during the season, with 18 different goalscorers. The team played in a 4–2–3–1 formation throughout the season. Carragher featured in 54 matches, the most of any Liverpool player during the campaign. Along with Reina and Kuyt, he appeared in every Premier League match. Gerrard was the top goalscorer with 24 goals. Lucas was the only player to be sent off during the season—he was shown a red card during Liverpool's replay of their fourth round FA Cup tie with Everton.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Awards
Liverpool's performance during the season resulted in the club's personnel winning a number of awards. Benítez was named Premier League Manager of the Month twice in October and March, while Gerrard was named Premier League Player of the Month for March. Gerrard was named Football Writer's Association Footballer of the Year for the first time and he was also named as the Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) Fans' Player of the Year. Gerrard was nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year, but the award went to Manchester United's Ryan Giggs instead. Gerrard and teammate Fernando Torres were named in the PFA Team of the Year.


2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season, Awards
Gerrard and Torres were nominated for the Ballon d'Or at the end of 2009, but they ranked 10th and 11th respectively behind winner Lionel Messi of Barcelona. Both players were also nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year, but finished eighth and sixth respectively behind winner Messi. Gerrard and Torres were named in the FIFPro World XI for 2009.


2008–09 Livingston F.C. season
Season 2008-09 saw Livingston compete in the First Division. They also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.


2008–09 Livingston F.C. season, Overview
Livingston started the season brightly with manager Roberto Landi winning manager of the month for August. However their form dipped there after and a series of managers and financial problems saw them finish seventh in the League to confirm their place in the First Division. However at the start of the next season the club went into administration and were relegated to the Scottish Third Division.


2008–09 Livingston F.C. season, Overview, Managers
Livingston had a total of three managers over the season. They started under Roberto Landi who was sacked on 1 December after only five months in charge with Paul Hegarty being appointed as manager on 5 December. On 25 April only four months into his 18-month contract Hegarty was suspended by the club over a private matter. David Hay took over as interim manager for the last two games of the season.


2008–09 Logan Cup
The 2008–09 Logan Cup was a first-class cricket competition held in Zimbabwe from 26 March 2009 – 8 May 2009. It was won by Easterns, who remained unbeaten in the competition, and topped the table with 93 points, winning five of their six matches.


2008–09 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team represented Longwood University during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Mike Gillian, and played their home games at Willett Hall as a Division I independent school.


2008–09 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team, Last season
The Lancers had a record of 9–22 in their first season as a full member of Division I.


2008–09 Los Angeles Clippers season
The 2008–09 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 39th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This season marks the team's 25th season in the city of Los Angeles.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season
The 2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season was the 42nd season (41st season of play) for the National Hockey League franchise. The Kings showed improvement while fielding the youngest team in the league (in terms of average age per player), but came up short of breaking a playoff drought that stretches back to the 2001–02 season.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season
Despite a tough schedule that saw them play 17 of their final 24 games away from the Staples Center, the Kings managed to stay in the playoff hunt for much of the year. They played in 43 games decided by one goal, and their record in these games was 20–12–11.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season
Alexander Frolov led the team in goals with 32, his fifth-consecutive season with at least 20 or more goals. The last King to post five consecutive season with over 20 goals was Luc Robitaille in the 1993–94 season. Moreover, defenseman Sean O'Donnell reached a milestone by playing in his 1,000th career NHL game on March 14.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Pre-season
On June 10, the Kings fired Head Coach Marc Crawford after failing to make the post-season in back-to-back seasons. Crawford posted a 59–84–21 record during his tenure. He was replaced on July 17 by Terry Murray, who takes over his fourth NHL team. Murray had previously coached the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers, where he led the latter to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. Entering the season, Murray's career record is 360–288–89.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
The Kings made great strides in the 2008–09 season. They went from 30th in the NHL a year prior in penalty killing to seventh-best in the league, with an 82.9% rating. They had the League's fourth-best faceoff win percentage and allowed the fourth-fewest shots on goal. Five players played in all 82 regular games: Anze Kopitar, Michal Handzus, Matt Greene, Sean O'Donnell and rookie Wayne Simmonds. Several surprises also emerged during the season.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
Kyle Quincey was acquired via waivers shortly after season started from the Detroit Red Wings, necessitated by an injury to defenseman Jack Johnson. Quincey went on to finish second in the team in assists and averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game. Drew Doughty, the second overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, immediately contributed to the team, leading the Kings in ice time and was second in blocked shots. He finished in the top ten in the NHL in several categories, and was considered a strong Calder Memorial Trophy candidate for Rookie of the Year honors.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
Another surprise was Jonathan Quick, who emerged as the team's number one goaltender. Quick was thrust into the line-up following the trade of Jason LaBarbera in mid-season to the Vancouver Canucks and due to an injury to Erik Ersberg. All Quick lead the team in every goaltending category, posting the third highest win total for a rookie in Kings history.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
He finished third in the league among rookie netminder in goals against average, and played in 22 of the final 27 and 41 of the final 52 Kings games  He had a 1.76 goals-against average (16 GA in 546:03) and .942 save percentage (258 saves in 274 shots) in nine straight appearances from March 22 to April 9.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
The Kings finished the regular season having been shut out 12 times, tying the Colorado Avalanche for the most times shut out.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
The Western Conference remained a tight race throughout the season, and the Kings were not officially eliminated from the playoffs until two weeks remained in the season.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season, Divisional standings
Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, p – Presidents' Trophy winnerCE – Central Division, NW – Northwest Division, PA – Pacific Division


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Schedule and results
Legend:  Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Playoffs
The Los Angeles Kings failed to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Kings. Stats reflect time with the Kings only. ‡Traded mid-seasonBold/italics denotes franchise record


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Draft picks
LA 's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario.


2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season, Farm teams
The Kings have one American Hockey League affiliate in the Manchester Monarchs. They also have two ECHL affiliates in the Ontario Reign and Reading Royals. All three are owned in part by the Kings' parent company Anschutz Entertainment Group.


2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season was the franchise's 61st season, 60th in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 49th in Los Angeles. The Lakers won their division for the 31st time and appeared in the Western Conference Finals for the 39th time. With 65 wins, they recorded the third most wins in franchise history, the most since 1999–2000, and improved on their 2007–08 record by eight wins. The Lakers sold out all 41 home games for the season, led the NBA in money earned from overall ticket sales, and had the 5th highest increase in gate receipts from the previous season. The Lakers had the third best team offensive rating in the NBA.


2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season
In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz in five games in the First Round, then defeated the Houston Rockets in a hard-fought seven games in the Semifinals, and on May 29, the Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year and 30th time in franchise history, extending their NBA record for most Finals appearances.


2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season
On June 14, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 4–1 in the best of seven series to become the 2009 NBA champions, winning their first championship in seven years and the 15th overall in franchise history. Kobe Bryant was awarded the 2009 NBA Finals MVP. Following the season, Trevor Ariza signed as a free agent with the Houston Rockets.


2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season
On July 15, 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 ESPY Awards for Best Team and Best Coach/Manager for Phil Jackson.


2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Injuries
Following the 2007–08 NBA season, the Lakers faced two key injuries in the offseason. Andrew Bynum, who missed the second half of the season and playoffs was rehabilitating and working on conditioning. Trevor Ariza, who also missed the second half of the season, but later returned in the playoffs also had to work back into shape. Both players played on opening day. During the 2007–08 season, Kobe Bryant suffered a tear in his right pinkie finger. At the time, Bryant decided to forgo surgery and play out the rest of the season and participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He eventually chose to not to have surgery and let the hand heal naturally.


2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Departures
The most notable departure was last year's backup power forward Ronny Turiaf to the Golden State Warriors. As a restricted free agent, the Lakers were allowed to match any offer that another team gave Turiaf. The Lakers chose not to match the 4 year $17 million offer the Warriors gave.