UEFA Champions League
Kevin De Bruyne reveals what he told Riyad Mahrez before his freekick in Man City’s win vs PSG
Manchester City produced arguably one of the best away performances by an English club to win 2-1 against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday. PSG took the lead in the 15th minute through Marquinhos’ header, glanced in from Angel di Maria’s corner. Phil Foden missed a great chance, but City were positive after the break. Pep Guardiola’s side restored parity through Kevin De Bruyne, whose cross evaded everyone in the penalty area. City took the lead through Riyad Mahrez when his left-footed free-kick from 25 yards out went through the wall beating Keylor Navas. Former Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was rightly shown a red card for his horrendous tackle on Ilkay Gundogan. De Bruyne has revealed what he told Mahrez before the free-kick. ...
Analysis: How a dominant Man City took apart Neymar, Mbappe and co
After a hard-fought 1-1 draw between Real Madrid and Chelsea, the Champions League served up another semi-final feast as Paris Saint-Germain hosted Manchester City at the Parc de Princes. The home side were certainly in the mood in this season’s Champions League, having knocked out Barcelona in the round of 16 and exacting their revenge over holders Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. Naturally, last season’s final disappointment was not forgotten in Paris, and an instant redemption would be the best way to heal that wound. City are arguably the best team in Europe this season – unquestionably after the turn of the year – so anything short of a Champions League success would be considered a small failure at the very least. Pep Guardiola had received a fair amount of criticism for his inab...
Man City come from behind to beat PSG in Champions League semi-final first leg
Manchester City defeated Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie. PSG applied all of the early pressure, and got their reward in the 15th minute. Angel Di Maria’s excellent corner was glanced home by Marquinhos, scoring a semi-final goal for the second year running. Les Parisiens continued to control the game, and twice came close to extending their lead. Neymar had a deflected effort turned over the bar, and Leandro Paredes headed wide from a set piece when perhaps he should have hit the target. Man City did have a couple of chances of their own, first coming close through Bernardo Silva. He had to stretch to reach a long pass by compatriot Joao Cancelo, but managed to divert his effort on target. Keylor Navas turned it wide fo...
Benzema’s volley cancels out Pulisic’s opener in Champions League semi-final tie
Real Madrid and Chelsea played out a close 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie. The visitors made a strong start to the game, and should have taken the lead in the ninth minute. Christian Pulisic nodded across goal for Timo Werner, but the striker put his close-range effort straight at Thibaut Courtois when he really ought to have scored. Five minutes later, the Blues were in front. Antonio Rudiger’s floated through ball found Pulisic, who expertly rounded Courtois and smashed into the back of the net. Real Madrid were struggling to get a grip on the game, rarely troubling the Chelsea backline. Although, they came close to an equaliser out of nowhere when Karim Benzema saw his left-footed strike graze the post. And the Frenchman was on hand to bag the equalis...
Thomas Tuchel says Real Madrid star will ‘want to make a point’ against Chelsea
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has hailed Real Madrid attacker Eden Hazard as a ‘top-quality player’, and believes he will be looking to make a point against his former employers. Hazard is widely regarded as one of the Blues’ modern greats, having registered 110 goals and 92 assists from 352 appearances for the club between 2012 and 2019. He made the switch to Real Madrid with the blessing of the Blues’ hierarchy, but the move has proved unsuccessful to date due to multiple injuries. Hazard has made just 37 appearances since joining in June 2019, but he will be aiming to end the current campaign without any more setbacks. The 30-year-old recently returned from a muscle injury to play 13 minutes in the goalless draw against Real Betis, and Tuchel is aware of the Belgian’s quality. The Blues...
How players have reacted to the European Super League announcement
Former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera is one of many players to speak out on the formation of a controversial European Super League. Herrera played for Manchester United from 2014-19, having made 189 appearances for the Red Devils. It was announced on Sunday night that Herrera’s former club would be involved in the formation of a European Super League. The proposed competition has been met with a wave of criticism due to the ‘closed shop’ mentality of the league format. Now, Herrera has led a wave of players speaking out on social media. pic.twitter.com/C9zV59zJxH — Ander Herrera (@AnderHerrera) April 19, 2021 Daniel Podence & Bruno Fernandes Wolves’ Daniel Podence criticised the competition on Instagram on Monday, claiming ‘there are some things we just can’t r...
‘We didn’t know we had snakes so close to us:’ Ceferin slams Woodward and Agnelli
UEFA’s Aleksander Ceferin has slammed Man United chief Ed Woodward and Juventus’ Andrea Agnelli over their involvement in the European Super League. Manchester United and Juventus are both involved in the breakaway Super League, announced on Sunday night. The plans could see both clubs kicked out of their domestic competitions, as well as the Champions League. Speaking in a UEFA news conference on Monday, president Aleksander Ceferin has spoken out on the European Super League, criticising those who helped form it. Speaking on Ed Woodward, as quoted by the BBC, Ceferin explained: “I didn’t have much contact with him, but he called me last Thursday in the evening saying that he’s very satisfied with the [Champions League] reforms, that he fully supports the reforms, and that the ...
Despite opposition from Arsenal, Man Utd and other fan groups, new UCL format expected on Monday
Arsenal and Manchester United supporters’ groups have criticised the controversial proposal to reform the Champions League. The new 36-team format is set for final approval by UEFA’s executive committee on Monday, with a view to implementing it from 2024 onwards. In an open letter to European Club Association (ECA) chairman Andrea Agnelli, 17 fans’ groups from 14 clubs blasted the idea. “Your plans to restructure the Champions League by increasing the number of games, introducing qualification based on past achievements, and monopolising commercial rights present a serious threat to the entire game,” it read (via thefsa.org.uk). SL View The current Champions League format already rewards failure. Finished fourth in your domestic league? No problem. The group stage of the tournament also of...
Bayern Munich eliminated despite victory against PSG
Paris Saint-Germain have progressed to the Champions League semi-finals for the second year in a row after beating holders Bayern Munich on away goals. The Bundesliga giants went into the second leg at the Parc des Princes needing to score at least two goals, having lost the home fixture 3-2. Both sides had chances in the opening stages. Neymar was denied three times by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, while Leroy Sane and Joshua Kimmich both fired wide from outside the box down the other end. Neymar, who put in a stellar performance last time out, was looking lively once again, and twice came within inches of putting PSG in front. On the first instance, he pulled out a beautiful piece of skill to beat Kingsley Coman, then curled a fantastic effort onto the crossbar. The second occasion, however, ...
‘Let’s go!’: Liverpool star posts message on Twitter ahead of UCL clash vs Real Madrid
Liverpool will face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second-leg clash at Anfield on Wednesday. The Reds lost 3-1 in the first leg in Madrid, and they need a near-perfect performance to book a place in the semi-final of the competition. Mohamed Salah’s crucial away goal has given the Reds a glimmer of hope. Ahead of the match, Liverpool midfielder Fabinho took to social networking site Twitter to post a message for the Reds fans. All set and ready to the big one tomorrow. Let’s go! 🔴🙏🏾 #YNWA pic.twitter.com/8Mosx7mfAA — Fabinho (@_fabinhotavares) April 13, 2021 Liverpool have struggled this season at Anfield, with the absence of the Reds fans being badly felt. They needed a moment of inspiration and quality from Trent Alexander-Arnold to ...
Key Chelsea stars return, two changes for reigning champions
The Champions League quarter-final second leg line-up features some intriguing UCL fixtures. We’ll update this story with reports, results and the latest Champions League highlights as the matches are played. Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 1-0 at home by Bayern Munich, but progress to the last four on away goals after securing a 3-2 win in the first leg. Chelsea are also through to the semi-finals despite losing 1-0 in their second meeting with Porto. The Blues triumphed 2-1 on aggregate. Liverpool will be on the comeback trail as they try to overcome a 3-1 deficit against Real Madrid on Wednesday. Manchester City’s tie against Borussia Dortmund is finely poised, with Pep Guardiola’s side leading 2-1 after the first leg. Champions League Quarter-Final Second Leg Results Tuesday, April 13 ...
Sancho set to miss Man City clash with two players considered doubts for Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund will be without Jadon Sancho when they face Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola’s side hold a slender 2-1 advantage going into the game at Signal Iduna Park, following goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden in the first leg. Ahead of the game, it has been confirmed that former Manchester City man Jadon Sancho will be missing on Wednesday. The Englishman has not featured for Borussia Dortmund since March 2, and missed the Etihad meeting with City last week. Dortmund boss Edin Terzic claimed ahead of the game that the club must be patient with Sancho’s injury. “Jadon won’t be at our disposal, although he trained again. He is doing his best to return as fast as possible,” Terzic explained, as quoted b...
