Tag: UEFA Champions League

PSG rally to beat Maccabi Haifa in UEFA Champions League

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Paris Saint-Germain fought  from one goal down to seal a 3-1 win away against Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

In front of 30,000 fans at the Sammy Ofer Stadium, the home team quickly recovered from a strong start by PSG, and after two saves by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, managed to stun the French champions.

In the 24th minute, Surinamese midfielder Tjaronn Chery netted for Haifa after an accurate lofted pass by Dolev Haziza.

However, PSG silenced the stadium in the 37th minute, as Lionel Messi evened the score after a pass from Kylian Mbappe.

The Italian goalkeeper made an impressive save a minute before halftime from a long-range shot by Chery.

Haifa’s Haitian striker Frantzdy Pierrot missed a fantastic chance in the 53rd minute, before the French outfit took full control, taking advantage of fatigue among Haifa’s players.

Mbappe scored the second goal in the 69th minute after a brilliant pass by Messi, and Neymar sealed the win in the 88th minute, after a long-range pass by Marco Verratti.

PSG now have maximum points after two games in Group H along with Benfica, who beat Juventus 2-1 in Turin. Juventus and Haifa are currently therefore both pointless.

On Matchday 3, Paris Saint-Germain will play Benfica in Lisbon, while Maccabi Haifa face Juventus in Turin, with both matches to be played on October 5.

Fiorentina beats Juventus to qualify for Conference League playoffs

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Fiorentina  booked a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League play-offs after  beating a lacklustre Juventus side 2-0 in the final round of Serie A on Saturday.

Juve had secured fourth place before Saturday’s match. Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala who are set to leave at end of the season started in the final game while youngster Fabio Miretti stood in the middle of the park.

The Bianconeri only had 33% ball possession and managed one attempt throughout the game, the sub-par performance from Juve allowed the Viola to claim the victory at ease with Alfred Duncan’s rocket and Nico Gonzalez’s penalty.

The win, coupled with Atalanta’s 1-0 defeat, saw Fiorentina qualify for the Conference League play-offs while La Dea out of the Europa battles.

Elsewhere, Lazio locked the fifth place after a 3-3 thriller with Hellas Verona while already-relegated Genoa finished the season with a 1-0 home defeat to Bologna.

Chelsea with mountain to climb against red-hot Real Madrid

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Can Chelsea do the impossible and overcome a 3-1 deficit in their second leg quarter-finals tie against scintillating Real Madrid today?

Los Balncos entertain the Blues on Tuesday night and will be clear favourites to book a semi-finals tie against either Manchester City or Atletico Madrid.

The Karim Benzema masterclass in Stamford Bridge last week which saw the French striker net a hat-trick in a 3-1 win, gives Carlo Ancelotti’s men a huge advantage. While Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admitted after the game that his side had little chance of progressing into the last four.

The mood among the reigning European Champions may have changed, however, after they bounced back to form with a 6-0 win away to Southampton on Saturday, but it would still need something very special (and a very improved defensive display) to turn the tie around.

Ancelotti was able to rest defender Dani Carvajal and midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric as his side enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Getafe on Saturday night in a game where their rivals didn’t manage a shot on target all game.

Kroos, Modric and Carvajal will all be back on Tuesday night, but Eder Militao is suspended and the club is still waiting to see if left-back Ferland Mendy recovers from the muscle problems which sidelined him on Saturday.

Normally Nacho Fernandez would fill in on the left, but Militao’s suspension means Nacho will partner with David Alaba in central defense and Marcelo would have to continue on the left – something that would weaken the Madrid backline.

Villarreal are also in Champions League action on Tuesday with Unai Emery’s men defending a 1-0 first leg lead away to Bayern Munich.

Emery rested the 11 players who started the first leg against Bayern in his side’s 1-1 draw at home to Athletic Club Bilbao on Saturday and will make wide-ranging changes again for what promises to be a dramatic game in Munich.

Villarreal stunned Juventus 3-0 in the last round, but Bayern will have learned from their mistakes a week ago and this promises to be the hardest 90 minutes of the season for the Spanish side.

Ancelotti gets late nod for Chelsea tie

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Carlo Ancelotti will be in today for Real Madrid’s crucial tie in the Champions League.

The Los Blancos coach will be able to sit in the dugout to direct his side’s Ueaf Champions League quarterfinal first-leg tie away to Chelsea on Wednesday after returning a negative test for Covid-19.

The Italian missed his side’s 2-1 win away to Celta Vigo on Saturday after testing positive, and it had looked likely that he would miss the Champions League clash against one of his former clubs after again returning a positive test result on Monday.

The coach took a further PCR test on Tuesday which the club confirmed on Wednesday morning had returned negative, and consequently Ancelotti will “fly to London to join up with the first team.”

Kimmich and Goretzka boost for Bayern

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Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are expected back in the Bayern Munich squad after long spells out ahead of their Champions League clash away to Villarreal.

Last Monday morning, Kimmich experienced one of the values of team sports. As soon as the 27-year-old entered Bayern Munich’s training pitch, the entire squad for a reason gave him a round of warm applause.

The news of the birth of the midfielders’ third child has lifted spirits ahead of the last-eight-round duel in the Champions League against the Spanish side Villareal this Wednesday evening.

Coming along with the enchanting news of Kimmich’s growing toddler group was the Bavarians’ relief about the return of the German international just in time to face the challenges of April as the season approaches the finish line.

After missing two internationals with Germany delayed, Kimmich had to follow his club’s travel group on the way to a league game in Freiburg but narrowly made it in time for 90 minutes of action.

The good news continued after Kimmich’s midfield partner Goretzka returned after a long injury break, completing Bayern’s midfield.

Being able to count on his best line in one of the season’s most decisive months is increasing the options for Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Alphonso Davies took up training following a Covi-19 infection coming along with heart problems. The Canadian full-back, awarded the CONCACAF player of the year, according to Nagelsmann is ready for action on Wednesday.

As the favorites against the Spaniards, the 2020 treble winner is aiming at its 23rd unbeaten away game aside from not having lost one of its last 29 games in the Champions League.

While Bayern claims to entirely focus on the encounters against Villareal, dreams about a possible semi-final against Liverpool (facing Benfica) are blooming.

Bayern forward Thomas Muller in a newsletter spoke about his dream to face former Bayern coach Pep Guardiola and the Citizens in a possible final.

“I am looking forward to meeting Pep and one of his teams since 2016,” the 32-year-old told fans in his so-called Muller-mail.

The striker talked about Guardiola’s significant influence on Bayern’s game having helped the Bavarians to implement a dominant game style. “It would be interesting to face a Pep team and see what we experience,” the German international stated.

To survive the Citizens and Liverpool the fighting power of Kimmich and Goretzka is a must-have for Bayern, as the reigning German champion is talking about a prosperous 2021/2022 campaign.

As exciting dreams about the final stages of the Champions League might be, Bayern at the same time feels the pressure on its shoulders having to justify its role as the favorites against Villareal.

Much more than having to think about his midfield and front-line appointments, Nagelsmann might puzzle over his back-line.

Kimmich and Goretzka might help to gain stability as it would have the participation of central Niklas Sule, who returned after an injury.

The 26-year-old can count on the experience of 34 Champions League games while Dayot Upamecano and Tanguy Nianzou only made 32 together.

2021/22 Uefa Champions League quarter-final and semi-final draws

Posted on by editor

Quarter-finals

First legs

Tuesday 5 April
Benfica vs Liverpool
Manchester City vs Atlético

Wednesday 6 April
Villarreal vs Bayern
Chelsea vs Real Madrid

Second legs

Tuesday 12 April
Bayern vs Villarreal
Real Madrid vs Chelsea

Wednesday 13 April
Liverpool vs Benfica
Atlético vs Manchester City

Semi-finals
Manchester City / Atlético vs Chelsea / Real Madrid
Benfica / Liverpool vs Villarreal / Bayern

The first team drawn plays the first leg at home.

Matches kick off at 21:00 CET unless otherwise stated.

Plot the road to the final with our Champions League bracket.

It is do-or-die for Bayern Munich in Champions League

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Has the German football jaggernaut lost its edge? Maybe not, but things are not rosy either.

Regressing statistical figures indicate Bayern Munich has lost significant parts of its game dominance.

Ahead of the Champions League encounter against RB Salzburg this Tuesday evening, the 2020 treble winners’ season goals seem under pressure after a performance drop after the winter break.

The second leg of the round of 16 against the aspiring Austrian side on home soil has turned into a do-or-die issue after Bayern was held to a 1-1 draw in the away leg.

The Bavarian coach Julian Nagelsmann rang the alarm bells demanding more robust on-pitch solutions while indicating, his squad might not be addressing the quality to achieve expectations.

Talking about expectations in Munich is talking about the Champions League victory.

“There is no reason to panic, but we sometimes don’t have appropriate options to make up for injury losses,” the 34-year-old stated.

Dropping figures in efficiency upfront, the game conducting midfield, and increasing defense weaknesses give prove that Bayern in 2022 is struggling to solve its problems.

Achieved in-box chances have lower quality, the number of scored goals per game dropped from 35 percent to 28.8.

Concerns come to light, Bayern’s squad could suffer from disadvantages compared to its European rivals such as Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain.

Next to the injury loss of German international Leon Goretzka, new arrivals don’t seem able to close the gaps in midfield and the back-row. Since 2018 Goretzka only turned up for action in 50 percent of the games.

Possible replacements such as Marcel Sabitzer, Corentin Tolisso, Marc Roca, Buona Sarr, and Omar Richards didn’t yet reach a helpful level.

Jamal Musiala and Tanguy Nianzou, both 19, remain talents still requiring time to develop. In addition, Bayern’s back-row lacks a right and left-back making up for the loss of David Alaba, who left for Real Madrid.

French 2018 world champion Benjamin Pavard doesn’t fancy the left position job in the back-row and has to help out on his favorite position in the defense center after Jerome Boateng left for Lyon.

Dayot Upamecano is struggling in reaching consistency as Lukas Hernandez is. Left-back Alphonso Davies is side-lined for several months after injury.

Bayern has lost quality since the 2020 Champions League triumph, the German sports-magazine kicker stated.

“We always tried to play with the best possible lineup, but didn’t have suitable options on the bench,” Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann stated, indicating new arrivals might be needed soon.

While his front-line options meet the highest standards, Nagelsmann’s problems start with the gaps behind the attacking line.

The gaps seem to limit his options to create a convincing game build-up. While Bayern’s quality seems enough to talk about the 10th consecutive national title, international goals might be in danger if no improvements can be secured.

Slow Man Utd earn draw away to Atletico Madrid

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Anthony Elanga’s 80th minute goal gave Manchester United a 1-1 draw away to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night.

The result flattered United, who did very little in the game, but at the same time it was a punishment for Atletico for not taking chances and their tendency to defend a narrow lead.

The game was just seven minutes old when Atletico took the lead. United half-cleared a corner, but Lodi whipped the ball back into the area for Joao Felix to race in ahead of Harry Maguire and head the ball past David de Gea and in off the post.

United were struggling to connect in attack, while Atletico looked threatening every time they pushed forward, although having taken the lead, they were content to sit deep and look to play on the break.

On the half hour De Gea was United’s savior as he denied Angel Correa when the striker was through on goal after robbing Raphael Varane, who moments afterwards again gave the ball away to Geoffrey Kondogbia.

As the half progressed, things got increasingly scrappy with Cristiano Ronaldo, booed every time he touched the ball, coming in for some rough treatment, before Sime Vrsaljko rattled the crossbar with a header when he should have scored following a cross from Lodi.

Any hopes that United would improve after half-time were soon dashed as they continued in the same vein that had seen them struggle in the first 45 minutes, with slack defending and too many misplaced passes.

Coach Ralf Rangnick finally reacted in the 67th minute with a triple substitution as Lindelof, Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba were replaced by Alex Telles, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Nemanja Matic.

The 19-year-old Elanga also came on for Marcus Rashford in the 76th minute, and he levelled the scores within four minutes. Bruno Fernandes found a rare gap in the Atletico defense and the youngster rolled the ball across Jan Oblak and into the back of the net.

It was his side’s first shot on target in the whole game, but was enough to give them a good result for the return leg in three weeks.

Champions League: Chelsea ‘two good’ for Lille, Villarreal hold Juventus

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New Dusan Vlahovic looked to have given the perfect start in their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday tie against Villarreal but the homeside fought back to hold the Italians 1-1.

Dusan Vlahovic put the visitors ahead after just 30 seconds, controlling a ball on his chest before turning and firing home a shot at the left-hand post.

The goal left the atmosphere in the Estadio de la Ceramica cold. But Villarreal suddenly caused Juventus problems as Giovani Lo Celso brought the home side to life with an effort that bounced back off the woodwork.

Samuel Chukwueze proved to be a threat for the Juventus defense down the right wing, while Etienne Capoue, who had been passed fit to play before kick-off, fired just over the bar. With Dani Parejo and Lo Celso controlling midfield, Villarreal pressed for an equalizer.

Juventus made a change at half-time with Leonardo Bonucci replacing Alex Sandro in defense, and the visitors had the first chance of the second half with Alvaro Morata firing just wide of the far post.

Villarreal played with slightly more patience than the first half, and Lo Celso forced a save from Wojciech Szczesny in the 56th minute.

Parejo equalized for the home side 10 minutes later, as he ghosted into space between Juventus’ three central defenders to collect a pass from Capoue before scoring with a left-footed shot.

Tensions increased with the game well-balanced, as both Villarreal keeper Geronimo Rulli and Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot were shown yellow cards after the French midfielder tackled over the ball.

Either side could have won the game in the closing minutes with Rulli saving well from Vlahovic at one end, before Bonucci did well to clear ahead of Lo Celso and Yeremi Pino at the other to leave everything to be decided in the second leg in Turin.

Meanwhile, Chelsea were eased past Lille at Stamford Bridge as Kai Havertz headed in Hakim Ziyech’s corner after eight minutes before Christian Pulisic struck in the 63rd minute to give the advantage going into the second leg.

Leipzig into Europa League after 2-1 win over Manchester City

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Leipzig sealed the third place in Group A and booked its berth for the Europa League after goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Andre Silva helped the “Red Bulls” to edge Manchester City 2-1 in the final round of the Champions League’s group stage on Tuesday.

Both sides staged well-positioned defences from the kick-off hence goal scoring opportunities were at premium in the opening period.

Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer and City’s Kevin De Bruyne produced the first half-chances before Jack Grealish pulled wide from promising position to waste a good chance for the visitors in the 22nd minute.

The hosts showed a clinical chance conversion at the other end of the green, as Laimer’s perfectly timed through ball was sent to Szoboszlai, who rounded goalkeeper Zackary Steffen before finishing the job into the empty goal with 24 minutes played.

Leipzig almost doubled its advantage two minutes later, but Steffen was on guard and defused Emil Forsberg’s dangerous effort from 12 meters.

The hosts continued on the front foot and should have extended the lead, but Steffen was equal to Silva’s header in the 39th minute.

Manchester City sparked to life before the half time as Peter Gulacsi had to tip Phil Foden’s hammer to the post before the Leipzig goalkeeper neutralized De Bruyne’s free kick in the closing stages of the first half.

After the restart, City assumed control and dominated possession but for all that the visitors couldn’t do damage to Leipzig’s bulwark.

To make things worse for the visitors, passive Leipzig doubled its advantage against the flow of the game as Silva benefitted on a counterattack via Forsberg to beat Steffen with a well-placed low shot in the 71st minute.

It was a short-lived joy for the hosts though as the “Sky Blues” halved the deficit after Oleksandr Zinchenko’s cross fed Riyad Mahrez, whose diving header caught Gulacsi on the wrong foot in the 77th minute.

City’s comeback hopes suffered a heavy setback in the 83rd minute when Kyle Walker was sent off with a straight red card following a rude foul play on Silva.

The visitors pushed forward despite their numerical disadvantage, but Leipzig’s defence stood firm and secured all three points on home soil.

With the result, Manchester City top Group A with 12 points whereas Leipzig finish on the 3rd spot to continue in the Europa League.

“I am very thankful that the team eventually showed a reaction after the last poor performances in the league. We expected a reaction, but we are happy about the win. I hope we can take the momentum into Saturday’s clash with Monchengladbach,” Leipzig chairman Oliver Mintzlaff said.

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