Page 10 - Uefa Champions League
Champions League round of 16 draw: City play Copenhagen, Arsenal face Porto
Following a thrilling couple of months of group-stage action, the focus now shifts to the knockout rounds where 16 teams will fight it out to win the ultimate crown
Champions League 2023-24: England flop, Spain surge; Copenhagen surprises
So much for the English taking over European soccer. The final Champions League group stage in its current format ended with representation from the supposedly all-powerful Premier League cut in half as Manchester United and Newcastle United failed to advance to the knockout stage and were even knocked out of European competition altogether. Instead, there was a Spanish resurgence, a decent showing from the German contingent, and a couple of nice surprises making their way into the round of 16 in the form of Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven. This was the last year of the 32-team, eight-pool group stage, with the Union of European Football Associations pivoting next season to a single 36-team league that will see clubs play eight games up from the current six. The top eight teams will advance automatically to the round of 16 knockout bracket and Nos. 9 to 24 in the standings go into a playoff round to decide the other eight qualifiers. So, what have we learned ahead of the round of 1
Man United has to beat the odds and Bayern Munich to avoid CL elimination
The odds are against Manchester United as the three-time European Cup winners battle to avoid early elimination from the Champions League. United faces Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday and needs to end the German giants' record 39-game unbeaten run in the group stages to have any chance of advancing to the knockout rounds. But even that might not be enough, with Erik ten Hag's team sitting bottom of Group A and also relying on a draw between Copenhagen and Galatasaray in the group's other game. What I know is I never think of a negative scenario, we think positive, we know what to do, we have to win to stay in Europe, it's about that, the United manager said Monday. We will prepare the team with that feeling, with that belief, we have shown in the last weeks when we are at our best we can do it. Consistency has been the biggest issue for Ten Hag this season. That was perfectly illustrated last week when United produced one of its best performances of the campaign to beat ...
Champions League: Guardiola walks off smiling as City stays perfect
On a night of unconvincing performances from Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, Pep Guardiola walked off smiling following a comeback victory for Manchester City in the Champions League. Phil Foden inspired a second-half comeback as City beat Leipzig 3-2 on Tuesday to take first place in Group G and extend its perfect record to five wins in five matches. It's the seventh straight season that City has won its group. The defending champions trailed 2-0 at halftime but Foden scored one goal and helped to create two more to turn the match around and Guardiola had a smirk on his face when he shook hands with Leipzig counterpart Marco Rose after the final whistle. We had to be relaxed as possible and we reacted really well," Guardiola said. "We are first in the group and I am very satisfied for the reaction at the end. The team runs and fights and has spirit." Kylian Mbapp's penalty deep into stoppage time salvaged a point for PSG in a 1-1 draw with an injury-depleted but tenacious Newca
Sevilla held by Lens 1-1 at home in group stage of Champions League
Sevilla couldn't manage more than a 1-1 draw with Lens in their opening match of Group B in the Champions League. Lucas Ocampos put the hosts ahead with a header in the ninth minute on Wednesday. Angelo Fulgini equalized for the French club with a powerful free-kick strike in the 24th at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium. "We played better than they did," Ocampos said. "But these games are difficult. There's a reason they are in the Champions League, they are a great team." Sevilla was coming off its first win of the season in a match against Las Palmas in the Spanish league on Sunday. Lens was winless in its last five matches, with four losses and a draw. "My goal did us a lot of good because I think if we didn't equalize so soon we would have struggled," Fulgini said. "The goal came at a good time. The free kick came off for me and we can be pleased today." Former Spain and Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos made his 138th Champions League appearance, the first with Sevilla. S
UCL: Stoppage-time drama again as Bayern Munich beats Manchester United 4-3
Mathys Tel's stoppage-time goal proved enough for Bayern Munich to beat Manchester United 4-3 in their Champions League opening game. Tel scored with a spectacular finish in the second minute of injury time on Wednesday, restoring Bayern's two-goal lead just when United threatened to pull off another remarkable comeback after Casemiro scored in the 88th. Casemiro did score again in the fifth minute of stoppages with a header to Bruno Fernandes' free kick, but this time there was no fairy-tale ending for United, which beat Bayern with two late goals to win the 1999 Champions League final. United had forced the initiative early as the old rivals met again in the group stage, but Harry Kane's penalty in the 53rd for 3-1 seemed to be the final blow for an injury-hit team low on confidence after starting the Premier League with three defeats in five games. United was without the injured Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and coach Erik ten Hag w
Arsenal makes winning return to Champions League, beats PSV Eindhoven 4-0
Arsenal made a stylish return to the Champions League by sweeping aside PSV Eindhoven 4-0 at Emirates Stadium after a six-year absence from the competition. Arsenal seemed determined to make up for lost time and jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the 38th minute on Wednesday with PSV goalkeeper Walter Benitez having made a couple of good saves by then to prevent an even bigger scoreline. In a game played in driving rain throughout, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all scored in the first half, before Martin Odegaard added the fourth with a long-range strike in the 70th. Arsenal qualified for the Champions League for 19 straight years under Arsene Wenger but had not played in the competition since 2016-17. PSV last played in it five years ago, and the two teams met in the group stage of the second-tier Europa League last season. Arsenal beat PSV 1-0 at home that time, but this was a far more one-sided affair. Saka opened the scoring in the eighth minute by slipping away fr
UCL: Bellingham's last-gasp goal give Real Madrid win over Union Berlin
Jude Bellingham keeps delivering for Real Madrid. This time the heroics came in his Champions League debut with the Spanish powerhouse. Bellingham helped extend Madrid's perfect start to the season by scoring a stoppage-time goal in the team's 1-0 win over newcomer Union Berlin in Group C on Wednesday. It was Madrid's sixth consecutive victory, with the other five coming in the Spanish league. The newly signed Bellingham scored his sixth goal in as many matches with Madrid by picking up a loose ball inside the area and firing it into the open net four minutes into stoppage time at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. "I'm not going to lie, I hope I keep on scoring goals in minute 94 or 95. Although it might do my heart, and the club, good to scorer earlier," said the 20-year-old Bellingham, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in the offseason and has been Madrid's hottest player early on. His winner against Getafe in the Spanish league had come five minutes into stoppage time, and against
Champions League: Manchester United vs Bayern Munich live match time today
Man Utd vs Bayern match in the Champions League will take place on September 21, or after midnight today.
Champions League 2023-24 full schedule, teams, live streaming in India
Arsenal and Manchester United make their Champions League comebacks as the group stage draws were announced on Thursday, August 31, 2023
No Ronaldo, Neymar, Benzema in Champions League: Uefa chief quashes rumours
Rumours circulating that Saudi Pro League teams could participate in the Champions League were quashed by Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin
Juventus banned from UEFA Conference League 2023-24 for violating rules
The club would further have to pay an additional 10 million euros if it fails to comply with UEFA financial monitoring rules in future seasons
Confirmed! Barcelona to play in Champions League as Uefa suspends probe
The Union of European Football Associations confirmed Barcelona's place in the next UEFA Champions League on Thursday though said an investigation into more than USD 7 million paid to a refereeing official could be reopened if more evidence emerges. Barcelona's place in the Champions League group stage worth tens of millions of euros (dollars) earned by winning the Spanish league last season could have been at risk from the so-called "Caso Negreira" case. Court documents show Barcelona paid 7.3 million euros (USD 7.7 million) from 2001-18 to the company of Jos Mara Enrquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spanish soccer's refereeing committee. Prosecutors in Spain formally accused Barcelona of corruption in sports, fraudulent management and falsification of business documents. However, no clear allegations of any specific fixed games or referees who were influenced have emerged since UEFA opened its investigation in March. UEFA competition rules require teams to be removed
Champions League: More national derby games possible from 2024-25 - UEFA
Teams from the same country will have more chances to play each other when the Champions League and other European club competitions are revamped next year, UEFA said Monday. There will be an open draw for the round of 16 without so-called country protection and two teams from a high-ranked nation could also face each other in the new league stage to avoid a deadlock in the draw, UEFA acknowledged. Currently, teams from the same country are always separated in the traditional group stage and cannot meet in the knockout phase until the quarterfinals. That changes in the 2024-25 season when the Champions League, Europa League and re-branded Conference League each move to a 36-team format with a single standings table. Teams in the Champions League and Europa League will play eight games each in the league phase, which will end in January. Conference League teams will have six rounds ending in December. The extra games, drawn from four seeding pots each containing nine teams, means .
UEFA Euro Qualifiers: France emerge victorious, defeat Greece 1-0 at home
In the UEFA EURO Qualifiers match, France defeated Greece 1-0 in a thrilling encounter on Tuesday at the Stade de France stadium.
Man City celebrates winning treble win with open-top bus parade in rain
Champagne and rain poured as Manchester City's players celebrated winning the treble of major trophies with an open-top bus parade through the city centre in front of tens of thousands of fans. The start of the evening parade was delayed because of what City called "adverse weather conditions and lightning storms" but two blue buses complete with the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies aboard eventually wound their way through the city streets, with the players and cigar-smoking manager Pep Guardiola wearing T-shirts bearing the words "Treble Winners." "It had to be the best parade with this rain, otherwise this is not Manchester," Guardiola said after the squad reached a stage on St. Peter's Square in the middle of Manchester, led by a shirtless Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias with three medals around his neck. We don't want sunshine, we want rain, so it was perfect." City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday to complete the .
Pep Guardiola wins the treble again: Is he the greatest football manager?
By winning the UEFA Champions League final with Manchester City against Inter Milan on June 11, 2023, Pep Guardiola has become the first player to win the treble twice with two different teams
AC Milan beats 10-man Napoli 1-0 in UEFA Champions League Qarter Final
AC Milan beat Napoli for the second time in the space of less than two weeks and this time with more at stake as the Rossoneri won 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday. Ismal Bennacer scored shortly before the end of a first half that Napoli had dominated for long stretches. Both teams also hit the crossbar before Napoli midfielder Andr-Frank Zambo Anguissa was sent off 16 minutes from time, following two yellow cards in quick succession. The teams will meet again in Naples next Tuesday with the winner to play either Inter Milan or Benfica in the semifinals. Inter won the first leg of their quarterfinal 2-0. While Milan's victory was not as comprehensive as its 4-0 rout of Napoli when the two teams met in Serie A on April 2, it left the club in pole position to reach its first Champions League semifinal since it won the last of its seven titles in 2007. The match pitted the defending Italian champion against the team likely to take its trophy,
UEFA Europa League Fixture Round of 16: When and where to watch
Round of 16 will be played between eight group stage winners and eight knockout round playoff winners. The winning side teams will qualify for the quarterfinals
Messi's World Cup triumph to Ronaldo's fall: Football's journey in 2022
Messi established himself as the greatest of all time by winning the World Cup but Ronaldo had to part ways on a sour note with Manchester United
