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Tag: UEFA Champions League

  • 2019/2020 UCL: Real Madrid meets PSG, as Chelsea draw Ajax

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    The 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League will see Chelsea face Ajax Amsterdam in the group stages of the competition.

    The draw, conducted on Thursday in France will have the defending champions Liverpool, battle a familiar SSC Napoli in Group E, as Real Madrid will also have a date with Paris Saint-Germain

    The Spanish and French giant, paired in group A,  will be joined by Belgian top-flight runners-up Club Brugge and Galatasaray.

    Group F is tagged the group of death, with reigning La Liga champions Barcelona paired with Borussia Dortmund,  Inter Milan and Slavia Prague.

    Last season’s finalist, Tottenham Hotspurs have been grouped with Bayern Munich in Group B, Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade completing the number.

    Read Also: Chelsea season not a failure without UCL – Sarri

    Group C will have another group stage rematch, as Manchester City will face Shakhtar for the second straight year. They are joined by Atalanta and GNK Dinamo.

    Meanwhile in Group D, Juventus re-unite with old foes Atletico Madrid.  Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv Moscow joins the giants in the group.

    Group G features Zenit, Benfica, Lyon and RB Leipzig.

    The group stage of the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League kicks off on September 17, with teams competing in six match-days until December as they attempt to progress to the knockout stage.

    The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey will host the final on 30 May 2020. It is the same ground where Liverpool won the 2005 UEFA Champions League, coming back from 3-0 down to defeat AC Milan.

    THE GROUPS

    Group A:              PSG, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray

    Group B               Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspurs, Olympiacos,  Crvena Zvezda

    Group C:              Manchester City,  Shakhtar Donetsk, GNK Dinamo,  Atalanta

    Group D:              Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moskva

    Group E:              Liverpool, SSC Napoli, Salzburg, Genk

    Group F:              FC Barcelona, Borussia Dorrtmund, Inter Milan, Slavia Praha

    Group G:             RB Leipzig, Zenith, Benfica, Olympique Lyon

    Group H:              Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia,  LOSC Lille

     

     

     

     

  • London Mayor backs bid to host 2023 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan has backed a Football Association (FA) bid for Wembley Stadium to host the 2023 UEFA Champions League final to mark the centenary of the original ground’s opening.

    The new Wembley, which was finished in 2007 and has a capacity of 90,000, previously hosted the final of Europe’s premier club competition in 2011 and 2013.

    The 2013 event had coincided with the 150th anniversary of the FA’s foundation.

    “London is the sports capital of the world and the Mayor wants to bring the biggest and the best events to the city,” a spokesperson for the Mayor of London told Reuters.

    “He is proud to support the FA’s bid for Wembley to host the final of the 2023 UEFA Champions League.

    “In 2023, it will be 10 years since London last hosted the Champions League final and the centenary of the opening of the original Wembley Stadium.

    Read Also: Facts about the UEFA Champions League Final

    “Wembley will host the final of the men’s UEFA Euro 2020 and Women’s Euro 2021, and so bringing the biggest club game in world football back to London would make this a great period for sports in the
    capital.”

    The deadline for the submission of bids for the 2023 final was July 1 and European football’s governing body UEFA said it would announce the bidders in due course.

    “The decision will be taken at the Executive Committee Meeting on Sept. 24,” a UEFA representative told Reuters.

    The FA declined to comment on whether it had submitted a bid to host the final.

    This season’s UEFA Champions League showpiece will be held in Istanbul’s 76,761-capacity Olympic Stadium on May 30, 2020.

    The stadium last hosted the final in 2005 when Liverpool, the current European champions after a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid last season, famously beat AC Milan.

    That was in a penalty kicks shootout, having been 3-0 down at half-time.

    NAN

  • Greatest comebacks in the UEFA Champions League

    If there is one word that can describe this season of the UEFA Champions League, it is the word drama. Right from the beginning of the season, there has been a lot of last-minute goals and great incidents

    The latest was what transpired between Ajax Amsterdam and Tottenham Hotspurs. The Spurs  had lost 1-0 at the White Hart Lane last week with  Donny van de Beek’s solitary goal, but they turned the game on its head, when Lucas Moura scored a hat trick in Amsterdam, with Tottenham beating Ajax 3-2 on the night, and 3-3 on aggregate, qualifying on away goal rule.

    The final goal of the match came from Moura in the 96th minute, sending the London boys to the final for the first time ever.

    Liverpool and FC Barcelona also produced another drama on Tuesday night at Anfield. The Catalans had given the Reds a sound 3-0 victory at the Nou Camp, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi getting on the score-sheet.

    Jurgen Klopp’s men had also gone into the second leg at Anfield, without two of their talisman, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino and all hope seems lost for the Anfield giants.

    But Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum had other plans, scoring a brace each, send the Reds to the final. Their heroics place Liverpool’s 4-0 win among the greatest Champions League salvage operations of all time.

    Below is a list of some memorable comebacks in Europe’s elite competition

    Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain (6-5 agg), 2017

    Barcelona remains the most remarkable of all Champions League comebacks. Trailing 4-0 from the first leg of their last-16 tie with PSG, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi scored either side of a Layvin Kurzawa own goal, only for Edinson Cavani to grab what was expected to be the decisive strike for the visitors.

    Also two quickfire Neymar goals – the second a highly controversial penalty after an apparent Suarez dive – levelled the tie at 5-5.

    Then, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Sergi Roberto struck to create a slice of Champions League history – no side had ever turned around a four-goal first-leg deficit before.

    AS Roma 3-0 Barcelona (4-4 agg, Roma won on away goals), 2018

    Barcelona were dethroned in the Italian capital last year as Roma completed one of the most unlikely turnarounds in quarter-final history.

    The Italian side under Eusebio Di Francesco came back from a 4-1 first-leg deficit to progress to the quarter final on away goals after a 3-0 at Rome.

    Edin Dzeko, Daniele De Rossi and Kostas Manolas secured the 4-4 aggregate draw and sent the Giallorossi further, as the Laliga giant fell off.

    Liverpool 4 Barcelona 0 (4-3 agg) 2019

    Fresh from netting a late winner at Newcastle United the weekend before, Origi allowed the Liverpool faithful to dream by poaching his maiden Champions League goal in the seventh minute.

    Andy Robertson’s injury forced James Milner to left-back and Georginio Wijnaldum into the fray at half-time. By the hour, the Dutch midfielder had Liverpool level thanks to two goals in 122 delirious seconds.

    Origi had the final word thanks to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quick thinking from a 79th-minute corner, leaving Barcelona and Messi crestfallen once more.

    Real Madrid 1-4 Ajax (5-3 agg) 2019

    Despite their impressive display in their 2-1 first-leg defeat, nobody really seemed to think Ajax could turn things around at the Santiago Bernabeu. Sergio Ramos certainly did not – he earned a booking so as to avoid the risk of a quarter-final ban, earning an extra-game suspension from UEFA in the process.

    In the absence of their captain, Madrid completely capitulated amid a fearless and thrilling Ajax – the type of which Liverpool might yet be faced with in the final.

    Hakim Ziyech and David Neres put the visitors 2-0 up after only 18 minutes and it was 3-0 just after the hour mark thanks to the inspired Dusan Tadic.

    Marco Asensio got a goal back, but Lasse Schone’s free-kick beat Thibaut Courtois and sent Madrid crashing out. It was the first time they had ever been knocked out after winning the first leg of a Champions League tie.

    Real Madrid 4-2 AS Monaco (5-5 agg) 2004

    The Galacticos won the first-leg of their quarterfinals against AS Monaco at the Santiago Bernabeu with Zidane and Ronaldo both chipping in with goals. However, it still was not enough for Real Madrid.

    The story was markedly different in the second leg as Real Madrid lead by Carlos Queiroz faced defeat, the agony of which was compounded by the fact that a player loaned by Real Madrid to AS Monaco, Fernando Morientes, ended up on the scoresheet.

    The aggregate turned out to be an even 5-5. However, AS Monaco were a step ahead as they had an away goal more than Real Madrid.

    AC Milan 4-5 Deportivo La Coruna ( 4-5 agg) 2004

    The star-studded line-up of AC Milan which included the likes of Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Andriy Shevchenko, Dida, Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Rui Costa, Clarence Seedorf thumped Deportivo La Coruna comprehensively in the first leg at the San Siro with Kaka scoring a brace.

    However, things took a turn for the worst when Milan squandered a 3 goal lead in the second leg at the Estadio Riazor. Deportivo La Coruna lead by former Athletico Madrid legend Irureta put up an inspired performance humbling the mighty AC Milan 4-0.

    This meant that Deportivo moved slightly ahead of AC Milan on aggregate thus knocking out the defending champions.

    Deportivo moved on to the semi-finals 5-4 on aggregate

    Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (AET, 3-2 on pens) 2005

    That famous night in Istanbul, Liverpool found themselves on the end of a hiding at half-time in the 2005 Champions League final, as Paolo Maldini and a Hernan Crespo brace had the Serie A side 3-0 up.

    But the second half proved to be one of the most iconic 45 minutes in Liverpool’s history, with goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso levelling the match up by the hour mark.

    Milan then failed to hold their nerve in the penalty shootout, as Jerzy Dudek’s leggy antics in the Liverpool goal helped the Pole outsmart both Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko after Serginho blazed the first kick over, resulting in the Premier League side lifting their fifth European title.

    Barcelona 5-1 Chelsea (AET, 6-4 agg) 2000

    A 3-1 first-leg loss at Stamford Bridge – having trailed 3-0 – had Barca in danger of being on the wrong end of a major 1999-00 Champions League upset prior to the Roman Abramovich era, but in the return match the Catalans showed their true class.

    Tore Andre Flo’s 60th-minute goal was sending Chelsea through despite Rivaldo and Luis Figo scoring before the break, but Dani Garcia scored seven minutes from the end of regulation to force extra time.

    Rivaldo then converted a penalty after Celestine Babayaro was sent off and Patrick Kluivert wrapped things up, crushing Chelsea’s dreams.

  • UPDATED: Liverpool wins 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League

    Liverpool has won the 2018/2019 Champions League after Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi earned the Reds a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspurs in Saturday night’s Madrid final.

    Having been beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in last season’s final in Kiev, Liverpool were out to exorcise those demons with Jurgen Klopp also seeking his first trophy since becoming the club’s head coach back in 2015.

    Given the dramatic nature of this season’s Champions League campaign, it was no surprise to see the final kick off in chaotic fashion as Liverpool were awarded a penalty inside the first 30 seconds of the match.

    Read Also: Facts about the UEFA Champions League Final

    Referee Damir Skomina pointed to the spot after Moussa Sissoko was adjudged to have handled Sadio Mane’s cross, and Salah stepped up to fire the penalty over Hugo Lloris and into the net after just 118 seconds.

    It was fitting that Salah struck, given that he limped out of last year’s final in tears after being injured following a clash with Sergio Ramos – an injury which also

    Spurs pressed for a route back into a game which was typified by slack possession and mistakes from both sides, but Liverpool made it two late on as Divock Origi – the Reds’ hero of the semi-final second leg with two goals against Barcelona – struck a clinical finish in the 87th minute.

    The win ensured Liverpool lifted their sixth European Cup, adding to previous successes in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, and 2005.

     

    standard.co.uk

  • BREAKING: Liverpool wins 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League

    Liverpool has won the 2019 UEFA Champions League, after beating Tottenham Hotspurs 2-0 in Madrid, Spain.

    Mohammed Salah got the first goal for the Reeds in the first minute of the match, and Devok Orgi scored yet again in the 87th minute to gift the Reds their sixth title

     

    Details shortly…

  • Breaking: Liverpool vs Barcelona X1

    Liverpool and Barcelona have announced their first elevens for the crucial second leg Champion League semi-finals tonight.

    Liverpool:

    ·       Alisson

    ·       Alexander-Arnold

    ·       Matip

    ·       Van Dijk

    ·       Robertson

    ·       Fabinho

    ·       Milner

    ·       Henderson

    ·       Mane

    ·       Origi

    ·       Shaqiri

    Read Also: Barcelona announce squad to face Liverpool

    Barcelona:

    ·       Ter Segen

    ·       Sergio Roberto

    ·       Jordi Alba

    ·       Pique

    ·       Lenglet

    ·       Sergio

    ·       Rakitic

    ·       Vidal

    ·       Coutinho

    ·       Suraez

    ·       Messi

    The match starts by 8pm at Anfield in the United Kingdom with the Spanish giants holding a 3-0 advantage from the first leg.

     

  • VAR: A gain or pain to football?

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    When Raheem Sterling scored in the 95th minute of the UEFA Champions League second leg match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspurs at the Etihad, all hell broke loose.

    That goal meant that the Citizens had qualified for the semi-finals, beating the Spurs 5-4 on aggregate. Coach Pep Guardiola ran, jumping and celebrating his victory. Man. City players had gone to celebrate the goal with the English striker.  Even Tottenham fans and players were shocked. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris sat on the floor stunned and fans were seen putting their hands on the head.

    Suddenly, Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir blew the whistle, disallowing the goal. The Video Assistant Referee, a new technology introduced into football had caught Sergio Aguero offside, shortly before giving Sterling the pass that led to the goal.

    Emotions changed immediately from joy to despair for Man. City, and from pain to joy for Tottenham. The English Premier League leaders were dumped out of the competition on away goal rules.

    This is not the first time the VAR would be involved in critical decisions like this. Introduced in England in November 2017 when the Three Lions faced Germany in a friendly match, the VAR is usually handled by a team of three people who work together to review certain decisions made by the main referee by watching video replays of the relevant incidents.

    They comprise of the video assistant referee himself (who will be a current or former referee), his assistant and a replay operator. They are usually situated in a video operation room which is essentially a bank of monitors offering different camera angles.

    There VAR is responsible for four major decisions such as Goals and whether there was a violation during each episode of the attacking phase of play, Penalty decisions, direct red card decisions and mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card.

    In consulting the VAR, the center referee stops play after being contacted from the operation room, blowing the whistle and making a sign of a rectangle with his index fingers indicating a video screen.  He goes to the monitor located in the touchline, just beside the team bench, to review the incident alone, and then takes a decision from what he has seen.

    FIFA approved the use of VAR for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in 2018, making the tournament become the first competition to use VAR in full at all matches and in all venues. A total of 455 incidents were checked by the VAR in the competition with twenty decisions reviewed. The first was in the match between France and Australia where Antoine Griezmann was through on goal when he went down under a challenge from Joshua Risdon, with the VAR spotting it out, and the referee Andres Cunha, awarding the penalty.

    There were controversial moments with the VAR during the World Cup. When England met Tunisia in Volgograd in the group stages, England striker Harry Kane was dragged down in the box during corners in what were considered obvious fouls.  Considering the nature of the penalty which was given to Tunisia in the first half, which appeared to be fairly soft, those sat in the VAR booth had no excuse to miss the two incidents. Sadly, they did, and had the Three Lions not won the match, a wide protest against the VAR would have begun that day.

    Another VAR moment happened in the round of sixteen, when Russia met Spain at the Luzhniki stadium. Four days before the Spain/Russia match, the same Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir (in charge of the aforementioned UEFA Champions League match) was at the center when Nigeria played against Argentina at Saint Petersburg.  Marcos Rojo had tried to head the ball, but only managed to nod it onto his own arm. The referee waved away the appeals of Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo, and after he was pressured by captain John Mikel Obi, he went to look at the VAR, but came back refusing to award Nigeria the penalty.

    However, when Spain met Russia at the Luzhniki stadium, Gerard Pique fouled the ball, this time unintentionally. He was on air with Artem Dzyuba who headed the ball on goal, and the ball hit the back of Pique’s hand. The referee awarded a penalty to Russia without consulting the VAR, bringing the decision against Nigeria four days earlier to questioning.

    Arguments have it that the VAR is likely to kill the beautiful game of football. There is a possibility that referees will be afraid and sentimental in making decisions, as they would rely so much on the VAR.

    With football atmosphere always electric, VAR is likely to kill it. Referees going all the time to cross-check decisions before taking decisions will douse the mood and thrill of the beautiful game.

    There is also the sad possibility of not appreciating goals with the introduction of the VAR. With every goal scored, referees would go on to check the goal, and every incident involved. No one is perfect and some things should be allowed to pass without punishments. The VAR will not allow that, thereby killing the joy of the game.

    There is the call for a review of the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), whether it is truly needed in football or not. This is to avoid the joy and passion of the beautiful game suffering an untimely death

  • VAR sends Man. United, FC Porto to quarter-finals

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was the ultimate factor deciding the fate in the UEFA Champions League matches on Wednesday night.

    Manchester United came from a 2-0 first leg home loss to Paris Saint-German (PSG) to beat the French side, 3-1 in Paris, the last being a penalty awarded by the VAR to Marcus Rashford.

    FC Porto also advanced 4-3 on aggregate against AS Roma, after scoring a VAR given three minutes from the end of extra time.

    Francisco Soares had given FC Porto the lead with a simple tap-in on 26 minutes, but Daniele De Rossi equalized from the spot for the Italian side before half-time after Eder Militao chopped down Diego Perotti.

    Moussa Marega restored the lead on the night for Porto early in the second half to level the tie. Deep into second-half extra time, Telles sent Robin Olsen the wrong way from the penalty spot after a tug by Alessandro Florenzi was spotted upon review.

    This result means that legendary goalkeeper; Iker Cassilas has now won more matches than any other player in the UEFA Champions League history.

    The Red Devils in France started brightly with a two-minute opportunist strike from Romelu Lukaku, latching on to Thilo Kehrer’s blind back pass and finding the net.

    PSG however went 3-1 ahead on aggregate when Kylian Mbappe fed a pass to the unmarked Juan Bernat, who slotted home at the back post.

    But United had other plans in their sleeves. Rashford later on tried a shot that was powerful but straight at goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. But he spilled the ball, and Lukaku followed in to score. It was a sixth goal in three games for the Belgian.

    PSG looked to advance to the last eight 3-2 on aggregate before referee Damir Skomina awarded Manchester United a VAR spotted penalty kick for a Presnel Kimpembe handball at the 94th minute.

    Rashford calmly beat Gianluigi Buffon from 12 yards, as United won a Champions League tie after losing the first leg at home for the first time in their history.

  • VAR, goal line technology for 2018/2019 LaLiga Santander

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    The LaLiga Santander is set to experience new innovations with the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and the goal line technology from the 2018/2019 football season.

    According to Javier Del Rio, the Country Chairman, La Liga Nigeria, the VAR, which recorded huge success during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia will be only be consulted in four instances; when a goal is scored, and it is debated, it will determine if a penalty should be given or not. The machine will further determine if an action deserves a red card or not, and it will be used in identifying a player.

    Del Rio, speaking on Thursday at the West Town Hotel, Lagos, revealed that there will be audio quality improvements and 3D graphics, with more stadiums having sky cameras and the Intel True View system, in the coverage of matches in the Spanish top league.

    The country chairman, speaking about the achievements of the league, affirmed that the Spanish La Liga is the best football league in the World. According to him, “The La Liga is more than the World Cup or UEFA Champions League final.

    “Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and Sevilla are the top four teams according to the latest rankings released by UEFA. The Spanish La Liga is watched in 182 countries in the world, and 60 million followers on social media.

    “It is also on record that eleven players were in action in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final between France and Croatia.

    “The LaLiga Santander can simply be described as entertainment, sports excellence, innovations and passion. The league showcases its gastronomy, culture, leisure and Music.

    Read Also: Goals to rain in LaLiga

    Del Rio noted that the La Liga is not only about the El Classico, there are other big matches like Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid, Levante UD vs Valencia and Real Betis  vs Sevilla. He further revealed that “out of the twenty coaches in the La Liga, fifteen of them are Spanish, and the remaining five are Argentine, and once played in the La Liga”

    Media and Communications co-coordinator, La Liga Nigeria, Ayodeji Adegbenro, revealed that the Spanish league is set to open an office in Lagos, for it to be more operational. He also made it known that there will be trainings for football administrators on 30th and 31st October, 2018 for football administrators. The league will partner with the Lagos Business School.

    SD Huesca will be making their debut bin the season, alongside, Rayo Vallecano and Real Valladolid haven gained promotion from the 2017/2018 Segunda Division.

    The league will welcome new players like Nigerian striker Moses Simon, who joins Levante UD from KAA Gent.  Arturo Vidal, who left FC Bayern Munich to join FC Barcelona, Thiabuis Courtois who joins Real Madrid from Chelsea, after winning the golden glove in the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the best goalkeeper of the tournament,

  • Russia 2018: Uruguay pip Egypt 1-0

    Uruguay snatched a late winner as they began their 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign with a dramatic victory over Egypt

    Jose Gimenez headed powerfully into the net in the 90th minute as he met Carlos Sanchez’s free-kick to give the South Americans a winning start in Russia.

    Uruguay had been the better side as Luis Suarez had missed four chances and Edinson Cavani had hit the inside of a post with a 25-yard free-kick.

    Salah, who scored 44 times for Liverpool this season was an unused substitute as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury sustained in last month’s UEFA Champions League final.

    Read Also: Russia 2018: Is this Africa’s time?

    Without Salah, Egypt, though gave an excellent fight to Uruguay, lacked a cutting edge and had looked on course to earn a point in their first match at a World Cup finals since 1990 before Gimenez’s late goal.

    They are now under pressure heading into their second with Russia, while Uruguay can breathe a sigh of relief.

    The result means Russia are top of Group A after their 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the tournament’s opening game on Thursday.