NYON - Holders Real Madrid will face English Premier League side Liverpool once again in the Champions League last 16 — a repeat of last season's final — while Paris St Germain will take on German champions Bayern Munich.
Madrid edged Liverpool in a tense final in May thanks to a Vinícius Júnior strike.
It was another memorable UEFA Champions League group stage with England, Germany and Portugal flexing their collective might while Spain suffered some historically bad performances. The Champions League last 16 draw date is now set for Monday, Nov.
It's early in the race for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, but with the season now over 30 percent complete, there's no denying that Real Madrid utility man Federico Valverde has put himself in the conversation with some unbelievable contributions in the Champions League and LaLiga.
It used to be that Valverde was the unsung hero of either the midfield (deputizing effectively for Luka Modrić or Toni Kroos) or right wing (with Karim Benzema and Vini Jr in the spotlight), but this year, whether deployed on the wing or in midfield, the 24-year-old has blossomed into the star of the show.
Heading into the final matches of the Champions League group stage, there was no set of games as appealing as the action in Group D. Tottenham entered Tuesday on top with eight points, but Sporting (seven), Eintracht Frankfurt (seven) and Marseille (six) all had a clear path to the round of 16.
Spurs had a difficult task, traveling to the Vélodrome in southern France but needing only a draw to go through. They also had to do it without manager Antonio Conte on the touchline because of a one-match ban.
In three weeks, the USMNT begins its World Cup campaign in Qatar. Much is still to be decided for the final roster — especially at the goalkeeper position.
During the September international break (with Zack Steffen omitted as a precautionary measure as he recovered from injury), Matt Turner started against Japan and Saudi Arabia. Turner had a strong showing against Japan, and was arguably the top American performer that day, before having little to do in a dull match versus the Saudis in Spain.
Dentro de la lista de cosas que hacer antes de morir de cualquier futbolista sudamericano, seguro que hay una línea en que dice ser "campeón de una Copa Libertadores y campeón de una Champions League". Sin embargo, en la historia son pocos los jugadores que pueden presumir haber ganado los trofeos de los torneos continentales más importantes del planeta.
Pero de vez en cuando pasa y el central brasileño David Luiz es testimonio vivo de que ese deseo puede ser realidad.
There have been very few bright spots for Juventus this season. On the back of the club’s humiliation in the Champions League midweek, a host of injuries forced manager Massimiliano Allegri’s hand as he utilized many of his younger players against Lecce. His faith was rewarded by Nicolò Fagioli, who scored a stunning goal to give the Bianconeri a 1-0 win.
21-year-old Nicolò Fagioli delivering for Juve ☄️
BERLIN - The controversial VAR decision to rule out Harry Kane's stoppage-time winner against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday prevented Tottenham from progressing into the Champions League knockout stage as Group D winners with a match to spare.
Instead Antonio Conte's team now go into a final matchday with all four teams in the group, including Eintracht Frankfurt and Marseille, still in the running for a last 16 spot.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will be back on the pitch for their LaLiga games this weekend, licking their wounds after disastrous midweek performances in the Champions League.
For the first time in history Spain had three teams knocked out of the top European tournament in the group stage, as Barcelona, Atlético and Sevilla failed miserably to advance past their groups to the round of 16.
Even champions Real Madrid, who were already through and playing to wrap up top spot, lost 3-1 at Leipzig on Tuesday, their first defeat in all competitions this season.
Atlético Madrid missed a stoppage-time penalty in a 2-2 draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday which ended their hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stage.
Atletico spurned the chance to win the match when Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky saved Yannick Carrasco's spot kick before Saul Niguez's follow up strike hit the crossbar.
Chaos in Madrid!
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