It’s impossible to forget Germany’s epic six-goal beatdown of Brazil at the 2014 World Cup. But for those who missed it, the first half of the Barcelona-Bayern Munich Champions League quarterfinal on Friday was a pretty good reenactment.
Bayern Munich relentlessly breached Barcelona’s vulnerable defense en route to a 4-1 halftime lead in Lisbon, stunning a Blaugrana side not used to facing such an onslaught.
Tyler Adams has not had the best of seasons with RB Leipzig. In and out of the lineup with injuries, fitness concerns and just not being picked, the 21-year-old American had appeared in just one Champions League match prior to Thursday. Looking healthy and eager, he made it count.
Adams scored an 88th-minute winner — his first career Champions League goal — to lift RB Leipzig to a dramatic 2-1 win over Atlético Madrid on Thursday. The strike sent the German side to the semifinals of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time.
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen took on Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer in a public spat last year over the Germany goalkeeper's jersey and the confrontation will be played out on the pitch in Friday's Champions League quarterfinal.
Only Lionel Messi can rival Ter Stegen, 28, for the title of Barça's most decisive player in the last few seasons, but his heroics for his club have not been enough to overhaul Neuer, 34, on the international stage.
Paris Saint-Germain’s last three European odysseys could largely be boiled down into a series of infamous images that haunted the club’s every waking moment.
In 2016-17, La Remontada gave us Messi lording over the Camp Nou…
And the cursed image of Ángel Di María shushing the ground prior to Barça’s three-goal haul in the final seven minutes of the match.
We admit, it’s easy to shit on Neymar; he’s the opposite of the hard-nosed player fawned over by traditional English media.
He dances, he taunts, he teases, he flaunts. But on Wednesday, he also inspired.
Kosovar champions KF Drita have forfeited their Champions League preliminary round tie against Northern Irish club Linfield after two players tested positive for Covid-19, UEFA said on Wednesday.
Drita were due to play the tie in the Swiss lakeside town of Nyon on Tuesday but local health authorities ordered the entire squad to be quarantined following the tests.
LISBON — It is arguably the biggest sports event of this COVID-infected year — eight of Europe's top teams in a knockout tournament over 12 days in the Portuguese capital, with the Champions League winner to be crowned at the final on Aug. 23.
But while millions will tune in around the globe, if you walk the streets of Lisbon, you could be forgiven for being unaware that any of this is about to happen.
There are no event welcome signs at the airport and none of the usual associated marketing or football-related advertising.
Atlético Madrid's fears of further disruption to their trip to the Champions League 'Final Eight' tournament in Lisbon have been eased after the rest of the squad tested negative for COVID-19, following two positives the previous day.
The club's morning training session was postponed due to the positive cases and their plans to travel to Lison were put on hold, but the club said in a statement they would have one final session before flying out on Tuesday, a day later than planned.
Julian Nagelsmann is the youngest head coach to take a team to the Champions League quarterfinals but any suggestion he or his RB Leipzig players will be out of their depth against Atletico Madrid should be quickly dismissed.
The 33-year-old will take the German upstarts into new territory on Thursday and admits a meeting with Atletico counterpart Diego Simeone will be a tough proposition.
Barcelona’s 3-1 victory over Napoli on Saturday was a throwback to Barça’s more controlled days with Ivan Rakitić deputizing smartly for the suspended Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong going from strength to strength in midfield.
Napoli couldn’t get close to the 23-year-old Dutch maestro, who hardly put a foot wrong while completing 94% of his passes in the attacking third and going three-for-three in take-ons. He also had a would-be assist contemptuously chalked off after the ball grazed Lionel Messi’s upper arm.