SOCCER - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
2019/20
Group A - Paris St.Germain (2) @ (2) Real Madrid - In arguably Real Madrid's best game of the season, they finished top of Group A with a big game against the French Champions. Madrid led 2-0 after 79 minutes with 2 goals from Karim Benzema, but 2 goals in the final 9 minutes from Kylian Mbappe and Pablo Sarabia earned PSG a draw. Real Madrid would have won the game handily but for a big game from PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas who made 10 saves. Real Madrid also featured Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale as a 2nd half substitute. PSG also featured Neymar as a 2nd half substitute (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mowbray/Hutchinson, PAL)
Group D - Juventus (2) @ (2) Atletico Madrid - The big match-up in Group D didn't disappoint, as Atletico staged a big comeback at home to take a share of the points. Atletico dominated the 1st half but couldn't find the breakthrough, and Juventus capitalised by scoring 2 goals at the start of the 2nd half. Atletico continued to press and scored 2 goals in the final 20 minutes, including the equaliser in the 90th minute, to rescue the game. The Juventus goals came from Juan Cuadrado and Blaise Matuidi. The Atletico goals came from Stefan Savic and substitute Hector Herrera (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Tyldesley/Spackman, PAL)
Group E - Red Bull Salzburg (3) @ (4) Liverpool - In their first Champions League home game of the campaign, Liverpool held off a furious 2nd half fight-back by Red Bull Salzburg to win the game. Liverpool dominated the opening 39 minutes of the game, scoring 3 goals and creating numerous other chances. But just before the break, Salzburg scored on a rare attack and the goal seemed to energise them, because at the start of the 2nd half they pushed forward and scored 2 goals in 4 minutes to tie the game. Both teams then pushed hard for the winner and it finally came to Liverpool in the 69th minute, a goal from Mohamed Salah that the team defended to the end. The other Liverpool goals came from Sadio Mane, Andrew Robertson and Salah. The Salzburg goals came from Takumi Minamino (2) and substitute Erling Braut Haaland, Alf Inge Haaland's son (10, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Drury/McManaman, PAL)
Last 16, 1st Leg - Valencia (1) @ (4) Atalanta - Atalanta put one foot in the Quarter Finals with a high-scoring win in the San Siro. They were playing their games in Milan as their home ground didn't meet UEFA standards. 2 goals in each half did the damage for Atalanta as Valencia found the Italians pace in attack too hot to handle. The Atalanta goals came from Hans Hateboer (2), Josip Ilicic and Remo Freuler. The Valencia goal came from substitute Denis Cheryshev (9, 48 minutes hi-lites - On the same disc as the 2nd Leg, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Bower/Ekoku, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Atalanta (4) @ (3) Valencia - Atalanta booked a place in their first ever Champions League Quarter Final with a shootout win at an empty Mestalla Stadium. The game was played in an empty stadium due to the Coronovirus Pandemic lockdown. Both teams traded goals throughout the game, but Atalanta's 3 goal lead from the first leg proved impossible for Valencia to overcome. All four of the Atalanta goals came from Josip Ilicic. The Valencia goals came from Kevin Gameiro (2) and Ferran Torres (9, 48 minutes hi-lites - On the same disc as the 1st Leg, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Bower/Spackman, PAL)
Last 16, 1st Leg - Manchester City (2) @ (1) Real Madrid - Manchester City picked the perfect time to beat Real Madrid for the first time in their history, recovering from a 1-0 deficit to take control of the tie. After a cagey first half, both teams went in at the break scoreless. Real Madrid broke the deadlock first in the 2nd half with a goal from Isco but 2 goals in the final 12 minutes turned the tie around for City with Gabriel Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne finding the net. With 5 minutes remaining, the game got worse for Real when captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for a professional foul. This was the first game City coach Pep Guardiola and Real coach Zinedine Zidane faced each other as managers (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Real Madrid (1) @ (2) Manchester City - Manchester City booked their place in the Quarter Finals with a comfortable win at the Etihad Stadium. The game was played without a crowd due to the Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown. City led 2-1 after the first leg and capitalised on 2 defensive errors by Raphael Varane to score and to force Real Madrid to have to score 4 goals to progress. City pressured the Spaniards and defended comfortably to see out the game and take the win. The City goals came from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus. City also featured Phil Foden and substitute David Silva, in his final game at the Etihad Stadium. The Real Madrid goal came from Karim Benzema. Real Madrid were missing Sergio Ramos (suspended) and Gareth Bale (dropped) (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Last 16, 1st Leg - Paris St.Germain (1) @ (2) Borussia Dortmund - Dortmund took a 1 goal advantage into the 2nd leg with a strong 2nd half display at Signal Iduna Park. After a scoreless 1st half, Dortmund and PSG exchanged 3 goals in 6 minutes with the home side on top after 75 minutes and they defended the lead until the end. Both the Dortmund goals came from Erling Braut Haaland. The PSG goal came from Neymar (9, 47 minutes hi-lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Darke/Keown, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Borussia Dortmund (0) @ (2) Paris St.Germain - Inside an empty Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, PSG finally ended their Champions League Last 16 curse with a dominating win over Borussia Dortmund. The Stadium was empty as a result of the Coronavirus epidemic, but the lack of home support didn't deter PSG who overturned a 2-1 deficit from the 1st leg with two 1st half goals from Neymar and Juan Bernat. Dortmund failed to get a hold of the match in the 2nd half and PSG easily held on for the win, booking a place in the Quarter Finals for the first time since 2016 (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Summerton/Keown, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Atletico Madrid (3) @ (2) Liverpool - Holders Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League with a dramatic extra-time defeat by Atletico Madrid at Anfield. The Spaniards held a 1-0 lead from the 1st leg, but Liverpool levelled the tie with a 1st half goal from Georginio Wijnaldum. Liverpool pushed hard in the 2nd half for the tie-winner, hitting the post and forcing Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak into several crucial saves, but the Spaniards held on to force overtime. The Liverpool breakthorugh came at the start of extra-time with a goal from Roberto Firmino but 3 minutes later substitute Marcos Llorente sensationally scored after an error from Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian and Atletico took the lead on away goals. The Reds pushed for the winner again but Atletico held on and a late goal from Alvaro Morata sealed the win for Atletico and ended Liverpool's dream of a repeat (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Lyon (1) @ (2) Juventus - In a big upset in Turin, Lyon held off a strong fight-back from Serie A Champions Juventus to win the game and book their place in the Quarter Final. Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Lyon scored first again to leave Juventus needing 3 goals to progress. Despite a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus couldn't find the all-important 3rd goal and Lyon defended strongly to take the win. The Lyon goal came from a penalty from Memphis Depay and Lyon also featured Houssem Aouar, Bruno Guimaraes and Maxence Caqueret. Juventus also featured Matthijs de Ligt, Miralem Pjanic and substitute Aaron Ramsey. The day after the game, Juventus sacked coach Maurizio Sarri (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Drury/Sutton, PAL)
Quarter Final - Atalanta (1) v (2) Paris St.Germain - In a sensational finish at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, PSG staged a remarkable comeback to book a place in their first Champions League Semi-Final for 25 years. Champions League debutants Atalanta took a 1-0 lead in the 1st half with a goal from Mario Pasalic and looked to have the game won as the match approached 2nd half injury time. But Neymar, who had a great game, laid on the equaliser for Marquinhos and in the 93rd minute, substitute Kylian Mbappe set up Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to slide in the game-winner (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Quarter Final - Red Bull Leipzig (2) v (1) Atletico Madrid - Underdogs RB Leipzig booked a place in their first ever Champions League semi-final with a late winner at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. All the goals were scored in the 2nd half after a cagey, scoreless 1st half. Leipzig finally capitalised on their good approach work with a goal early in the 2nd half, only for Atletico to equalise 20 minutes later. With extra time on the cards, Leipzig sensationally won the game with a goal 2 minutes from time, then defended heroically to see out the game and take the win. The Leipzig goals came from Dani Olmo and Tyler Adams and they also featured Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer. The Atletico goal came from a penalty converted by substitute Joao Felix and they also featured Kieran Trippier and Diego Costa (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Quarter Final - Barcelona (2) v (8) Bayern Munich - Bayern Munich confirmed their position as favourites to win the Champions League with a humiliating win over Barcelona at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. The Germans took apart an ageing Barcelona team, building on a 4-1 lead at the half with 4 more goals in the 2nd half, with the last 3 goals coming in the final 8 minutes. The result was Barcelona's worst since 1946. Bayern had 26 shots on goal with 14 on target, compared to only 7 shots on goal for the Spaniards. The Bayern Munich goals came from man-of-the-match Thomas Müller (2), Ivan Perisic, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski and Philipe Coutinho (2). The Barcelona goals came from Luis Suarez and an own goal. Barcelona also featured Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Frankie de Jong (9, Disc 2 also includes 24 minutes post-game analysis from ESPN FC, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Quarter Final - Manchester City (1) v (3) Lyon - For the 3rd straight year, Manchester City were knocked out at the Quarter Final stage, losing to a determined Lyon team at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. City were favourites, but manager Pep Guardiola picked a defensive team to play Lyon and, despite controlling possession, City found it hard to break down the Lyon defense. Lyon played on the counter-attack and took a 1-0 lead in at the half. City equalised with 20 minutes left to playy but the game turned on a 1 minute spell where Raheem Sterling missed an open goal that would have taken the lead, only for Lyon to counter attack and score to take a 2-1 lead instead. A late goal from the French sealed the win. The Lyon goals came from Maxwel Cornet and Moussa Dembele (2) and they also featured Karl Toko Ekambi and Houssem Aouar. The Manchester City goal came from Kevin de Bruyne and they also featured Gabriel Jesus and substitute David Silva in his final game for City (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Semi-Final - Red Bull Leipzig (0) v (3) Paris St.Germain - At the Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, PSG finally booked a place in their first Champions League Final, easily beating RB Leipzig. The PSG forward line of Neymar, Angel di Maria and Kylian Mbappe were too much for the Germans as the French champions took a 2-0 lead in at the break and coasted home in the 2nd half. The PSG goals came from Marquinhos, Angel di Maria and Juan Bernat (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Semi-Final - Lyon (0) v (3) Bayern Munich - Tournament favourites Bayern Munich extended their 27-game unbeaten streak with a comprehensive win at the Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon. Lyon had their chances early but were let down by poor finishing. Conversely, Bayern proved they had the killed instinct and they took a 2-0 lead in at the break before coasting home in the 2nd half. With the win, Bayern booked a place in their 11th European Cup/Champions League final. The Bayern Munich goals came from Serge Gnabry (2) and Robert Lewandowski (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Final - Paris St.Germain (0) v (1) Bayern Munich - Bayern Munich sealed an historic treble with a hard-fought win at the Estádio da Luz, Lisbon against the French champions PSG. PSG had the better chances in the 1st half, but were consistently denied by man-of-the-match Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Both teams went in at the break tied 0-0, but Bayern opened the scoring in the 59th minute with a goal from Kingsley Coman, and they defended the goal to the end, holding off a PSG comeback to win their 6th title. Bayern Munich also featured Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller and Alphonso Davies. PSG featured Neymar, Angel di Maria, Kylian Mbappe and Thiago Silva, in his final game for the club (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)