SOCCER - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
2020/21
Group A - Bayern Munich (1) @ (1) Atletico Madrid - Atletico Madrid finally ended Bayern Munich's 15 game win streak in the Champions League, forcing a draw at the Metropolitano Stadium. Bayern fielded a 2nd-string side, resting key players Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski, while Atletico knew a win would see them into the knockout stages. Atletico had the better of the game, taking a 1-0 lead into the half-time break, but couldn't convert their possession into more goals and Bayern made them pay with an equalising goal 5 minutes from time. The Atletico goal came from Joao Felix, who had a great game. The Bayern goal came from a penalty converted by substitute Thomas Muller (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Bower/Hutchinson, PAL)
Group D - Liverpool (5) @ (0) Atalanta - Liverpool kept their unbeaten record in the group with a surprisingly comfortable win in Bergamo. The Serie A side had been free-scoring in Europe but Liverpool jumped on them early, taking a 2-0 lead in at the half. 3 goals in the opening 10 minutes of the 2nd half sealed the win for the Reds. The Liverpool goals came from Diogo Jota (3), Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman, PAL)
Group G - Juventus (3) @ (0) Barcelona - Juventus ended the group stage with a big win at the Nou Camp which assured them of top spot in the group and avenged their 2-0 loss to Barcelona earlier in the group stage. A much-anticipated match-up between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, their first in the Champions League since 2011, went the way of Ronaldo who scored 2 goals. The 3rd Juventus goal was scored by Weston McKennie. Messi did have 7 shots on goal but was thwarted each time by Juve's 42-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Mowbray/Hutchinson, PAL)
Group H - Istanbul Basaksehir (1) @ (5) Paris St-Germain - Both teams ended their Champions League group phase at the second attempt, with PSG running out easy winners in Paris. The re-scheduled game came 24 hours after the 1st attempt, which had ended in controversial fashion after 14 minutes when the 4th official was accused of racially abusing an Istanbul coach. In the re-scheduled game, PSG easily won the game with goals from Neymar (3) and Kylian Mbappé (2). The Istanbul goal came from Mehmet Topal (9, 27 minutes hi-Lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Hutchinson, PAL)
Last 16, 1st Leg - Paris St-Germain (4) @ (1) Barcelona - At the Nou Camp, PSG recovered from an early setback to take control of the tie, led by a dynamic performance from Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe scored 3 goals and became only the 3rd player to score a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona (Faustino Asprilla, Andrei Schevchenko). Barcelona scored first with a penalty from Lionel Messi, but PSG scored the next 3 goals to put one foot in the Quarter Finals (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Darke/Hoddle, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Barcelona (1) @ (1) Paris St-Germain - PSG held on against Barcelona at the Parc des Princes and booked their place in the Quarter Final. Barcelona were much better than their showing in the 1st leg but paid for poor finishing as they missed a penalty and several other clear chances. PSG ended the tie as a contest with a 1st half penalty from Kylian Mbappe, and even a sensational 25 yard equaliser from Lionel Messi wasn't enough to spark a comeback from the Spanish as the French champions saw out the game for the win. Both teams combined for 28 shots on goal, with Barcelona hitting the target 10 times (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Darke/Hoddle, PAL)
Last 16, 1st Leg - Chelsea (1) @ (0) Atletico Madrid - Chelsea took pole position in the race to reach the Quarter Finals, overcoming Atletico in Bucharest. The game was played in Romania due to Coronavirus restrictions. After a tight, goal-less 1st half, Chelsea took the lead with a spectacular overhead kick from Olivier Giroud. VAR reviewed the goal for 3 minutes before confirming the score, and Chelsea defended resolutely the rest of the way to take the win. Chelsea also featured a great game from Mason Mount. Atletico featured Luis Suarez and Joao Felix (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/Hoddle, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Atletico Madrid (0) @ (2) Chelsea - Chelsea booked their place in the Quarter Finals with an easier-than-expected win at Stamford Bridge. A 1st half goal from Hakim Ziyech extended their aggregate lead and Chelsea added an injury time goal from Emerson to pad the score at the final whistle. Chelsea also featured Kai Havertz and Timo Werner. Atletico Madrid featured Kieran Trippier, Joao Felix and Luis Suarez (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman/Hoddle, PAL)
Last 16, 1st Leg - Borussia Dortmund (3) @ (2) Sevilla - In a shootout in Seville, Dortmund took a crucial lead into the 2nd leg to give themselves a chance at making the Quarter Finals. Sevilla scored in the 7th minute, but Dortmund exploded with 3 unanswered goals to take control of the tie, before Sevilla gave themselves hope for the 2nd leg with a 2nd goal 6 minutes from time. The Dortmund goals came from Erling-Braut Haaland (2), who had a great game, and Mahmoud Dahoud. They also featured Jadon Sancho. The Sevilla goals came from Suso and Luuk de Jong (9, 45 minutes hi-Lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Dempsey/McManaman, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Sevilla (2) @ (2) Borussia Dortmund - Dortmund booked their place in the Quarter Finals with a nervy draw, holding on at the death after losing a 2-0 lead. A goal either side of half-time from Erling-Braut Haaland put the Germans comfortably 5-2 up on aggregate, but Sevilla kept going and 2 goals from Youssef En-Nesyri gave the Spanish team hope but they run out of time to complete the comeback (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Dempsey/McManaman, PAL)
Last 16, 2nd Leg - Porto (2) @ (3) Juventus - Porto stunned the Italian Champions, losing the game but winning the tie on the away-goals rule. Porto scored first to take a 3-1 aggregate lead, but Juventus fought back with 2 unanswered goals to force extra-time. Porto, down to 10 men after a sending-off, sensationally scored again with only 5 minutes to play, meaning Juventus needed to score 2 goals to go through. They clawed one goal back but when the Porto goalkeeper brilliantly saved Juve's final shot of the game, the referee blew for time and the Portuguese club celebrated their unlikely victory. The Porto goals came from Sergio Oliveira (2). The Juventus goals came from Federico Chiesa (2) and Adrien Rabiot. Juventus also featured Cristiano Ronaldo (9, 45 minutes hi-Lites, 1 Disc, BT Sport - Fletcher/Savage, PAL)
Quarter Final, 1st Leg - Paris St-Germain (3) @ (2) Bayern Munich - In a re-match of the 2019/20 Final, PSG executed a brilliant game-plan to upset Bayern Munich amidst snow flurries in Munich, and put one foot into the Semi-Final. The loss ended Bayern Munich's 19-game unbeaten streak in the competition. PSG were content to soak up the relentless German pressure and take their chances on the break, and the plan worked perfectly as PSG had only 5 shots on goal, scoring with 3 of them. Conversely, Bayern had 31 shots on goal, 12 on target and only scored twice. The PSG goals came from Marquinhos and Kylian Mbappe (2). PSG also featured Neymar. The Bayern Munich goals came from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Thomas Muller but were missing star striker Robert Lewandowski to injury (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Dempsey/Keown, PAL)
Quarter Final, 2nd Leg - Bayern Munich (1) @ (0) Paris St-Germain - Paris St-Germain gained a measure of revenge for losing the 2019-20 Final to Bayern Munich, knocking them out of the competition with an "away goals" victory. PSG were the more threatening team, hitting the Germans woodwork twice, but it was Bayern that won the game with a 1st half goal from Maxim Choupo-Moting. Despite out-shooting PSG (14 shots to 10) the Germans couldn't find the all-important 2nd goal and PSG eased through to the Semi-Finals (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Dempsey/Keown, PAL)
Quarter Final, 1st Leg - Borussia Dortmund (1) @ (2) Manchester City - Manchester City used a late goal to give themselves the advantage in the 2nd leg, but Dortmund made them work hard for it. City held a 1-0 lead into the 84th minute but Dortmund broke smartly up-field and scored a crucial "away" goal. The tie seemed to be swinging towards Dortmund but with the last kick of the game City scored a crucial 2nd goal to give themselves the win. The City goals came from Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden. The Dortmund goal came from Marco Reus. Dortmund also featured Erling Braut Haaland and Jude Bellingham but were missing Jadon Sancho (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Darke/Jenas, PAL)
Quarter Final, 2nd Leg - Manchester City (2) @ (1) Borussia Dortmund - For only the 2nd time in their history, Manchester City booked a place in the Champions League Semi-Final with a come-back win at Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund opened the scoring in the 1st half, meaning City had to score to progress, and the pressure told in the 2nd half when they won and converted a penalty. With time ticking down, City sealed the win with a 2nd goal and saw out the game for the win. The City goals came from Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden. The Dortmund goal came from Jude Bellingham, who had a sensational game. Dortmund also featured Erling Braut Haaland (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Darke/Jenas, PAL)
Semi-Final, 1st Leg - Chelsea (1) @ (1) Real Madrid - At a rainy Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium in Madrid, Chelsea took control of the tie with a fantastic all-around display. The Blues were on fire in the 1st half and scored in the 14th minute but Real Madrid converted their only shot on target in the whole game 15 minutes later to tie the game, then held on the rest of the way to take a 1-1 draw to Stamford Bridge for the 2nd leg. Chelsea created enough clear chances to put the game away (11 shots on goal) but paid for poor finishing when it counted. The Chelsea goal came from Christian Pulisic. The Real Madrid goal came from Karim Benzema. Real were missing captain Sergio Ramos to injury (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/Hoddle, PAL)
Semi-Final, 2nd Leg - Real Madrid (0) @ (2) Chelsea - Chelsea turned in a fantastic display against the Spanish Champions, comfortably seeing off Real Madrid with a goal in each half. The Blues out-shot the Spaniards 15 to 7 and should have had the tie wrapped up by half-time but poor finishing again left the door open for Real Madrid. The game was finally settled with a 2nd Chelsea goal 5 minutes from time, sending Chelsea to their 3rd Champions League Final. The Chelsea goal-scorers were Timo Werner and Mason Mount. Real Madrid were led by captain Sergio Ramos and also featured Eden Hazard in his return to his former club (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/McManaman/Hoddle, PAL)
Semi-Final, 1st Leg - Manchester City (2) @ (1) Paris St-Germain - Manchester City escaped Paris with a huge come-back win at the Parc des Princes, and put themselves in charge for the 2nd leg. PSG controlled the 1st half and led 1-0 at the break, but City were more Offensive in the 2nd half and 2 goals in a 7 minute spell turned the game around and gave City a real chance for the 2nd leg. The City goals came from Kevin de Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez. The PSG goal came from Marquinhos. PSG also featured Neymar and Kylian Mbappe (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/Jenas, PAL)
Semi-Final, 2nd Leg - Paris St-Germain (0) @ (2) Manchester City - At a snowy Etihad Stadium, Manchester City comfortably saw off PSG to book a place in their first Champions League Final. Holding a 2-1 lead from the 1st leg, City consolidated their lead with an 11th minute goal from Riyad Mahrez and he finished the tie as a contest with his 2nd goal in the 53rd minute. City easily saw out the game for the win and the place in the Final. PSG were missing star striker Kylian Mbappe to injury but still had Neymar and Angel di Maria, but when he was sent off for stamping on Fernandinho in the 69th minute, the tie was lost for them. City also featured Phil Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko who both had big games (9, 2 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/Hargreaves/Jenas, PAL)
Final - Manchester City (0) v (1) Chelsea - In an all-English final at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Chelsea won the Champions League for the 2nd time with a mild upset over Premiership Champions Manchester City. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel put together a perfect game-plan to beat City, using a 5-man Defense and a high-speed break-away Offense to win the game. City controlled possession (60%) but could only manage 1 shot on target in the whole game. Chelsea had only 2 shots on target put threatened to score every time they launched an attack, and in the 42nd minute Kai Havertz picked the perfect time to score his first Champions League goal, which the Blues defended to the end to win the game. Man-of-the-Match went to Chelsea midfielder N'golo Kante. The game was also the final city game for Sergio Aguero. Disc 1 includes previews for each team + a preview of the Final. Disc 2 is the Pre-Game. Discs 3 and 4 are the game (9, 4 Discs, BT Sport - Fletcher/Hoddle/McManaman, PAL)