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How PSG and Inter got to the brink of glory

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The journey to the 2025 Champions League final PSG face Inter in Saturday’s Champions League. How did we get there? Let's explore some of the key moments from this season's competition. Starting with the semi-finals and working backwards. Author | Josh D Semi-finals second leg PSG 2 - 1 Arsenal (PSG won 3-1 on aggregate) Another trophyless season for Arteta’s side. Their hopes of reaching a first Champions League final since 2006 came to an end in Paris. Click here to read more reaction from London Super News . Did PSG deserve this relatively comfortable result? Inter Milan 4 - 3 Barcelona (Inter won 7-6 on aggregate) Inter Milan staged a remarkable late comeback to beat Barcelona in one of the most thrilling Champions League semi-finals in recent memory. Semi-finals first leg Barcelona 3 - 3 Inter Milan Barcelona twice came from behind to earn a draw against Inter Milan in a pulsating six-goal Champions League semi-final first leg, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of ...

Was this season's new Champions League format a success?

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A closer look at this season's Champions League and its new format Paris Saint-Germain have secured their first Champions League title, bringing to a close a season marked by the most dramatic revamp of the competition in more than 30 years. Author | Peter Grainger Inter Milan fans in the Champions League semi-final Since the introduction of the group stage in 1991–92, the tournament had largely followed a familiar pattern: teams placed in groups of four, facing each other home and away before progressing to a knockout stage. This season broke from tradition. Under the new format, 36 teams took part in a single league phase. Each club played eight matches against eight different opponents, four at home and four away. The league phase concluded at the end of January, followed by the usual knockout rounds. But the question remains: did it work? PSG will say it did. The French champions lifted the trophy in Munich despite finishing 15th in the league phase and having to come throu...

UCL: Premier League teams discover League Phase opponents

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The draw for the League Phase of the 2024/2025 Champions League phase has been made. The four Premier League teams in UEFA Champions League recently discovered their eight league phase opponents as the draw was made in Monaco for the 36 participating clubs. Manchester City and Arsenal will each face Inter Milan and PSG. The 2024 Premier League champions will face Inter at home in a repeat of the 2022/23 final, while Arsenal will travel to Italy and vice versa for their matches with PSG. Last season's Premier League top two also face an additional two Italian opponents, with City also facing Juventus as Arsenal travel to Atalanta. Liverpool will face a tough draw, facing the champions of Spain and Germany, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, at home, while also travelling to RB Leipzig and AC Milan.   Aston Villa will face Bayern Munich, whom they beat in 1981 to win the European Cup and fans will be dreaming of glory nights once again. How does the new Champions League...

AC Milan knocked out of Champions League

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 AC Milan 1 - 1 Feyenoord (Feyenoord won 2-1 on aggregate) AC Milan’s Champions League campaign came to a crushing end as they were held to a draw by Feyenoord in the second leg of their knockout play-off at the San Siro. Author - Jack L Stadium - San Siro The Rossoneri had the perfect start, overturning their 1-0 first-leg deficit within just 36 seconds. Santiago GimĂ©nez, facing his former club, scored the fastest goal of this season’s Champions League, reigniting Milan’s hopes of progression. However, their chances took a major hit when Theo Hernández was sent off in the 51st minute after picking up a second yellow card. Feyenoord capitalised on their numerical advantage, with substitute Julián Carranza heading in the decisive goal in the 73rd minute, sealing a 2-1 aggregate victory for the Dutch side. The last-16 draw on Friday will determine whether Feyenoord will face Inter Milan or Arsenal next month. Champions League: 2024/2025 More news from Feyenoord can be found here ...

UCL: Greatest Champions League semi-finals

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Let's take a look at some of the greatest Champions League semi-finals.  With the 2023 Champions League semi-finals just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to look back at some legendary matches at this stage of the competition.  From AC Milan to Manchester United and Didier Drogba to Zinedine Zidane, iconic clubs and players have come of age and built their modern mythology in these matches. However, which games were the best?  AC Milan v Monaco - 1994 The Champions League was still a very different competition when it officially changed its name from the European Cup in the earlier part of the 1990s.  In this game against Monaco, Milan went up early through Marcel Desailly but suffered a significant setback when Alessandro Costacurta was sent off after 40 minutes. However, they were determined not to let their advantage slip. In the end, they only held their lead but also added to it with further strikes in the second half. The season would only get bet...

Real Madrid lose in the Champions League again

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Liverpool 2 - 0 Real Madrid Liverpool finally overcame their Real Madrid curse with a well-deserved victory, maintaining a perfect Champions League record in a thrilling encounter at Anfield. Author - William G from GMCR Football What's going wrong for Real Madrid? Three defeats in five games have left Real Madrid facing a tough challenge to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League. This is not the situation the 15-time European champions anticipated. Following a 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Wednesday, the Spanish giants find themselves 24th in the standings and in real danger of an early exit from the tournament they have long dominated. Champions League: 2024/2025 Under the competition’s new format, the top eight teams automatically progress to the last 16, while those ranked ninth to 24th enter a two-legged play-off. Currently sitting in the final play-off spot, the reigning champions are teetering on the brink of elimination. On the night, superstars Kylian Mbappe and...

UCL: Greatest ever Group Stage matches

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Ahead of the start of the 2023/2024 Champions League Group Stages This article will explore some of the best matches from this stage of the competition. When did Europe's premier competition introduce a Group Stage? Since the 1997–98 season, the competition has allowed multiple entries from certain countries. It added a round-robin group stage in 1992. For a brief period between 1999 and 2002, there was a 2nd Group Stage introduced. The best Group-Stage matches  Tottenham Hotspur 2-7 Bayern Munich (2019-20) By smashing seven goals past an almost hapless Tottenham Hotspur team that had no answers to their attacking prowess at home, Bayern Munich revealed a glimpse of what was to come in the season they lifted their sixth UEFA Champions League title! For Spurs, this set the tone for what was a poor season after they came so close to European success the previous campaign. Monaco 8-3 Deportivo de La Coruña (2003-04) The 2003-04 season was a fairytale run for Monaco in the UEFA Ch...

UCL: Inter hold City

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Manchester City 0 - 0 Inter Milan Manchester City were held to a goalless draw by a determined Inter side, as the Premier League champions experienced a frustrating start to their Champions League campaign. Despite City controlling possession, Inter posed a real threat on the counter-attack, managing 10 shots in the first half – the most City have faced under Pep Guardiola in a home Champions League match, and more than they’ve conceded in any Premier League game. City's chances were limited, with Phil Foden’s effort on his return the closest they came, while Ilkay Gundogan missed two promising headers. It was far from a vintage performance from Guardiola’s men. On the other hand, Inter’s manager, Simone Inzaghi, will likely be frustrated by his team’s inability to capitalise on their counter-attacking opportunities. Champions League: 2024/2025 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) A closer look at what happened in Manchester and the wider context of the result The extended format...

UCL: Best ever Champions League finals

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 Let's explore some of the best Champions League and European Cup finals. There have been some truly memorable encounters in the final of the competition since it started in the 1950s. Real Madrid 4 - 3 Stade de Reims: 1956 A football match that you have probably never heard of. This was actually the first final of the European Cup. Real Madrid triumphed in what would prove to be the first of five consecutive title in the competition. On this night, the Spanish giants came back from behind to win 4–3. This was thanks to goals from Alfredo Di StĂ©fano and Marquitos, as well as two goals from HĂ©ctor Rial. Benfica 1 - 4 Manchester United: 1968 A memorable night where Man United became the first English side to win Europe's premier competition.  United took the lead from Bobby Charlton's header eight minutes into the second half. Jaime Graça's 79th-minute equaliser meant the match went into extra time. United scored three times in seven minutes in the first extra tim...

UCL: Final preview

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It has been another dramatic season in the Champions League. In the final, Real Madrid faces Borussia Dortmund. Which side will come out on top? How did Real Madrid reach the final? The recently crowned Spanish champions snatched an incredible semi-final victory, scoring late goals to beat Bayern Munich and set up this Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. UCL: Real Madrid progress after astonishing drama (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) In a previous round, Madrid had knocked Manchester City out on penalties. They beat City in a dramatic quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium, ending the 2023 winners' hold on the Champions League.  After Antonio Rudiger's penalty secured the victory for Real Madrid, City's players slumped in despair, while what seemed like dozens of Real players and officials headed off to their supporters tucked in the far corner of Etihad Stadium. After this match, Francis, a Real Madrid fan, told us: "I am so happy that we progre...

UCL: Real Madrid win the Champions League again

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Borussia Dortmund 0- 2 Real Madrid Real Madrid overcame a formidable challenge from underdogs Borussia Dortmund to secure the Champions League title at Wembley. Carlo Ancelotti made history once again with his fifth win as a manager in the competition, while Real Madrid claimed their 15th title in typical fashion. They weathered a stormy first half and several missed opportunities from Dortmund before emerging victorious. A brief summary of the match Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi missed two chances in the first half, and striker Niclas Fullkrug struck the post. Real Madrid's recalled goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, was also a formidable barrier. As expected, Real Madrid upped the ante, with Dani Carvajal nodding in a header from a corner 16 minutes from time, followed by Vinicius Jr racing clear to add a second goal. This victory crowned a glorious first season at Real Madrid for Jude Bellingham, but it was a night of disappointment for Jadon Sancho, on loan to Dortmund from Manch...

PSG are Champions League winners

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PSG 5 - 0 Inter Milan An extraordinary night in Munich saw PSG thrash Inter Milan to win their first Champions League Author | Jack L Stadium | Allianz Arena The French champions produced a dominant display to dismantle Inter Milan in what will be remembered as one of the most one-sided finals in the competition's history. Achraf Hakimi opened the scoring after just 12 minutes, setting the tone for a ruthless performance from the French champions. Desire Doue doubled the advantage with a powerful finish at the near post, before completing his brace shortly after the hour mark with a clinical counter-attacking move. READ MORE |  Champions League: 2024/2025 Luis Enrique’s side were relentless, harrying Inter into submission. Their fourth came when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia calmly slotted past Yann Sommer after a well-timed run. Luis Enrique is now the sixth coach to win this tournament with two different clubs, having previously triumphed with Barcelona in 2015. He was watching ...

Rice shines for Arsenal against Champions League holders

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Arsenal 3 - 0 Real Madrid Declan Rice lit up the Emirates with two superb free-kicks as Arsenal cruised to a 3–0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Author - DJ Stadium - Emirates Stadium Rice had never scored from a free-kick in his career before this match, delivered two moments of brilliance in the second half to put Mikel Arteta’s side in firm control of the tie. Ahead of kick-off, Arteta had called on the home support to arrive early and generate a big-game atmosphere. The fans responded, and so did the players, as Arsenal made an energetic start and put Madrid under early pressure with a series of threatening crosses. It wasn’t until the 20th minute that the visitors created anything of note, with VinĂ­cius JĂşnior curling a shot narrowly wide. After the break, Arsenal turned their dominance into goals. The breakthrough came in the 58th minute, when Rice bent a free-kick around the wall and beyond Thibaut Courtois to open the scori...