Atletico Madrid forward Fernando Torres trusts today’s Champions League final match against Real Madrid is the “most significant” game of his life. The 32-year-old Spaniard won the competition with Chelsea in 2012 and has also won the European Championships and World Cup with Spain national team. However, since starting his career in 2001 and coming […]
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]]>Atletico Madrid forward Fernando Torres trusts today’s Champions League final match against Real Madrid is the “most significant” game of his life. The 32-year-old Spaniard won the competition with Chelsea in 2012 and has also won the European Championships and World Cup with Spain national team. However, since starting his career in 2001 and coming back last year, Torres has never won a major title with Atletico. “This is distinctive, this is uncommon,” said Torres. “It’s what I desired when I was a child, more than I envisioned.”
“With no uncertainty it is the most significant, exceptional and stunning game of my life,” added Torres, whose loan deal with Atletico and contract at current club AC Milan terminate at the end of the season. “Anything I can do for the club that allowed me to begin my profession, the team I was an enthusiast of since I was five years of age, is diverse to whatever else I have won,” he said.
Torres, who left Atletico Madrid for Liverpool in 2007, missed the Vicente Calderon team’s period of achievement from 2010 to 2014 where the club won two Europa League titles, the Spanish Cup and the La Liga title in 2014. He has scored 12 goals for Diego Simeone’s team this term as they finished third in La Liga points table and reserved a place in the Champions League final which is a repeat of the 2014 final.
Before Real Madrid’s 4-1 extra-time victory in Lisbon in 2014 the Spanish giants were worried about Cristiano Ronaldo’s fitness when their opponents lost talisman Diego Costa after just nine minutes of the match. There have been questions on the fitness of Ronaldo again this time around however he has proclaimed himself fit as he pursues a third Champions League title. “Cristiano always plays in the important matches,” he said. “I’ll be at 100%. On Saturday, I’ll be in well form than I was in Lisbon.”
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]]>Cristiano Ronaldo says he will be able to participate in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final against Atletico Madrid on Saturday after getting out from training session on Tuesday. The Real Madrid striker left the ground with a thigh issue taking after a collision with goalkeeper Kiko Casilla. “It was a slight shock, a thump, […]
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]]>Cristiano Ronaldo says he will be able to participate in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final against Atletico Madrid on Saturday after getting out from training session on Tuesday. The Real Madrid striker left the ground with a thigh issue taking after a collision with goalkeeper Kiko Casilla. “It was a slight shock, a thump, however in a couple of days I will be fine,” said Ronaldo, who has scored 51 goals so far in this season. Real and Atletico Madrid’s game in Milan this weekend will be a repeat of the 2014 final, in which Real Madrid beat city rivals by 4-1.
31-year-old Portugal international has been tormented by a thigh injury that constrained him to miss three matches in April. He left the pitch at half-time during Real’s last La Liga match of the season. The thigh that has hindered his late-season involvement is inspected. The absence of Ronaldo from the starting XI would be a major setback to Real Madrid’s expectations of winning an 11th Champions League title. When he was 23 years old in 2008, Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.
Then he was selected for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award in 2013 and 2014. Last year, in September, Cristiano Ronaldo achieved the milestone of 500 senior career goals for club and national team. Frequently he ranked as the best player on the world and appraised by some in the game as the best ever, in 2015 Ronaldo was selected as the best Portuguese player ever by the Portuguese Football Federation, in its 100th anniversary festivities.
Ronaldo is the first player to win four European Golden Shoe awards. With Manchester United and Real Madrid, he has won four league titles, three domestic football cups, two Football League Cups, two UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA Super Cup, one FA Community Shield, one Spanish Super Cup and two FIFA Club World Cups. Other than the above mentioned honours, Ronaldo has a very long list of individual awards. He started his club career playing for Sporting CP in August 2002. In 2003 joined Manchester United for £12.2 m, before signing for Real Madrid in 2009 in a transfer worth £80 m (World record at that time).
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]]>Manchester City failed to achieve their first Champions League final after a dull performance in the semi-final second leg against record 10-time winners Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. After a goalless draw in the first leg at Etihad Stadium, Real Madrid beat the English side by 1-0 in the return leg and reached […]
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]]>Manchester City failed to achieve their first Champions League final after a dull performance in the semi-final second leg against record 10-time winners Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. After a goalless draw in the first leg at Etihad Stadium, Real Madrid beat the English side by 1-0 in the return leg and reached their record 14th European Cup final. The Spanish giants went ahead when Gareth Bale’s cross shot deflected off City’s Fernando in the 20th-minute.
Fernandinho hit the post in an uncommon Man City chance, however Real Madrid ruled as Bale hit the bar and Joe Hart saved from Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid saw out the win to meet Atletico Madrid in the Milan final at the end of this month. Man City knew they possibly just required one away goal to advance, but seemed hesitant to go for broke in the last moments – in spite of being motivated to assault by the vocal 4,500 away fans. The hosts’ only other moment of anxiety came in the last minutes when Sergio Aguero’s theoretical attempt flew on to the top of the goal.
Now Real Madrid will face their city rivals Atletico at Milan’s San Siro on 28 May, which will be a repeat of 2014 final in which they beat Atletico by 4-1 after extra time. Manchester City commenced the second leg knowing there would be no possibly clumsy meeting with incoming boss Pep Guardiola in the final, his Bayern Munich team have been knocked-out by Atletico on Tuesday. Now Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini will end his three-year rule without a dream goodbye in the San Siro.
However, the Chilean will reliably be associated with taking the Man City into the Champions League semi-final for the first time. Pellegrini at last succeeded where antecedent Roberto Mancini failed, however City’s demanding owners will anticipate that Guardiola will take their club into the last stages as a basic requirement. In light of their display in the two legs against Real Madrid, the ex-Barcelona boss may judge his inherited squad requires a dose of world-class talent to compete with consistency against Europe’s top clubs.
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]]>Atletico Madrid have qualified for the second Champions League final in three years by beating Bayern Munich on away goals in a throbbing semi-final. Atletico won the home leg by 1-0, whereas the German giants could only manage 2-1 (agg 2-2) victory at home in the second leg. With a deficit of one goal from […]
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]]>Atletico Madrid have qualified for the second Champions League final in three years by beating Bayern Munich on away goals in a throbbing semi-final. Atletico won the home leg by 1-0, whereas the German giants could only manage 2-1 (agg 2-2) victory at home in the second leg. With a deficit of one goal from the first leg in Spain, deflected free-kick of Xabi Alonso levelled the game for Bayern in the first half. Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved the low penalty of Thomas Muller, before Antoine Griezmann calmly gave an away goal to visitors soon after the break.
Robert Lewandowski’s goal with 16 minutes left set up a strained finish, however Atletico Madrid hung on after Fernando Torres missed a penalty. Bayern Munich, supported by an enthusiastic home crowd, dreadfully squeezed for a third goal that would send them to final. However, they couldn’t discover a way past Oblak, who stopped David Alaba’s 20-yard volley in stoppage time. Atletico Madrid, planning to be the European champions for the first time, will play against Manchester City or Real Madrid in the final in Milan on 28 May.
Manchester City face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight after a goalless draw in last week’s first leg game in England. There was a strained environment during the second leg in Munich, with the game delicately balanced until the final whistle. Bayern Munich’s first goal, Muller’s penalty miss and tempers flaring on the touchline had effectively made for an enlivening first half.
Griezmann’s important away goal and Lewandowski’s close-range finish pointed towards much more dramatization in the last 15 minutes. However, the foreseen Bayern assault failed to appear. Rather, Atletico Madrid won a penalty, regardless of Torres being fouled outside the box, before Simeone lost his cool again when he seemed to strike an individual from his own staff. Still Bayern required just one goal to advance – and had five minutes of added time to score it. But Atletico sustained themselves, starting wild festivals among Simeone and his players.
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]]>Saul Niguez’s brilliant solo goal put Atletico Madrid ahead in their Champions League semi-final against German giants Bayern Munich. The Spanish side beat Bundesliga leaders by 1-0 in the first leg game at the Vicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid. Niguez jinked past a grasp of Bayern defensive players before curling into the corner in 11th-minute […]
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]]>Saul Niguez’s brilliant solo goal put Atletico Madrid ahead in their Champions League semi-final against German giants Bayern Munich. The Spanish side beat Bundesliga leaders by 1-0 in the first leg game at the Vicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid. Niguez jinked past a grasp of Bayern defensive players before curling into the corner in 11th-minute of the match, giving the hosts a slender first-leg lead to take to Germany. Bayern Munich ruled the second half, David Alaba hitting the bar from 35 yards and Arturo Vidal’s shot was saved in the centre of the goal.
Fernando Torres jabbed against the post in an uncommon counter as Atletico Madrid held on. Both sides will meet again in the second leg at Bayern’s Allianz Arena on Tuesday, and the winning team will face Manchester City or Real Madrid in the final on 28 May in Milan. Atletico Madrid have never been won the Europe’s elite football club competition, whereas they the runner-up of the tournament at two occasions.
Under the management of Diego Simeone, Los Rojiblancos have appeared as genuine contenders to Spain’s consistent duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid and have now placed themselves in a satisfactory position to make history by winning the Champions League. With Bayern Munich bragging a wonderful home record of only one defeat in 24 games, the tie is a long way from being done. But Niguez augmented the Spanish title-pursuing side’s own great structure at a rowdy Vicente Calderon Stadium.
The 21-year-old midfielder got the ball around 35 yards from goal, moving through feeble resistance from visitors trio Thiago Alcantara, Juan Bernat and Xabi Alonso, then keeping his poise to control the ball into the bottom corner. Most of Atletico’s triumph under Simeone has been based on defensive elasticity, with his well-structured side conceding only five goals in Champions League this season. Atletico Madrid had likewise kept clean sheets in their last four La Liga matches but confronted Bayern Munich without defensive lynchpin Diego Godin.
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]]>Joe Hart kept Manchester City’s hopes of reaching their first Champions League final alive with two brilliant late saves that ensured their semi-final first leg with Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium finished goalless. With star striker Cristiano Ronaldo missing because of a thigh injury, a cautious Real side offered little goal threat until the closing […]
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]]>Joe Hart kept Manchester City’s hopes of reaching their first Champions League final alive with two brilliant late saves that ensured their semi-final first leg with Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium finished goalless. With star striker Cristiano Ronaldo missing because of a thigh injury, a cautious Real side offered little goal threat until the closing stages. But in the last 20 minutes, Jese headed against the bar for the Spanish side before Hart brilliantly denied Casemiro and Pepe from corners.
Hart showed great reactions to keep out Casemiro’s header with his foot but his block to deny Pepe, who was unmarked and five yards from goal, is the standout reason Man City will travel to Spain next week with a precious clean sheet. The closest Man City came to a goal of their own was when Keylor Navas tipped over Kevin de Bruyne’s dipping free-kick in stoppage time. That was Navas’ only save of a game that was billed as a shootout between two attacking sides but was, in fact, a game largely devoid of goalmouth action.
Man City will take the positives from denying Real Madrid an away goal but England’s last remaining representatives in Europe’s elite competition still face a huge task if they are to reach the final, in Milan on 28 May. Their failure to score at home means former Real boss Manuel Pellegrini does not have a lead to take back to the Bernabeu, where Zinedine Zidane’s side have not conceded a goal in the Champions League all season.
Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini said: We played a very intense game and defended well. We tried to create until David Silva got injured then we lost the ball too much. If you cannot win then a 0-0 draw is good. “We knew they were going to play a slow game and that is why we pressed as a team. When we had the ball, we could not make the difference. We could not score,” he added.
Curated from Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid – BBC Sport
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]]>Manchester City have reached into the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history after beating Paris St-Germain by 1-0 (agg 3-2) in the second leg of last-8 at Etihad Stadium. Kevin de Bruyne’s late strike helped Manuel Pellegrini side to knock out the French champions from the competition. De Bruyne […]
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]]>Manchester City have reached into the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history after beating Paris St-Germain by 1-0 (agg 3-2) in the second leg of last-8 at Etihad Stadium. Kevin de Bruyne’s late strike helped Manuel Pellegrini side to knock out the French champions from the competition. De Bruyne scored in the both legs against PSG for Manchester City with both of his shots on target. After a 2-2 first-leg draw in Paris on last Wednesday, the game stayed in the balance in Manchester because of the missed penalty of Sergio Aguero for City in the first half.
The hosts had Joe Hart to thank for three superb saves when the score was 0-0, particularly a fierce free-kick from Zlatan Ibrahimovic that the England goalkeeper clawed to safety. But, roared on by a maximum crowd of 53,039 that provided an exceptional environment, Manchester City held their nerve at the back before De Bruyne’s decisive header 15 minutes from time with their only shot on target. The final whistle brought scenes of real feeling from the supporters at Etihad Stadium, who were at the point of uncharted region.
England’s last residual representatives in Europe’s first class football club tournament had never achieved a place in the quarter-finals before this season – now they can see a dream of the final in Milan. First they can look forward to Friday’s semi-final draw, after winning what was seen as the clash of Europe’s wealthiest clubs with a PSG side who have now fallen at the last-8 stage for four consecutive seasons.
Manchester City’s defence has been tremendously insulted this season and their display in Paris specifically indicated a clean sheet looked a long shot in this second leg. The major reason they attained one was Hart but, at this time, their back four also deserve tremendous credit. Their full-backs handled the PSG’s wide players, whether it was wing-backs Maxwell and Gregory van der Wiel in a 5-3-2 formation in the first half, or orthodox wingers Lucas and Angel di Maria in a 4-4-2 in the second half.
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]]>Diverted goal of Fernandinho gained a 2-2 draw for Manchester City against Paris St-Germain in the first leg game of their Champions League quarter-final in Paris. Kevin de Bruyne’s clinical finish put the visitors ahead after Joe Hart saved the penalty of Zlatan Ibrahimovic for PSG. Ibrahimovic benefited from Fernando’s mistake to level the score […]
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]]>Diverted goal of Fernandinho gained a 2-2 draw for Manchester City against Paris St-Germain in the first leg game of their Champions League quarter-final in Paris. Kevin de Bruyne’s clinical finish put the visitors ahead after Joe Hart saved the penalty of Zlatan Ibrahimovic for PSG. Ibrahimovic benefited from Fernando’s mistake to level the score at the interval and Adrien Rabiot scored the second for PSG after the break to put French champions ahead. Fernandinho’s scraped attempt provided Manchester City a possibly important second away goal. PSG will visit Etihad Stadium for the second leg game on Tuesday, 12 April.
Teams who have drawn the first leg 2-2 away from home in European games have advanced on 220 out of 277 previous occasions – a 79.4% success rate. Manuel Pellegrini’s side were lucky to be in a position to rescue a draw as the delicate defence that has added to their disillusioning Premier League battle kept on looking temperamental. Their inadequacies without injured skipper and centre-back Vincent Kompany have been extensively recorded, and they have now achieved only one clean sheet in nine Champions League matches this season.
Rabiot, who had a short spell in the Manchester City youth set-up, benefited as much as possible from non-existent marking to score at the back post after Hart deflected Ibrahimovic’s header into his way. Ibrahimovic had lost a clear opportunity when through on goal, furthermore headed against the crossbar in the second half. Pellegrini may want to re-assess the 4-4-2 positioning in the second leg that saw his team press PSG high up the pitch, with left-back Gael Clichy uncovered by David Silva’s newness to his position on the left of midfield.
But Pellegrini stays in a solid position to secure a Champions League semi-final – and maybe title – for Manchester City, before being supplanted by Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola in the summer. Manchester City manager said: “A very close match right to the end. The quarter-final keeps on being open however this is a decent result for us.” We made a few imperative errors for the first goal and the second goal was offside. “In the event that we need to win, we can’t commit those sort of errors. But we are attempting to win from the first minute – it is the way we play,” he added.
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]]>Luis Suarez scored twice as Barcelona battled back to beat 10-man Atletico Madrid by 2-1 in an action-packed Champions League quarter-final first leg game. Atletico scored a possibly significant away goal when Fernando Torres impacted in a clinical first-time shot in the 25th minute. But the game turned when Torres was sent off soon after […]
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]]>Luis Suarez scored twice as Barcelona battled back to beat 10-man Atletico Madrid by 2-1 in an action-packed Champions League quarter-final first leg game. Atletico scored a possibly significant away goal when Fernando Torres impacted in a clinical first-time shot in the 25th minute. But the game turned when Torres was sent off soon after scoring for two unnecessary bookings within seven minutes. Holders Barcelona showed the improvement in the second half, Suarez nudging in the equaliser in the 63rd minute and after that strongly heading in the winner following ten minutes.
Suarez has scored seven and assisted in three goals in five Champions League matches at the Camp Nou this season. However, the Uruguay international had been lucky not to be shown a first-half red card for kicking out at Atletico right-back Juanfran. Both the sides will meet again in the second leg at the Vicente Calderon next Wednesday. Barcelona came into the game on the back of Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by arch-rivals Real Madrid, a loss that ended the Catalan side’s 39-match unbeaten run. And Atletico seemed to take plenty of encouragement from their neighbours’ win at the Nou Camp.
Torres, 32, has failed to rediscover anything like prolific form since returning to boyhood club Atletico – but his goal here was arguably the most important of his second spell. The former Liverpool and Chelsea striker showed the clinical edge which characterised the early part of his career as he latched on to Koke’s defence-splitting pass to fire in through Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s legs. However, his side’s tactical masterplan – grab the away goal and sit tight – was blown apart by his dismissal.
Torres was shown his first yellow card for clipping Barcelona forward Neymar, then saw red moments later when he needlessly clattered into the back of midfielder Sergio Busquets close to the halfway line. The numerical advantage after Torres’ dismissal allowed Barcelona to secure their seventh successive win against Simeone’s team. The Spanish champions have beaten Atletico in both La Liga matches this season, helping them move six points clear of their opponents.
Curated from Barcelona 2-1 Atletico Madrid – BBC Sport
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]]>Manchester City have been drawn against French champions Paris Saint-Germain in their first ever Champions League quarter-final. City, the only British side remaining in the tournament, avoided their new incoming manager Pep Guardiola’s side Bayern Munich and holders Barcelona, who have knocked them out in the last two seasons. Barcelona will face La Liga competitors […]
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]]>Manchester City have been drawn against French champions Paris Saint-Germain in their first ever Champions League quarter-final. City, the only British side remaining in the tournament, avoided their new incoming manager Pep Guardiola’s side Bayern Munich and holders Barcelona, who have knocked them out in the last two seasons. Barcelona will face La Liga competitors Atletico Madrid, Bayern meet Benfica, whereas Real Madrid take on Wolfsburg. The quarter-finals ties will be played on 5-6 & 12-13 April.
PSG, who have won the Ligue 1 title with eight matches left and two months ago, will host Manchester City in the first leg on Wednesday, 6 April. And they will visit Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, 12 April for the second leg. Both the teams have played against each other only once before, in a goalless draw in Manchester in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup. The two clubs are hardly identifiable from that match, when Manchester City were still in the beginnings of Sheikh Mansour’s possession and PSG almost three years away from their Qatari takeover.
Laurent Blanc’s team have gone on to control the game in France, winning four consecutive league titles. But, like City, the Parisians have not managed to win the Champions League, knocked out from the quarter-finals in each of the last three seasons. Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, who is going to leave the club in the summer after three seasons and will be replaced by Guardiola, said there would not have been an “easy” last-eight draw for his team.
“Maybe one side has less titles than another side but they are at this point so they are entitled to be there because they eliminated other teams,” said the 62-year-old Chilean, who managed Malaga to the quarter-finals in 2013. “It is good for us to be away first – I always like to finish at home so you know always what you must do in your home ground. My point of view is that Barcelona is the only side that always create the distinction but all the other sides are all the same,” added Pellegrini.
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