Champions League: The Last of The Group Stage!

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Mohamed Salah for Liverpool.

Ian Moran '19 and Ezra Assafe '19

You win, you qualify, you lose you’re out of the tournament. The ultimate pressure is on as we have a few of the last group stage games which are crucial to who we will see in the next rounds!

Real Madrid 1-3 Tottenham

One of the most exciting matchups we have experienced this year in Champions League. Tottenham put up some early pressure and are troubling the Real defence. Tottenham get the first! Dele Alli only has to tap it in after an amazing cross by Trippier. Real put up the pressure right away and almost pull it back through a curler by Casimiro. Relentless pressure from both teams but no one seems to be able to stop Dele Alli as he runs through the defence and puts a deflected shot past Navas, 0-2 Tottenham! And Ericsen makes it 3 by calmly finishing it after a through ball by Harry Kane. Real pull one back through Ronaldo but no one could stop Tottenham tonight. MOTM Dele Alli

Maribor 0-7 Liverpool

The biggest away win in Champions League history. Liverpool managed to put 7 past the Maribor defence and keeper. Firmino scored twice in the 4th and 54th, Coutinho in the 13th, Salah in the 19th and 39th and the Ox and Alexander-Arnold score in the 86th and 90th. It would take me forever to describe the goals and the game so I’m just going to link a video where you can watch the highlights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aajzOI83Lu0&feature=onebox

MOTM Firmino

Manchester City 4-2 Napoli

Napoli start off strong and put 1 on the board after Insigne lets the whole defence know he will be a force to be reckoned with. Just 13 minutes later in the 33rd Otamendi sends a powerful header towards goal to make it 1-1. Man City are all over Napoli throughout the first half and start of strong in the second as well. John Stones scores in the 46th making it 2-1. Napoli don’t take long to tie it up again after a well taken Jorginho penalty. Aguero and Serling wrap up the game in the last minutes to add two more to the scoreline. 4-2 Manchester City. MOTM Aguero

Anderlecht 0-5 PSG

PSG take their time breaking down the defence but start putting in one after the other. Veratti makes it 0-1 with a beautiful curled shot in the 29th. Neymar wraps up the half with a great goal outside of the box 0-2 for PSG. Anderlecht have no chance even in the second half which features 3 goals for PSG. Kurzawa the full back manages to grab a hat trick in quick succession in the 52nd, 72nd and 78th. What a great game for PSG. I don’t have a doubt we will see them in the top 4 this season. MOTM Kurzawa for an amazing hat trick.

Celtic 1-2 Bayern

You could see that Bayern was taking it easy. Just keeping the ball passing it around. They knew that a simple win would place them in the Round Of 16. The first goal was a goal from Kingsley Coman, Sven Ulreich has the ball and booted it down the field and the Celtic keeper miscalculated his run for the ball. Coman gets it and puts it in the net. The second was a good goal from Celtic, they were passing it around the top of the box and a nice through pass was put into the path of McGregor who scores, 1-1. After this equalizer Bayern put the pressure on, Alaba puts the ball into the box and Javi headers it in but pays the price, he had a lot of blood coming out near his eye. MOTM Coman.

Roma 3-0 Chelsea

Wow. Roma definitely shocked Chelsea these past two games. For the first goal Edin Dzeko tries to head the ball while in the box but couldn’t control it and the ball was bouncing around at the top of the box where El Shaarawy Volleys it, outside the foot, One nil. For the second goal Nainggolan has the ball near the halfway line and kicks the ball downfield to El Shaarawy, the ball should have never reached him but Rudiger seemed to have lost focus and didn’t even go for the ball. El Shaarawy finishes it for his brace. In the 63rd Perotti found space and shamshed the ball into the back of the net to complete Chelsea’s humiliation. MOTM El Shaarawy.

Olympiakos 0-0 Barcelona

How Olympiakos held Barca to a nil nil is beyond me, but good job to them. This game was just Barca failing repeatedly. MOTM Messi.

Porto 3-1 Leipzig

The first goal was a looping corner kick which caused a lot of commotion but Herrera capitalizes on it and scorers. In the 48th a very nice through ball is put through to Timo Werner who takes a touch and lifts it over the keeper elegantly, 1-1. Porto’s response was through a free kick that is lifted into the box and meets Danilo Pereira’s  head who makes it 2-1. The final blow was a through ball by Abubakar to Maxi Pereira who was one on one with the keeper and scores in injury time. MOTM Maxi Pereira for his first UCL goal.

Make sure to tune in and watch Champions League this Tuesday and Wednesday on ESPN and Fox!