Edited by Michelle Ho
UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16’s first leg started last Wednesday, on 16th February, and ends on Thursday, 24th February. The Round of 16 started off with the long-awaited Paris Saint-Germain FC and Real Madrid match. Ever since Lionel Messi’s departure from FC Barcelona after playing for them for 16 consecutive seasons, fans have been wondering whether Lionel Messi is capable of playing in other leagues, other than the La Liga. Fans have been awaiting this match for quite some time, as Lionel Messi would be facing an old nemesis from during his days at FC Barcelona. The match ended 1-0 in favour of Paris Saint-Germain FC, with French striker Kylian Mbappe scoring a solo goal, beating Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to the bottom-right corner with accurate precision, at the very last minute (UEFA Champions, n.d.).
February 16 also say the clash between reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City FC and reigning Primeira Liga champions, Sporting FC. The match ended 5-0 in favour of Manchester City FC. With 2 goals from Bernardo Silva, and 1 goal from Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, and Raheem Sterling each, Manchester City FC completely obliterated the opposition, once again proving why they are at the top of the Premier League table. Manchester City FC remained dominant throughout the game, with Riyad Mahrez scoring the first goal in the 7th minute. Sporting FC had a terrible start, conceding 4 goals during the first half (UEFA Champions, n.d.).
The following day also saw the clash between Bundesliga clubs, FC Bayern Munich and FC Red Bull Salzberg, as well as Premier title contender Liverpool FC, and Serie A title contender Inter Milan. The match between the 2 German clubs ended in a draw, 1-1. The match between Liverpool FC and Inter Milan ended 2-0, in favour of Liverpool FC (UEFA Champions, n.d.).
If any of your favourite clubs ended up losing the first leg, it is important to remember that there is always a second leg. The less motivated the fans and supporters are, the less motivated your favourite clubs’ players would be. History has repeatedly shown that great comebacks are definitely possible. A famous example of this is when Liverpool FC was down 3-0 against FC Barcelona, in the first leg of the 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League’s semi-finals. However, on May 7th, 2019, Liverpool FC pulled off what people considered impossible. They obliterated FC Barcelona 4-0, proceeding to the finals, and eventually winning it the same year (Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona, 2020). Even during the toughest times, always remember to keep your morale high!
References
Gonzalez, R. (2022, February 16). PSG vs. Real Madrid score, ratings: Lionel Messi penalty
denied by Courtois, Kylian Mbappe nets late winner. Cbssports.com. Retrieved
February 22, 2022, from https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/psg-vs-real-madrid-
score-ratings-lionel-messi-penalty-denied-by-courtois-kylian-mbappe-nets-late-
winner/live/
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona: Stunning Reds comeback revisited. (2020, May 8). Skysports.com.
Retrieved February 22, 2022, from
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11945/11984568/liverpool-4-0-barcelona-
stunning-reds-comeback-revisited#:~:text=May%207%20marks%20a%20year,for%
20the%20second%20successive%20season.
UEFA Champions League. (n.d.). Google.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from
https://www.google.com/search?q=uefa+cl&rlz=1C5CHFA_enHK950HK950&oq=uefa +cl&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j0i131i355i433i512j46i131i433i512j0i512j46i433i512j0i512l3
j0i131i433i512j0i512.1973j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#sie
=lg;/g/11j8x175ph;2;/m/0c1q0;mt;fp;1;;
Comments