Tag: Champions League

Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer shared that his side is fully focused on the Champions League season and aiming to play the final, which is scheduled at Allianz Arena.

“Something big is coming,” Neuer told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s opening clash with Dinamo Zagreb at home.

“The most important thing is the final in Munich. We want to go there and everything else is secondary.

“We know what this final means to the city, the fans and the players. Our motivation is simply very high.”

Six-time European champions Bayern Munich come into the season after their first trophyless campaign in 11 seasons, with Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen winning a league and cup double.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

In the Champions League, Bayern were eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual winners Real Madrid, who beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley to lift the trophy.

Manuel Neuer and fellow Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, who both won the 2013 and 2020 Champions League finals, are the only two players in the squad to remember the 2012 home final, which they lost on penalties to Premier League side Chelsea.

Mueller went on social media on Monday, telling followers “the road to Munich starts tomorrow. “I’m very excited. Let’s enjoy the best football in Europe.”

Manager Vincent Kompany, set to coach his first match in the Champions League, told reporters “the fans can dream”.

“The most important thing for me is that we show it on the pitch. We have a difficult game tomorrow. The important thing is that we play well and win tomorrow.”

Bayern have won every one of their Champions League openers since 2002  when they lost 3-2 to Deportivo La Coruna, which was the prelude to their first and only group stage elimination.

READ: Gary Kirsten concerned over ‘alarming’ workload of Shaheen, Naseem

LONDON: Real Madrid withstood a Borussia Dortmund barrage to win the Champions League for the 15th time as Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior struck late in a 2-0 win at Wembley on Saturday.

Right-back Carvajal headed in from Toni Kroos’ corner on 74 minutes before Vinicius fired home to extend the Spanish giants’ record as the most successful club in Champions League history.

Madrid have now won their last nine European Cup finals and won the competition six times in the last 11 seasons.

However, not for the first time in that run, they had to rely on some good fortune as underdogs Dortmund were left to bitterly regret not making the most of their first-half chances.

Niclas Fuellkrug hit the post and Karim Adeyemi failed to convert a one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid, though, always seem to find a way in Europe’s elite competition and made more history in London.

“They left us alive with the game level and in the second half we started to play better,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“This squad leaves me very satisfied because we don’t always play our best but we never give up.”

Carvajal, Kroos, Nacho and Luka Modric joined Real legend Paco Gento as the only players to win the European Cup six times.

Ancelotti also extended his record as the most successful coach in the competition’s history with his fifth title.

A record number of more than 2,500 stewards were in place at Wembley with the authorities keen to avoid a repeat of the violent scenes that marred the Euro 2020 final three years ago when ticketless fans stormed the turnstiles.

But further questions over the security operation will be raised as three pitch invaders were able to enter the field in the opening minutes of the game, with one taking photos alongside Jude Bellingham and Vinicius.

The Metropolitan Police said there had been 53 arrests, including five for pitch invasions.

Ancelotti said pre-match he felt “like a lion” after an afternoon siesta, but his side were caught napping for the first 45 minutes as, roared on by the travelling thousands from Germany, Borussia Dortmund dominated.

The decision to recall Courtois for his first Champions League appearance of the season after a serious knee injury paid dividends as the Belgian kept Real Madrid in the game.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Dortmund’s best chances fell to Adeyemi as Carvajal could not deal with the German international’s pace.

A brilliant pass by Mats Hummels put Adeyemi clean through, but he took a heavy touch under pressure from Courtois and ran too wide before his shot was blocked by Carvajal.

Fuellkrug’s barrel-chested physique has made him a fan favourite in his first season at Dortmund.

The German international striker came closest to breaking the deadlock before half-time when his effort from Ian Maatsen’s through ball came back off the inside of the post.

Adeyemi was then denied once more by Courtois from a narrow angle and Fuellkrug could not twist his frame to turn in the rebound.

“We didn’t show the efficiency to score,” said Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic.

“We were close to taking the lead but then there was a momentum shift where the game turned around and you see why they are the champions of this competition.”

Ancelotti, Nacho and Modric were keen to stress on the eve of the match that Madrid’s habit of finding a way to get over the line in the Champions League was no coincidence.

Having ridden their luck once more in the first half, the Spanish champions found their feet in the second period.

Gregor Kobel was finally forced into a save on 48 minutes from Kroos, who came close to marking the final game of his club career with a spectacular free-kick.

Bellingham was moulded into a world star during three years at Dortmund before leaving for Madrid 12 months ago for more than 100 million euros ($108 million).

The England international was inches away from biting the hand that used to feed him as he just could not get a telling touch on Vinicius’ teasing cross.

Madrid landed the decisive blow 16 minutes from time when Carvajal rose highest to head into Kroos’ corner.

Kobel then briefly kept his side alive with fine saves from Eduardo Camavinga and Nacho, while Bellingham’s goalbound effort was deflected behind by Nico Schlotterbeck.

But Bellingham did have a moment to savour on his homecoming as his pass teed up Vinicius to kill off Dortmund despite Kobel getting a hand to the Brazilian’s powerful shot.

READ: Cricket in uncharted territory as T20 World Cup starts in Texas

Jude Bellingham’s first year at Real Madrid began unbelievably amid a flurry of goals, but the ending could be even more incredible with the upcoming Champions League final.

With the Spanish title in the bag, Madrid are aiming for a fifth La Liga and Champions League double, against Bellingham’s former team Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s Wembley final.

“It’s such a big game, my first Champions League final, back home in England against my old team — it’s a crazy one, I couldn’t have dreamed it any better,” Jude Bellingham told reporters this week.

The 20-year-old midfielder was voted La Liga’s Player of the Season on Wednesday. Bellingham scored 19 league goals and four in Europe on the way to the final.

Arriving at Real Madrid last summer, he revealed his love of former midfield great Zinedine Zidane and even took the Frenchman’s number five shirt in homage.

However, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had other plans for Bellingham, a classy centre-midfielder at Dortmund, putting him straight into the space vacated by striker Karim Benzema’s departure.

It paid instant dividends, with 13 goals in his first 13 games, getting him off to a flying start with Madrid’s fans, quick to serenade him with the Beatles song ‘Hey Jude’.

Bellingham struck twice, including a 91st-minute winner, in his first Clasico to snatch victory over then-champions Barcelona on Catalan soil.

Did he anticipate this kind of impact? “I came here expecting to win,” admitted Bellingham.

“I came here because I wanted to win, and to expect it, it’s a bit greedy almost, but you have to be confident when you’re playing with so many great players.”

With another late winner in the second league Clasico and three goals in two matches against shock title challengers Girona, Bellingham delivered in key moments.

His goalscoring slowed as Ancelotti tasked him with more defensive responsibility, chastened by a loss against Atletico Madrid — their only defeat in La Liga. In the Champions League Madrid are unbeaten.

“What you’ve seen from me this year is a lot of different kinds of roles and positions,” said Bellingham.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

There were some concerns about his fitness towards the end of the season following an ankle injury, but he says he feels “very close” to 100 per cent after resting once Madrid claimed the title.

Bellingham joined Dortmund from Birmingham City at the age of 17. He was the English side’s youngest ever player and they retired his number 22 shirt in tribute to him.

Initially outshone by team-mates Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, Bellingham still managed to establish himself as a regular starter in his first season in Germany.

Dortmund coach Edin Terzic praised Bellingham’s maturity, saying he could “hardly believe that he’s only 17”.

Before his final season at Dortmund, Bellingham was included in the captaincy group alongside skipper Marco Reus and Mats Hummels.

He led them out against Cologne in October 2022, aged just 19, becoming the youngest captain in Bundesliga history.

“You have the feeling he’s got three kids at home -– he’s going places,” marvelled Dortmund centre-back Niklas Suele, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich.

Bellingham established himself as a world-class talent at the 2022 World Cup, driving England to the quarter-finals.

Bellingham and Dortmund took the 2022-23 title race to the wire but lost out to Bayern on the final day, with the midfielder named Bundesliga player of the season.

A fortnight later Bellingham joined Madrid for 103 million euros ($112 million).

“He plays very grown-up football, even though he’s so young,” said Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi this week.

“I’m very happy for Jude, he played a great season,” added Emre Can. “But on the pitch we think just about winning for our club.”

Record 14-time champions Madrid are firm favourites though, and if they win, what is next for Bellingham?

“Hopefully the European Championship,” he said. “I just talked about being greedy… I’m focused on the final.”

READ: All-round Nat Sciver-Brunt powers England to series win over Pakistan

Real Madrid produced a spectacular comeback against Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League final on Wednesday with Joselu striking twice in the dying minutes, earning them a 2-1 win to progress 4-3 on aggregate.

Alphonso Davies smashed the visiting German giants ahead in the second half but record 14-time winners Madrid produced a sensational comeback with Joselu netting in the 88th and 91st minutes.

Spanish champions Real Madrid face another German side, Borussia Dortmund, in the Wembley final on June 1, after they stunned the team they call their “black beast”.

Journeyman striker and back-up option Joselu, on as a late substitute, wrote his name in Madrid’s history books with his last-gasp brace, giving Europe’s comeback kings another night to remember.

“There have been a lot of times we have looked dead and buried, but we have that mentality of never say die,” said Real midfielder Jude Bellingham.

“Joselu deserves it all, he has been an amazing squad member this season.”

Madrid had enjoyed the better of the match but it seemed Davies’ superb strike had set up a repeat of the 2013 all-German Champions League final in London.

Instead Joselu consigned Bayern Munich to a first trophyless season since 2012, his first goal coming after a handling error from Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who had superbly kept Madrid at bay until that point.

“(Before that) there were world class saves after world class saves, but that can happen, it’s football,” said Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt.

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel made three changes from the first leg, benching veteran Thomas Mueller and Leon Goretzka.

Dani Carvajal started for Madrid after missing the first leg suspended and was heavily involved as the hosts dominated the opening stages.

Rodrygo Goes was inches away from converting Carvajal’s low cross and the Spain defender then cleverly set up Vinicius Junior with a pass nutmegging a defender, and Manuel Neuer tipped the Brazilian’s shot against the post.

The rebound fell to Rodrygo but his effort was weak and with a desperate arm Neuer was able to claw it out to complete a fine double save.

Bayern’s Serge Gnabry limped off injured with Davies replacing him before England captain Harry Kane’s first flash of danger.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was alert to push Kane’s vicious long-range volley around the post.

Neuer palmed away a Vinicius free-kick as the teams ended a high-intensity, relentlessly frantic first half level.

The second period was just as fraught, with Davies’ cross deflecting onto the roof of Lunin’s goal.

Vinicius was unplayable down Madrid’s left and Rodrygo prodded his low cross agonisingly wide of the far post.

The 38-year-old Neuer made superb saves to deny both Brazilian forwards again before the hour mark as Madrid controlled the game and ratcheted up the pressure.

However just as in Munich, when Los Blancos were at their strongest, Bayern pounced.

Kane fed Davies and the Canada international cut inside from the left and smashed a shot beyond Lunin into the far top corner after 68 minutes.

Madrid thought they had levelled moments later through Nacho but after a VAR review the strike was ruled out as the defender had grabbed Joshua Kimmich’s face before shooting.

Tuchel took off Kane in the final stages to try and hold on to victory but it slipped through his fingers as Madrid produced more indelible European memories.

Neuer, who had been sublime to this point, fumbled what appeared a simple Vinicius strike and Joselu gratefully bundled home from close range.

With Bayern reeling Madrid struck again, decisively. It was Joselu once more, the striker on loan from second division side Espanyol, turning home after Antonio Rudiger cut the ball back to him.

The goal was ruled offside but officials overturned the decision after review, and after nearly 15 minutes of stoppage time, Madrid earned the chance to go for their 15th Champions League trophy.

Bayern were left raging at full-time after De Ligt netted but play had been stopped beforehand for an offside flag against Noussair Mazraoui.

“I don’t want to say that it’s always the referee’s mistake with Real Madrid, but that made the difference today,” grumbled De Ligt, saying play should have been allowed to continue.

READ: Dortmund, Bayern runs put Leverkusen title in perspective: Xabi Alonso

Kylian Mbappe will not get his dream farewell from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after their shock Champions League exit at the hands of Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday deprived him of playing his last game for the club in the final at Wembley next month.

The 2018 World Cup winner will leave PSG after seven years when his contract expires at the end of this season, with Real Madrid his likely next destination.

He had hoped to sign off by leading the Qatar-owned club to Champions League glory for the first time in their history, and they were the favourites to see off Dortmund at the Parc des Princes in the semi-final second leg.

But they failed to overturn a one-goal first-leg deficit, with Mats Hummels scoring the only goal on the night to give Dortmund a 2-0 aggregate victory.

Mbappe was one of four PSG players to hit the woodwork in the second half, and coach Luis Enrique complained his side -– who had 31 attempts on goal — had been “unlucky”.

“I don’t really like to talk about bad luck,” Mbappe said a short while later.

“When you are good, you don’t hit the post, you score. I tried to help the best I could. When I say we needed to be more clinical, I am the one who has to be scoring. But this is life, we need to pick ourselves up.”

It will be hard for PSG to do that, given how close they were to reaching the final for the second time, four years on from their defeat against Bayern Munich in Lisbon.

That will forever remain as close as Mbappe came to lifting the European Cup with his hometown team, for whom he is their all-time top scorer with 255 goals.

A total of 42 of those have come in Europe’s elite club competition, but he could not add to that tally across the two legs against Dortmund.

“The end of his dream” was the headline in the sports daily L’Equipe, which gave a scathing assessment of the France captain’s performance, awarding him a mark of two out of 10.

Being knocked out by the team who sit fifth in the Bundesliga looks like a disaster for a club who have invested as much as PSG over the years since the Qatari takeover of 2011.

It is the latest in a long line of huge disappointments in the Champions League knockout rounds, still headed by their 6-1 defeat by Barcelona in the last 16 in 2017 after they won the first leg 4-0.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“PSG hit their heads against the glass ceiling on a night when the sky seemed to be the limit,” reflected Vincent Duluc in L’Equipe.

“The truth is that this elimination is quite the collapse given the gigantic opportunity that was on offer.”

However, the truth is also that this PSG side was not seriously expected to get this far, despite the presence of Mbappe.

A massive overhaul of the squad was undertaken ahead of this season following the departures of Lionel Messi and Neymar, and Luis Enrique was brought in to oversee the new project.

“The objective I set out when I arrived was to compete as well as we could for every trophy,” the Spanish coach said on Tuesday.

His side have already won Ligue 1 and Mbappe’s last game will now be the French Cup final against Lyon on May 25.

But perhaps a lack of experience at this level ultimately cost them -– according to statisticians Opta, their starting line-up had an average age of 24 years and 157 days, the youngest for any team in a Champions League semi-final since Arsenal against Manchester United in 2009.

Luis Enrique will have to hope the experience garnered by his young players can help them next year.

“We need to remember that it is a new project with a new coach, with lots of changes. There are lots of positives and good things to take forward into next season,” captain Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus.

It is hard to imagine how PSG can be better equipped to win the Champions League without Mbappe, though, even if they will surely spend big money on a replacement.

The coach has regularly either left Mbappe out of his team or taken his star player off in domestic league games over the last three months, apparently in the name of planning for next season.

That strategy has not ultimately helped PSG win the one trophy they really crave in this campaign, and Mbappe — now aged 25 — will hope to finally get his hands on it after leaving Paris.

READ: Pakistan squad reaches Ireland for T20I series

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he was confident his side could overcome Bayern Munich on Wednesday to reach the Champions League final.

Record 14-time winners Real Madrid snatched a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final clash in Munich with Vinicius Junior scoring a brace.

“I am confident because this is Real Madrid, we have this squad, I’m confident in the fans who will help us,” Ancelotti told a news conference Tuesday.

“We think we’ve got it better, but (Bayern coach Thomas) Tuchel will think he does too.”

Ancelotti admitted German giants Bayern, six-time winners, were the superior side in the first leg draw at the Allianz Arena.

“These are similar clubs, they have great history and a lot of success in the Champions League,” continued the Italian coach.

“We respect them… they did better than us in the first leg.”

The coach confirmed Andriy Lunin would start in goal despite Thibaut Courtois returning from injury and keeping a clean sheet as Madrid clinched their La Liga crown this weekend.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Belgian stopper had been out since last summer with a bad knee injury.

“The plan for a player coming back from injury does not change because of one game,” said Carlo Ancelotti.

“Courtois is doing well but he needs time to get back to his best self — he had an ideal game.”

Madrid defender Dani Carvajal said the team was right to avoid celebrating their title success on Saturday.

“Not celebrating was the best thing to do, there’s a vital game and there will be time to celebrate at the weekend, that’s why we took that decision,” said the Spain international.

“We’re having a great year, we’re very excited for the Champions League, we’re two games away from lifting it again.

“The dressing room knows it — in the streets they’re giving us encouragement so we can dream of our 15th.”

Various long-standing Madrid players could leave at the end of the season after years spent at the club, with Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Lucas Vazquez and Nacho Fernandez all out of contract in the summer.

“It’s hard to know what will happen… I hope not, but some will be living their final Champions League match at the Bernabeu,” added Carvajal.

“I hope it’s a Madrid victory.”

READ: Ireland name squads for Pakistan series, T20 World Cup 2024

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior scored a double, including an 83rd-minute equalising penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich on Tuesday that puts the Spanish side in the driving seat for the return leg of the Champions League semi-final.

Vinicius gave Real the lead after 24 minutes of the first leg but Bayern scored twice in four second-half minutes to wrestle back control, Leroy Sane with a stunning opener and Harry Kane converting a penalty.

Kim Min-jae fouled Rodrygo in the box with eight minutes remaining and Vinicius stepped up, drowning out a chorus of boos and whistles to blast home.

“In this competition, it’s important not to lose, and we’re here because we haven’t lost yet,” said Vinicius.

“I’m very happy that I was able score two goals, and now we need to have a magical night at home,” he added.

The draw makes Madrid favourites to progress in next week’s return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu but Bayern, who dominated large parts of the match, will still have hope of making it to the final at Wembley in June.

“It’s a good result for the second leg,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “But nothing has been decided yet.

“Bayern have high quality. They have players like Musiala or Sane who can hurt us.”

“It feels a bit strange,” said Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel.

“But the situation is very clear. Win in Madrid, then off to Wembley. The winner takes it all.

“We will be ready and we accept the fight. We will go to Madrid with self-confidence. We have to be brave.”

Before the match, the Bayern fans unveiled a giant banner depicting Franz Beckenbauer which spanned from the grass to the rafters. It was a fitting tribute on a night featuring the most-played fixture in European Cup history.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Famed for their composure on the biggest of stages in this competition, 14-time winners Real struggled early on as Bayern dominated possession while spurred on by a ferocious home crowd.

Madrid’s success in this competition this season, including in their quarter-final win over Manchester City, has been built on absorbing pressure before striking.

The visitors repeated the trick for the opener, breaking Bayern’s dominance in a ruthlessly simple fashion while showing the hosts how easy scoring goals can be.

Toni Kroos collected the ball from a corner and drilled a defence-splitting pass along the ground which found Vinicius galloping in acres of space on the edge of the area.

Without a Bayern player in range, Vinicius calmly slotted the opener past a helpless Manuel Neuer, changing the complexion of the match completely.

Bayern, who have six European Cups of their own, were not awed and continued to push but could not break through; their best chance of the remainder of the half came through a free kick, with Kane finding a huge gap in the wall but blasting wide.

With Real seemingly in cruise control, Bayern grabbed hold of the match early in the second half, scoring twice in four minutes.

Eric Dier found Sane down the right flank. The Germany winger, who had missed several chances in the first half, dribbled into the box before unleashing an unstoppable shot. It was his first goal for Bayern in any competition since October.

The hosts’ next attack came down the left, with the ever-dangerous Jamal Musiala felled by Lucas Vazquez in the box. Referee Clement Turpin pointed straight to the spot and Kane duly sent Andriy Lunin the wrong way to take the lead.

With Bayern in control, Real went on the counter-attack and it was Kim’s turn to give away a clumsy penalty, with Vinicius confidently slotting in the equaliser.

“We have to continue with cool heads, rest until next week, and we will give everything to leave the Bernabeu qualified for London,” Vinicius said.

READ: Steve Smith axed as Australia name T20 World Cup 2024 squad

Real Madrid exacted revenge on Manchester City to reach the Champions League semi-finals 4-3 on penalties after withstanding a barrage at the Etihad on Wednesday.

Rodrygo gave the visitors an early lead before Kevin De Bruyne hit back for the holders to leave the match level at 1-1 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.

However, City’s defence of the competition came to an end after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic saw spot-kicks saved by Madrid’s unlikely hero Andriy Lunin.

The Ukrainian, who has deputised this season for the injured Thibaut Courtois, had been at fault for City’s early opener in a thrilling first leg but more than made amends.

Madrid will face Bayern Munich in the last four after the German giants beat Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate.

Manchester City had not lost at home in the Champions League since 2018 but the holders were held at bay by a heroic defensive effort by the 14-time European champions despite having 34 attempts on goal.

“It’s so difficult. They are continuously probing with the ball and move you around. Most teams would fall apart when City get on top of you but we stood up really well,” said Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.”

Madrid were blown away by an early City blitz in a 4-0 defeat at the Etihad 11 months ago as Pep Guardiola’s men went on to win the competition for the first time.

City also edged a semi-final first-leg thriller 4-3 on home soil two years ago only to be stunned by a late Madrid fightback in the return leg.

“In other sports, for the stats, we would win but football is like this and it’s marvellous,” said Guardiola.

“Congratulations to Madrid because of their capacity to resist and defend till the end, they did so fantastically. We didn’t manage to score in the final pass or final shot.

“I don’t have any regrets. Always we try to create more and concede less (than the opponent) and we did everything.”

Carlo Ancelotti’s men flipped the script on Wednesday with an assured start that was rewarded with the opening goal.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Bellingham plucked the ball out of the sky with an immaculate touch to set Real roaming down the right.

Vinicius Junior picked out the unmarked Rodrygo and he tapped in the rebound after his first effort was parried by Brazilian international teammate Ederson.

If City were slow to warm to their task they quickly had Madrid penned against the ropes but failed to land a telling blow for 76 minutes.

Erling Haaland failed to score for a fourth consecutive clash between the sides but has rarely come up closer than when his looping header came back off the crossbar and left Silva no time to adjust to turn in the rebound.

Lunin was forced to turn behind De Bruyne’s shot from outside the box and the tenacious Antonio Rudiger deflected Jack Grealish’s effort into the side-netting.

The Madrid goalkeeper saved two more efforts from Grealish at the start of the second half before Guardiola sacrificed the England international for the extra pace of Jeremy Doku.

That proved an inspired change as Rudiger failed to deal with a Doku cross and presented the ball perfectly for De Bruyne to smash into the roof of the net 14 minutes from time.

De Bruyne should have turned the tie around single-handedly as he then blazed a glorious chance over.

However, City’s threat was blunted during extra-time as both Haaland and De Bruyne had to be replaced.

It was Real who had the best chance of the extra 30 minutes when Rudiger sliced over with a clear sight of goal after staying forward from a rare Madrid corner.

But the German defender was still to have the decisive say as he slotted in the final penalty of the shootout.

Ederson’s save from Luka Modric had given City an early lead.

But Lunin calmly collected Silva’s attempted chip down the middle and then denied Kovacic low to his right.

Bellingham, Lucas Vazquez and Nacho put Madrid on the brink before Rudiger landed the fatal blow to City’s hopes of a second consecutive treble.

READ: Pakistan launch T20 World Cup preparations with New Zealand T20Is

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel will seek to echo the spirit of 2021’s Champions League-winning run with Chelsea in Wednesday’s home quarter-final second leg against Arsenal. 

Bayern put aside their domestic struggles in the first leg, returning from London with a 2-2 draw, another Harry Kane goal against his old foes and the knowledge victory in Germany will see them through to the final four.

With Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen already in possession of the Bundesliga trophy, the Champions League is now the only focus for Tuchel’s Bayern.

Being able to concentrate only on Europe is a luxury few of the teams remaining in the Champions League have, particularly Arsenal who are in the midst of a tense Premier League title race.

Tuchel was free to make his focus on Europe obvious, making seven changes in Saturday’s hard-fought 2-0 home win over struggling Cologne.

Left out of the squad completely for the Cologne clash, captain Manuel Neuer and winger Leroy Sane were allowed to watch Saturday’s win from the comfort of the grandstand.

Bayern will however face Arsenal missing several first teamers.

Canada defender Alphonso Davies is suspended, while forwards Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman are injured.

Tuchel would not be drawn on who would replace Davies on Wednesday, telling reporters after Saturday’s win over Cologne he may “do something crazy”.

Asked if one of Bayern’s centre-backs could make the shift out to left-back, Tuchel said with a smile “No, we want to win.”

While not quite at the level of self-described “overthinker” Pep Guardiola, Tuchel is known for his flexibility and a penchant for being tactically reactive, a perfect fit for knockout football.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Despite winning leagues in France and Germany, Tuchel’s teams have shone brightest in cup competitions.

He announced himself as Dortmund coach by winning the 2017 German Cup, dispatching Bayern 3-2 in Munich in the semi-final on the way to the first major title of his career.

His only Champions League season with Dortmund was impressive but failed due to circumstances beyond his control.

Tuchel’s Dortmund were unbeaten in the group phase, finishing ahead of eventual champions Real Madrid.

Their campaign came undone in a quarter-final against Monaco with the club forced to play a day after a bomb blast shattered the windows of the team’s bus.

Dortmund’s decision to play led to a rift between Tuchel and Dortmund which never healed and he was fired just days after his side lifted the German Cup.

At Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, he made the finals of both the major and minor domestic cup competitions.

In Europe, Tuchel took PSG to the Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern.

The next season as Chelsea boss, he took over a side in disarray in January after the firing of club legend Frank Lampard.

He steadied the ship and took Chelsea to the Champions League final, where they beat Guardiola’s heavily favoured Manchester City to win the title for the second time.

While plenty stands in the way of another Champions League triumph, including one more potential meeting with Guardiola’s City on the way, Tuchel could be just four games away from Wembley glory.

READ: England spin great Derek Underwood dies at 78

Andreas Christensen came off the bench to head in the winning goal as Barcelona won 3-2 away to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a remarkable first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday.

Raphinha had earlier scored twice for the Catalans at the Parc des Princes, slotting in the opener late in the first half and then volleying in an equaliser to make it 2-2 just after the hour mark.

In between, PSG had turned the game around as they awoke from a poor first-half display by starting in electrifying fashion after the restart with two goals in six minutes, neither coming from Kylian Mbappe.

Ousmane Dembele struck against his old club Barcelona, and Vitinha briefly put PSG in front, only for Barcelona to recover in stunning fashion to take control of the tie.

Christensen’s goal, which came just after he had been introduced as a substitute on his 28th birthday, ended PSG’s 27-game unbeaten run and gives Barca a lead to defend at home in the return next Tuesday.

“I am very proud. It is a great victory against one of the best teams in the world, but we are only halfway there,” said Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez.

“PSG still have every chance on Tuesday, but we have a one-goal advantage and we will be playing at home.”

That second leg will be played at Montjuic, the Catalan club’s temporary home, rather than the Camp Nou, the scene of Barcelona’s incredible 6-1 win over PSG in 2017 and of a lethal Mbappe hat-trick in a 2021 meeting of the teams.

“We could have won this game,” insisted PSG coach Luis Enrique.

“I am not saying the result is unfair but it came down to little details and we will work to ensure that in the return the little details go our way.”

The story of this game ended up partly being about Luis Enrique’s selection decisions — he was missing the banned Achraf Hakimi but also omitted teenage prodigy Warren Zaire-Emery and gave Marco Asensio a surprise start.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The importance of the occasion for PSG, back in the quarter-finals having been eliminated in the last 16 in five of the previous seven seasons, was clear with Ronaldinho -– a former star for both clubs –- doing a lap of honour ahead of the game and home fans putting on a Star Wars display as the teams came out.

But Paris struggled to live up to it, with Mbappe for once unable to deliver in a big game.

Appearing in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in four years and since the departure of Lionel Messi, Barcelona grew into this game and almost went ahead on 20 minutes.

Home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma came to try to punch away a corner but Robert Lewandowski got there first, only for his header to be cleared off the line by Nuno Mendes.

That was the first wobble from Donnarumma, who did not cover himself in glory as Barcelona went ahead in the 37th minute.

The Italian came out to meet a low ball in from the right by Lamine Yamal but only succeeded in helping it into the path of Raphinha, who gratefully fired into an unguarded net for his first ever goal in the competition.

PSG sent on Bradley Barcola at the break for Asensio, with the substitute going to the right wing and Dembele moving across to an inside-left role close to Mbappe.

The tactical change paid off at once, as PSG drew level three minutes after the restart when Ronald Araujo failed to properly clear Mbappe’s cutback from the byline, the ball dropping to Dembele who rifled a shot high into the net while slipping.

It was just his second PSG goal since moving to the French capital from Barcelona last August.

The home side went ahead in the 51st minute, Barcola and Lee Kang-in combining on the right before Fabian Ruiz supplied Vitinha, who controlled and prodded in.

Xavi responded with a double change just past the hour mark, as Pedri and Joao Felix entered and Yamal and Sergi Roberto came off, with Raphinha now on the right.

Pedri’s first contribution saw him float a ball forward for Raphinha, who arrived in the middle to meet it first-time on the volley, his shot beating Donnarumma to make it 2-2.

It was breathless stuff, and Dembele almost scored again, sending a shot off the far post just before Barcelona won it.

Donnarumma stayed rooted to his line as Ilkay Gundogan delivered a corner and Christensen headed in.

READ: Real Madrid and Manchester City draw six-goal Champions League thriller