UEFA Champions League - Soccer Wiretap

Atleti Beats Chelsea 3-1, Will Face Real Madrid In UCL Final

May 1, 2014 1:53 PM

Atlético Madrid defeated Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to advance to the Champions League Final in which they'll face Real Madrid.

Fernando Torres scored the first goal in the 36th minute converting a cross from Cesar Azpilicueta to put Chelsea up 1-0 over his boyhood club.

But Atleti responded eight minutes later when Tiago made a brilliant diagonal pass over the top from left to right that Juanfran hit back across to setup Adrián. Eden Hazard switched off Juanfran to allow him space to receive the cross cleanly.

In the 61st minute, Samuel Eto'o made a careless foul on Diego Costa, which the referee awarded a penalty kick. Diego Costa took his time setting up the penalty kick, unable to get the ball propped on the grass properly and was awarded a yellow card. But Diego Costa converted the penalty kick once it was eventually taken to put up Atleti 2-1.

Atleti fully put Chelsea away in the 72nd minute with another great cross over the top by Tiago to Juanfran, which found Arda Turan for the header and third goal.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Real Madrid, UEFA Champions League

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Real Madrid Advances To UCL Final With 4-0 Win Over Bayern

Apr 30, 2014 4:55 PM

Real Madrid has advanced to the 2014 UEFA Champions League final with a 4-0 win over Bayern Munich (5-0 on aggregate).

Sergio Ramos scored the first two goals of the match on headers on set pieces, while Cristiano Ronald scored the third and fourth goals.

Real was brilliant throughout the match, preventing Bayern any real opportunities in the box, while showing great pace on the counterattack. Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben have been two of Europe's best wingers, but were unable to threaten Real in any meaningful way.

Luka Modric delivered the corner kick to Ramos to produce the first goal and was superb defending and keeping possession for Real, while Pepe and Ramos were supremely organized in the back to keep Iker Casillas from being truly challenged.

Pepe was the WhoScored.com Man of the Match with a 9.8 rating, assisting on one goal, winning five aerial duels and also five tackles.

Xabi Alonso picked up a yellow card in the first half, resulting in a suspension for the final against the winner of Atlético Madrid and Chelsea.

Christopher Reina/RealGM

Tags: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, UEFA Champions League

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Real To Have The BBC In Starting XI At Bayern

Apr 26, 2014 11:48 PM

Real Madrid will have Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in the lineup on Tuesday against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League tie.

Ronaldo was the only one of the three to start Saturday's 4-0 rout of strugglers Osasuna in La Liga at the Bernabeu after stating he was in "perfect condition" before the game.

Bale has continued to be fighting flu-like symptoms.

The attacking trio have the nickname of The BBC.

Goal.com

Tags: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Injury, UEFA Champions League

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Real Madrid's UCL Title Odds Improve To 44 Percent

Apr 23, 2014 5:17 PM

Real Madrid's odds to win the Champions League improved to 44 percent with their 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their tie.

Real has a 70 percent chance to reach the final.

Bayern has a 22 percent chance to win the final and a 30 percent chance to make the comeback against Real.

The second leg of the Atlético Madrid and Chelsea match is virtually a toss-up at 47 percent and 53 percent respectively. The two clubs collectively had a 34 percent chance of beating the Real/Bayern winner.

Paul Carr/ESPN

Tags: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, IQ, Stats, UEFA Champions League

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Real Madrid Beats Bayern 1-0 In 1st Leg Of UCL Semifinal

Apr 24, 2014 10:51 AM

Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions Leg Semifinal tie.

Bayern dominated possession throughout the game and particularly in the opening minutes, but Cristiano Ronaldo setup Fabio Coentrao down the left flank for an eventual cross to Karim Benzema that he timed perfectly into the right corner of the net.

Ronaldo had two promising chances to score in the match, but seemed to be not quite 100 percent healthy after missing four straight matches.

Luka Modric was likely the man of the match for Real Madrid, but the organization in the back by Pepe and Sergio Ramos was outstanding, while Iker Casillas did everything he needed to keep a clean sheet. Gotze had Bayen's best chance of the match in the 84th minute, but Casillas made a strong save in which the German should have done better.

Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were unable to get much penetration again Real, as their midfielders stayed upright on most of their dribble runs.

Christopher Reina/RealGM

Tags: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Game Recap, UEFA Champions League

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Ronaldo Starts, Bale Begins On Bench Against Bayern

Apr 23, 2014 5:01 PM

Cristiano Ronaldo is in the starting XI for Real Madrid after missing the previous four matches.

But Gareth Bale will begin the match on the bench with the flu.

Real Madrid XI: Casillas, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrão, Ronaldo, Benzema, Alonso, Carvajal, Modric, Di María, Isco.

Bayern XI: Neuer; Rafinha, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Lahm, Schweinsteiger; Ribéry, Kroos, Robben; Mandzukić.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Injury, UEFA Champions League

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Qualification Status Update For 14-15 Champions League

Apr 25, 2014 11:21 AM

Many of the qualifications for the 14-15 UEFA Champions League have already been settled.

The following clubs have clinched a spot in the group stage.

Spain: Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona
England: Liverpool
Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund
Italy: Juventus, Roma
Portugal: Benfica, Sporting CP
France: Paris Saint-Germain
Greece: Olympiacos

Open spots in group stage:

England: Chelsea and Manchester City will almost certainly join Liverpool, while Everton and Arsenal battle for the fourth spot.

Germany: Schalke are the favorites, though Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg remain in the picture.

France: Monaco will be in the Champions League, but it’s group stage fate is uncertain until Lille fades a bit further back.

Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk is in first by three points, but Dnipro has a match in hand.

Russia: Zenit St. Petersburg is in the pole position, but Lokomotiv and CSKA are within striking distance.

Netherlands: Ajax is in the Champions League if they get a single point in their remaining two matches.

Turkey: Fenerbache is in first, but are barred from Europe, so it will be either Besiktas or Galatasaray.

Belgium: Standard Liege, Club Brugge, Zulte Waregem, Anderlecht, Lokeren and Genk are all options. 

Here are auto-qualifiers:

Gibraltar: Lincoln Red Imps
Estonia: Levadia Tallinn
Northern Ireland: Cliftonville
Faroe Islands: Havnar Boltfelag

Wales: The New Saints
Portugal: Porto
Austria: Red Bull Salzburg
Scotland: Celtic

Latvia: Ventspils
Belarus: BATE Borisov
Croatia: Dinamo Zagreb
Kazakhstan: Aktobe

Finland: Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi
Sweden: Malmo
Iceland: Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
Norway: Stromsgodset

Ireland: St. Patrick’s Athletic
Lithuania: Zalgiris Vilnius

Nicholas Mendola/ProSoccerTalk

Tags: Liverpool, Manchester City, Monaco, Olympiacos, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Roma, FC Schalke 04, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Dinamo Zagreb, Dnipro, Everton, Galatasaray, Juventus, UEFA Champions League

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Chelsea Parks The Bus, Leaves Madrid With 0-0 Result

Apr 23, 2014 4:55 PM

Atlético Madrid was unable to breakthrough against a defensive-minded Chelsea side in the first leg of their Champions League Semifinal in the 0-0 final.

Atleti lobbed countless balls into the box (10 of 46 successful), but Chelsea remained organized behind the ball and was even able to withstand the early loss of Petr Cech.

Atleti had 69 percent of the possession in the match. Diego Simeone's side completed 174 of 221 passes in the attacking third compared to just 35 of 76 for Chelsea.

Gabi, Miekl and Frank Lampard will miss the return leg due to suspension.

Christopher Reina/RealGM

Tags: Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Game Recap, UEFA Champions League

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Petr Cech Suffers Dislocated Shoulder

Apr 22, 2014 4:28 PM

Petr Cech has suffered a dislocated shoulder during the opening minutes of Chelsea's Champions League match against Atlético Madrid.

Cech grabbed the top of the goal and landed awkwardly on an Atleti corner.

Mark Schwarzer will start for Chelsea in their critical match this weekend against Liverpool. He also will likely start in the Champions League return leg.

AS.com

Tags: Chelsea, Injury, UEFA Champions League

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Ronaldo Expected To Play Wednesday, Bale Misses Session With Flu

Apr 21, 2014 9:26 PM

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to full training and is expected to be in the starting XI of Real Madrid on Wednesday against Bayern Munich.

Gareth Bale, however, missed Monday's session with the flu.

Ronaldo has not played since limping out of Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Borussia Dortmund on April 2, missing his team’s last four games.

If Ronaldo plays, Isco will likely drop out of the XI.

Dermot Corrigan/ESPN

Tags: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Injury, UEFA Champions League

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Ronaldo's Status In Doubt For First Leg Of Champions League
Sources say Cristiano Ronaldo will be back for next Wednesday's Champions League semifinal first leg against Bayern Munich.

Dermot Corrigan/ESPN

Diego Costa Survives Scary Crash Into Goal Without Serious Injury
Diego Costa's left leg crashed into the frame of the goal and was left with a large gash towards the top of his shin.

FourTwoTwo

Thibaut Courtois Cleared To Play For Atleti Against Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois signed a five-year contract with Chelsea in 2011, but he's never played for the club.

BBC

UCL Draw: Chelsea/Atleti, Real Madrid/Bayern
Chelsea will face Atético Madrid in the Champions League Semifinals, while Bayern Munich and Real Madrid match up in the other tie.

The Guardian

Koke: Atleti Has No Ceiling
Atlético Madrid has reached the Champions League Semifnals for the first time in forty years and have broken down their opponents based on an outstanding work ethic.

Rob Hughes/New York Times

Messi Ran Just 6.8kms As Atleti Took Him Out Of Match
Lionel Messi ran only 6.8 kilometers, which was just 1.5 more than goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto.

Tom Conn/Inside Spanish Football

Atleti Must Pay $8.3M To Chelsea For Thibaut Courtois To Play
Atleti agreed to pay €3 million for each game Thibaut Courtois plays against Chelsea.

Tom Conn/Inside Spanish Football

Bayern Withstands United Threat To Advance
Manchester United went up 1-0 and 2-1 aggregate in the 57th minute with a Patrice Evra goal, but Mario Mandzukic scored the equalizer less than two minutes later for Bayern Munich.

RealGM Staff Report

Mourinho: I Didn't Go To Corner Flag To Celebrate
Television replays showed him reaching through the scrum of players to Fernando Torres.

John F. Burns/New York Times

Real Madrid Survives Dortmund Comeback 3-2 On Aggregate
Marco Reus scored two early goals for Borussia Dortmund, but were unable to find a needed third.

RealGM Staff Report

Chelsea Advances To UCL Semifinals With Comeback Over PSG
André Schürrle and Demba Ba scored for José Mourinho's side to advance to the semifinals.

RealGM Staff Report

Diego Costa To Start Against Barça On Wednesday
Diego Costa has been dealing with a thigh injury.

RealGM Staff Report

Barça May Move Lionel Messi Wide Right Against Atleti
Barcelona trained with the tactical change on Monday.

Ben Hayward/Goal.com

Chelsea May Start Samuel Eto'o Against PSG
Samuel Eto'o hasn't played for Chelsea since injuring his hamstring last month against Arsenal, but he may start on Tuesday against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League ti

Sachin Nakrani/The Guardian

Qatar's Next Big Target Is To Win Global Television Rights
Qatar Sports Investments is an arm of the $115 billion Qatar Investment Authority.

Owen Gibson/The Guardian

Wayne Rooney Out Against Newcastle, Status In Doubt For UCL
Wayne Rooney has a toe injury and United is awaiting a scan to determine if it is heavy bruising or a possible hairline fracture.

Jamie Jackson/The Guardian

Rooney: I Didn't Dive Or Try To Get Card For Schweinsteiger
Wayne Rooney said he was trying to avoid getting hurt on Bastian Schweinsteiger's tackle.

Jamie Jackson/The Guardian

Ibrahimović Out 2-3 Weeks With Strained Hamstring
Edinson Cavani will assume striker duties for PSG with Zlatan Ibrahimović out.

Jeremy Wilson/The Telgraph

Diego Costa Almost Certain To Miss 2nd Leg Of UCL Quarters
Diego Costa doesn't have a torn hamstring, but he'll likely miss the second leg against Barça.

Sky Sports

Diego Costa Injures Hamstring
Diego Costa left Atlético Madrid's 1-1 tie against Barcelona after just 29 minutes with a hamstring injury.

Sid Lowe/The guardian