uefa champions league – Artifex.News https://artifex.news Stay Connected. Stay Informed. Tue, 05 May 2026 22:04:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://artifex.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/cropped-cropped-app-logo-32x32.png uefa champions league – Artifex.News https://artifex.news 32 32 Saka sends Arsenal past Atletico into Champions League final https://artifex.news/article70944759-ece/ Tue, 05 May 2026 22:04:00 +0000 https://artifex.news/article70944759-ece/ Read More “Saka sends Arsenal past Atletico into Champions League final” »

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Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League semifinal, second leg, match against Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadiu, London, on May 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters

Arsenal reached the Champions League ​final for the second time in their history with a battling 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid sealing ‌a 2-1 aggregate victory in the semi-final on Tuesday.

Captain Bukayo Saka’s tap-in just before ​the interval proved decisive for Arsenal to edge a cagey second-leg contest in which ⁠the hosts kept a ninth clean sheet in this season’s competition.



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Champions League: Bayern’s late show sinks Real Madrid in epic quarterfinal https://artifex.news/article70868082-ece/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:29:00 +0000 https://artifex.news/article70868082-ece/ Read More “Champions League: Bayern’s late show sinks Real Madrid in epic quarterfinal” »

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Bayern’s Michael Olise celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side’s fourth goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid on April 15, 2026
| Photo Credit: AP

Bayern Munich’s Luis Diaz and Michael Olise scored late goals to earn the hosts a ‌dramatic 4-3 comeback win over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals ​on Wednesday and send them into the last four 6-4 on aggregate after ⁠a thrilling tie.

Diaz struck in the 89th minute and Olise in stoppage time to seal treble-chasing Bayern’s place in the semis where they will play holders Paris St Germain.



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Real Madrid vs Manchester City Live Streaming, Champions League Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch https://artifex.news/real-madrid-vs-manchester-city-live-streaming-champions-league-live-telecast-when-and-where-to-watch-7749473/ Wed, 19 Feb 2025 18:52:40 +0000 https://artifex.news/real-madrid-vs-manchester-city-live-streaming-champions-league-live-telecast-when-and-where-to-watch-7749473/ Read More “Real Madrid vs Manchester City Live Streaming, Champions League Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch” »

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Real Madrid vs Manchester City Live Streaming, Champions League Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP




Real Madrid vs Manchester City Live Streaming, Champions League Live Telecast: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Tuesday his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola was deliberately underestimating the English side’s hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16. European champions Madrid hold a 3-2 lead on City, who have struggled this season and are fourth in the Premier League, ahead of the play-off round second leg on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said his side have just a one percent chance of progress to the Champions League last 16 against Real Madrid on Wednesday but the English champions’ new recruits could offer a lifeline.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City LIVE Streaming UEFA Champions League 2024-25 LIVE Telecast: Check Where and How to Watch?

When will the Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Champions League match take place?

The Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Champions League match will take place on Thursday, February 20 (IST).

Where will the Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Champions League match be held?

The Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Champions League match will be held in Madrid.

What time will the Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Champions League match start?

The Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Champions League match will start at 1:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Champions League match?

The Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Champions League match will be televised live on the Sony Sports network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match?

The Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match will be live streamed on the SonyLIV app and website.

(All details are as per information shared by the broadcaster)

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Bayern Edge Out Celtic To Reach Champions League Last 16 As Milan Are Dumped Out https://artifex.news/bayern-edge-out-celtic-to-reach-champions-league-last-16-as-milan-are-dumped-out-7743487/ Wed, 19 Feb 2025 04:33:45 +0000 https://artifex.news/bayern-edge-out-celtic-to-reach-champions-league-last-16-as-milan-are-dumped-out-7743487/ Read More “Bayern Edge Out Celtic To Reach Champions League Last 16 As Milan Are Dumped Out” »

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Bayern Munich needed a stoppage-time goal to see off Celtic and secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, while AC Milan were dumped out by Feyenoord and both Club Brugge and Benfica also advanced. In Germany, Bayern were defending a 2-1 lead over Celtic in their play-off tie from last week’s first leg but the Bundesliga leaders were unable to put the tie to bed, with Harry Kane hitting the bar before half-time.

Instead it was Celtic who went ahead on the night on 63 minutes thanks to Nicolas Kuehn, the former Bayern player, who slotted low into the net after a failed attempt to win the ball by Kim Min-jae.

That meant the tie was heading for extra time, but Bayern ultimately would not need to go that far as they scored in the fourth minute of injury time.

Alphonso Davies bundled the ball in from close range to make the score 1-1 on the night and clinch the tie for six-time European champions Bayern 3-2 on aggregate.

Vincent Kompany‘s team will find out their last-16 opponents when the draw is made on Friday, but it will be either German rivals Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid.

“Of course, we always want to dominate and be much better than the opponent, especially here. But the result is always the most important thing,” Kompany told UEFA.com

It was a heartbreaking way for Celtic to go out but the Scottish champions will take heart from their performance over the two legs.

“It never looked like we were going to concede the goal that we did and sadly for us, we did. I can only take immense pride from the performance and the guys gave everything,” said Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.

Earlier, seven-time European Cup winners Milan were eliminated by Feyenoord, a 1-1 draw at San Siro taking the Dutch club through 2-1 on aggregate.

Santiago Gimenez, playing against the club he left just last month, had put Milan ahead on the night from close range in the first minute to level the tie on aggregate.

However, Milan had Theo Hernandez sent off early in the second half for a second booking, and Feyenoord levelled on the night through Julian Carranza on 73 minutes.

The visitors had Givairo Read shown a red card at the end of the game after they had held on to win the tie.

They could now come back to San Siro in the next round, with Inter Milan and Arsenal their two possible opponents.

Benfica and Club Brugge through

In Lisbon, Benfica drew 3-3 at home with Monaco to win their play-off tie 4-3 on aggregate and go through to play either Barcelona or Liverpool next.

Having won 1-0 in Monaco last week, the Portuguese giants extended their aggregate lead when Kerem Akturkoglu opened the scoring on the night midway through the first half.

Monaco came roaring back with Takumi Minamino and Eliesse Ben Seghir netting either side of half-time to level the tie on aggregate.

Vangelis Pavlidis scored a penalty, his seventh goal in his last six Champions League games, to make it 2-2 on the night, only for substitute George Ilenikhena to hit back for Monaco.

However, the tie swung decisively back towards Benfica as Orkun Kokcu made it 3-3 on the night on 84 minutes.

“It was a tough night, we knew Monaco would put pressure on us from the start and we felt it, we didn’t play our best game,” Kokcu told broadcaster SportTV.

“Still, we’re happy to have progressed to the last 16. I’m happy to have contributed to the result.”

Teenage starlet Chemsdine Talbi scored twice as Club Brugge claimed a 3-1 victory away to Atalanta in Italy to win their tie 5-2 on aggregate.

Talbi’s brace was followed by a superb Ferran Jutgla strike as the Belgians built on their 2-1 win at home in last week’s first leg and advanced to a last 16 tie against either Lille or Aston Villa.

Atalanta had 29 attempts on goal but were punished on the break by the Belgians and Ademola Lookman’s reply at the start of the second half was scant consolation.

Lookman also had a penalty saved while Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi was sent off late on, as last season’s Europa League winners bowed out.

The remaining play-off second legs will take place on Wednesday, with the standout fixture seeing Real Madrid defend a 3-2 first-leg lead at home to Manchester City.

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Pep Guardiola Underestimating Manchester City Chances, Says Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti https://artifex.news/pep-guardiola-underestimating-manchester-city-chances-says-real-madrids-carlo-ancelotti-7743237/ Wed, 19 Feb 2025 03:49:05 +0000 https://artifex.news/pep-guardiola-underestimating-manchester-city-chances-says-real-madrids-carlo-ancelotti-7743237/ Read More “Pep Guardiola Underestimating Manchester City Chances, Says Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti” »

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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Tuesday his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola was deliberately underestimating the English side’s hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16. European champions Madrid hold a 3-2 lead on City, who have struggled this season and are fourth in the Premier League, ahead of the play-off round second leg on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu. After thrashing Newcastle 4-0 on Saturday, Guardiola said English champions City have only a one percent chance of ousting the record 15-time European Cup winners.

“He does not truly think that, tomorrow I’ll ask him before the game — do you really think you’ve got a one percent chance?” Ancelotti told a news conference.

“He really thinks they’ve got more chance than that… we don’t think we have 99 percent chance.

“We think we have a small advantage that we have to take advantage of, and try to play the same game we set up in the first leg, which went well.”

Guardiola later admitted he also gave his team a bigger chance of progressing than he previously said.

“This time I lied to you,” said Guardiola.

“I always say what I think and you never believe me, but this time you are right…

“(After the first leg) nobody would have bet on us, the one percent was there, the truth is that the days pass, you get more excited, it’s not the best result for us to have taken but we will try to go through, for sure.”

Ancelotti confirmed defender Antonio Rudiger was fit to start for the holders after injury but Lucas Vazquez would only be ready for the bench.

City attackers Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish were able to train ahead of the game after injury issues and Guardiola said it was “good news” they had been able to travel to the Spanish capital.

Leave refs ‘in peace’

Ancelotti reiterated his frustration with Spanish refereeing, following some controversial decisions which went against his side in recent La Liga matches.

The Italian said he was more comfortable with refereeing in the Champions League.

“Statistics speak for themselves, in Europe there’s less controversy in this sense, there are less VAR interventions,” said Ancelotti.

“The VAR only intervenes when it’s necessary, and usually the Champions League features the best referees from each country, so the quality is very high in this sense.”

England international Jude Bellingham was sent off for dissent during Madrid’s 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday in La Liga.

Bellingham’s team-mate Federico Valverde said he did not want the midfielder to change his ways.

“What I want is players who leave their soul out on the pitch, in this case with Jude in the last game, I always want him to be like that,” Valverde told reporters.

“Jude is a player who shows character, who always wants to win, who always wants to fight.

“This time he got a red card, but I like that he’s giving everything, his spikiness… we have to stay united as a team.”

The referee who dismissed Bellingham, Jose Munuera Montero, has been subject to online abuse in recent days and according to Spanish reports is being investigated over an alleged conflict of interest with links to a sports consultancy agency.

Guardiola gave his opinion on Bellingham’s dismissal.

“The problem is not the translation, it’s the intention? You have to ask Jude what intention he had… you can insult someone with a big smile and it can be nice,” said the coach.

“Have you seen they are investigating the referee now… wow, leave them in peace.

“That’s the best thing that we can do, leave them in peace.”

Guardiola, who led City to their first Champions League triumph in 2023 said his team needed to play an almost “perfect” game to progress.

“You have to make an almost perfect game, obviously the (first leg) result is not good,” added Guardiola.

“(A) bad result is not the perfect situation, we have to attack, we have to score goals. This is the idea.”

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Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham Aiming For Man City Redemption https://artifex.news/real-madrids-jude-bellingham-aiming-for-man-city-redemption-7735439/ Tue, 18 Feb 2025 03:45:28 +0000 https://artifex.news/real-madrids-jude-bellingham-aiming-for-man-city-redemption-7735439/ Read More “Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham Aiming For Man City Redemption” »

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Jude Bellingham edged Real Madrid ahead in their Champions League play-off against Manchester City, but then his week swiftly took a turn for the worse. The England international was sent off in the first half as Los Blancos dropped two points in the Spanish title race on Saturday at Osasuna. The midfielder will at least be fresh for the second leg clash with City at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, with Madrid holding a 3-2 lead in the tie after their victory at the Etihad Stadium last week.

Bellingham felt he had let his side down with his dismissal for dissent, despite insisting the referee misunderstood him, and he apologised to his team-mates.

All will be forgiven if he helps pull Madrid past Pep Guardiola’s City and into the last 16. 

“Enough said about the misunderstanding, just wanted to apologise again for leaving my team-mates in such a tough position and thank the fans for their support and understanding,” wrote Bellingham on social media.

“We’ll see each other on Wednesday, (playing) at home.”

It was his second red card for arguing with referees since arriving in Spain from Borussia Dortmund in 2023.

Despite his occasional frustration with officials, Bellingham has mostly been able to enjoy himself in Spain. 

His goals were crucial as Madrid won La Liga last season, and he helped his side claim their record-extending 15th Champions League trophy at Wembley, against his former side Dortmund.

Bellingham was previously linked with City but on arrival at Madrid said once the Spanish giants came in for him he got “goosebumps” and that his heart nearly stopped.

“I’d always been aware of the interest from England so that was pretty normal,” he said after joining.

“Money is not a thing for me. I don’t think about money at all when I make these kind of decisions. I never have and will — I play the game purely out of love…

“It wasn’t a case of other teams are bad or they weren’t good but, for me, Madrid is the greatest.”

Big game Bellingham

In his fairytale first season Bellingham scored 23 goals in 43 games across all competitions, as well as converting a penalty in the Champions League quarter-final shootout Madrid won against City.

Bellingham has often shone in Madrid’s key matches.

The 21-year-old scored vital goals in both league Clasicos last season, and in both games against Girona, who for most of the season were Madrid’s main title contenders.

In the Champions League he set up Vinicius for a goal in the final against Dortmund, as well as scoring four times in the group stage.

This season, operating in a slightly more withdrawn role following the arrival of French superstar Kylian Mbappe, he initially found it harder to find his spark in attack.

Bellingham failed to find the net in his first 12 games, having netted double figures by the same time last season.

However coach Carlo Ancelotti backed the midfielder to come good and praised his hard work in a defensive capacity.

Eventually Bellingham’s nose for goal returned and he has scored 10 times in his last 20 games, as well as providing six assists.

The most recent of those strikes came in the 92nd minute against City to snatch Madrid the advantage.

The days since have been tumultuous but by the time the Champions League anthem is ringing out at the Bernabeu, Bellingham’s mind will be focused on getting the job done.

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Manchester City’s Fresh Faces Offer Hope Of Real Madrid Miracle https://artifex.news/manchester-citys-fresh-faces-offer-hope-of-real-madrid-miracle-7735359/ Tue, 18 Feb 2025 03:30:03 +0000 https://artifex.news/manchester-citys-fresh-faces-offer-hope-of-real-madrid-miracle-7735359/ Read More “Manchester City’s Fresh Faces Offer Hope Of Real Madrid Miracle” »

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said his side have just a one percent chance of progress to the Champions League last 16 against Real Madrid on Wednesday but the English champions’ new recruits could offer a lifeline. City blew a late 2-1 lead in the first leg of the play-off tie last week at home to lose 3-2 to the holders. That collapse was part of a wider trend this season as Guardiola’s ageing squad have struggled to last the pace, particularly when the intensity is turned up on Champions League nights.

As a consequence, City broke with their usual transfer policy to spend big in January, bringing in Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez for fees totalling 170 million pounds ($214 million).

However, none of them started the first leg against Madrid. Marmoush was the only one to even make an appearance for the final few minutes off the bench, as Gonzalez and Khusanov were unused substitutes and Reis was not registered in City’s European squad.

Guardiola may now regret that decision after Marmoush, Gonzalez and Khusanov all played pivotal roles in arguably City’s best performance of the season on Saturday when Newcastle were blown away 4-0 at the Etihad.

Marmoush hogged the headlines thanks to his first-half hat-trick, finally offering City another potent scoring threat to compliment Erling Haaland.

Khusanov recovered from his nightmare Premier League debut against Chelsea last month when he gave away a goal inside three minutes and could have been sent-off shortly afterwards.

This time the Uzbek showed why City paid Lens a reported 40 million euros (33 million pounds, $42 million) for his services.

The 20-year-old’s pace helped sniff out the danger posed by Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and could be what the visitors need to combat the threat of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Guardiola, though, reserved special praise for the impact of Gonzalez in bringing the City midfield the stability they have lacked since Ballon d’Or winner Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in September.

The Barcelona academy graduate seems certain to start on his return to Spain with his manager already hailing the 23-year-old as a “mini Rodri.”

Gonzalez a game changer

“The balance of the team looks much, much better already with Gonzalez in it,” said former City defender Micah Richards.

“City have got players who can score goals and hurt Real, but he brings some stability behind them, which they will need if they are to manage the game in Madrid.

“Do they have more chance of beating Real with him in the starting 11? Without a doubt.”

Yet, even at their best during the golden years of Guardiola’s reign in Manchester, City have often found the might of Madrid too tough a nut to crack in the Champions League.

This is the fourth consecutive season the sides have met, with a 5-1 aggregate rout en route to winning the competition for the first time in 2023 City’s only success.

Three years ago they seemed to be cruising into the Paris final with a two-goal lead heading into stoppage time of the second leg before Rodrygo’s quickfire double sent the tie to extra-time and ultimately Madrid to a 14th European crown.

Last year it was penalties that got the Spanish giants over the line after City dominated the majority of two score draws in the quarter-finals.

Guardiola conceded the prospect of his side finding their best again when they need it most is unlikely.

“This season the reality is we have been miles, miles away. If you tell me that we would perform like today (against Newcastle) and finish 22nd in the Champions League (table), of course not. We would finish higher,” said the former Barcelona boss.

“The results have been poor this season. Just for one game I’m not going to change my opinion.

“If you ask anybody before that game, we have one percent but as much as we have a chance we will try. That’s for sure.”

However, a timely injection of fresh blood does give hope that a miracle in Madrid is possible.

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Vincent Kompany Hails Composed Bayern’s Champions League Win At Celtic https://artifex.news/vincent-kompany-hails-composed-bayerns-champions-league-win-at-celtic-7698724/ Thu, 13 Feb 2025 03:40:16 +0000 https://artifex.news/vincent-kompany-hails-composed-bayerns-champions-league-win-at-celtic-7698724/ Read More “Vincent Kompany Hails Composed Bayern’s Champions League Win At Celtic” »

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Vincent Kompany saluted Bayern Munich’s composure and ignored the “crazy” atmosphere at Celtic to seize control of the Champions League play-off round with a 2-1 win in the first leg on Wednesday. Bayern boss Kompany was concerned about the potential for Celtic to be fuelled by the raucous 60,000 sell-out crowd in Glasgow. But the Bundesliga leaders produced a mature display that took the sting out of the Celtic roar for long periods. Michael Olise’s thunderous drive into the roof of the net from 15 yards put Bayern ahead on the stroke of half-time.

England captain Harry Kane doubled Bayern’s lead with a close-range volley from Joshua Kimmich‘s corner four minutes after the interval.

At that point Bayern were in complete command, but they eased off in the closing stages and Daizen Maeda’s 79th minute header gave Celtic a glimmer of hope.

Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer had to make a good save from Alistair Johnston to ensure the visitors held onto their lead in a frantic finale.

Kompany was relieved to hear the final whistle, but insisted he was delighted with the way Bayern inflicted Celtic’s first home defeat in 33 games in all competitions.

“It’s cliche to say, but it’s the first half of the game. Overall, it’s a really great result,” he said.

“I know this place, I know it transcends performance sometimes. We dealt really well with the atmosphere for long spells before it could go too crazy.

“The last 10 minutes we had to defend and we did that well. Of course, you can feel in those moments, if the game comes alive it is a special place.

“The fans haven’t seen many losses here, especially in Europe, so we appreciate the importance of the game and the victory.”

‘One more shot’

Bayern will be favourites to advance to the last 16 when Celtic visit Munich for the second leg on February 18.

But before then, Kompany’s men face a crucial clash on Saturday with champions Bayer Leverkusen, who are eight points behind Bayern in the title race.

“We’re also pretty decent at home so we’ll look to play on that as well,” Kompany said.

“We have an important game on Saturday, so we’ll switch our focus to that.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers took heart from the way his side recovered from their ultra-cautious start.

Rodgers is confident the Scottish Premiership leaders can rattle Bayern in the return as they look to reach the last 16 for the first time since 2012-13.

“At 2-1, Bayern Munich are hanging on. That’s what we can take from it. We’ve got one more shot,” Rodgers said.

“It’s a new level for a lot of the players, they’ve done absolutely great. Let’s go and have no regrets and see where it takes us.

“By the end, Bayern are happy for the final whistle. We’ve shown we can play football and be a threat. We’re still right in the tie.”

Celtic treated Bayern with too much respect in the first half, sitting deep for long spells rather than taking the fight to their star-studded opponents.

Rodgers admitted it was only when Celtic went two goals behind that they finally threw caution to the wind.

“The last 25 minutes, we started to press the game and you see what it brought — aggression. Our football starts to come alive and then we get the goal,” he said.

“With Bayern’s quality and the number of goals they can score, sometimes these can be out of sight but that wasn’t the case at all.

“We were always going to be the underdog. But what must never happen is, you must never be broken. We kept fighting and got a reward for that.”

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Bayern Munich Sink Celtic As Feyenoord Beat AC Milan In Champions League Play-Offs https://artifex.news/bayern-munich-sink-celtic-as-feyenoord-beat-ac-milan-in-champions-league-play-offs-7698601/ Thu, 13 Feb 2025 03:34:02 +0000 https://artifex.news/bayern-munich-sink-celtic-as-feyenoord-beat-ac-milan-in-champions-league-play-offs-7698601/ Read More “Bayern Munich Sink Celtic As Feyenoord Beat AC Milan In Champions League Play-Offs” »

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Harry Kane was on target as Bayern Munich beat Celtic 2-1 in Glasgow in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Wednesday, while there were also wins for Benfica, Feyenoord and Club Brugge. Bayern are hoping to go all the way to this season’s final, which will be played at their own Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31. They threatened to run riot against the Scottish champions at Celtic Park as they dominated the first half and took the lead just before the interval thanks to a superb Michael Olise strike.

Bayern’s second goal came just four minutes after half-time, with the unmarked Kane scoring with a cushioned finish at the back post following a corner.

It was Kane’s seventh goal in this season’s Champions League, and his 29th in 29 games in all competitions.

However, the Bundesliga leaders took their foot off the pedal after that, allowing Celtic — who had a first-minute Nicolas Kuehn goal disallowed for offside — to come back into the game.

Brendan Rodgers’ team pulled one back as Daizen Maeda scored following a corner with 11 minutes left, but they could not find an equaliser.

“It’s cliche to say, but it’s the first half of the game. Overall, it’s a really great result,” said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, according to the BBC.

Celtic’s first home defeat since December 2023 leaves them facing a huge task to try to turn the tie around in Germany next Tuesday, with the winners going through to face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the last 16.

“It’s only a one goal difference. It’s a big challenge, we know that but it’s still a possibility,” insisted Rodgers.

Controversy in Bruges

Elsewhere, Vangelis Pavlidis scored the only goal as Benfica won 1-0 away to Monaco, as the home side were forced to play much of the second half with 10 men.

Benfica had won 3-2 in Monaco in the league phase in November and they came out on top again at the Stade Louis II thanks to a Pavlidis strike just after half-time.

It was the Greek international’s sixth goal in his team’s last five Champions League outings, a run which includes a hat-trick in the dramatic 5-4 loss to Barcelona last month.

Monaco had Libyan midfielder Moatasem Al-Musrati sent off in the 52nd minute, when the recent signing from Besiktas gestured to the referee calling for a yellow card after his teammate Breel Embolo had been fouled, only to be handed a second caution himself.

Benfica will hope to finish off the tie in next week’s return, with the winners facing either Liverpool or Barcelona in the last 16.

In Rotterdam, Feyenoord shook off the sacking of coach Brian Priske on Monday to beat seven-time European champions AC Milan 1-0 and gain the upper hand to take to San Siro for the return.

The Dutch side were helped by a clanger from Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who allowed Igor Paixao’s speculative third-minute shot to ricochet off his body and into the net.

That was the only goal of a match played in driving rain at De Kuip.

“These evenings are why we do this,” said Feyenoord captain Quinten Timber.

“De Kuip was on it again. We were on it. On to next week,” he added, with Inter Milan or Arsenal awaiting the winner in the next round.

Earlier, Club Brugge beat last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta 2-1 in Belgium thanks to a controversial stoppage-time penalty.

Ferran Jutgla gave the Belgian side a 15th-minute lead as Atalanta were punished for sloppy play at the back, but Mario Pasalic headed in an equaliser for the visitors before the break.

That looked to be that until the hosts were awarded a penalty at the death when substitute Gustaf Nilsson went down after being caught in the face by the outstretched arm of Atalanta defender Isak Hien.

The contact appeared to be accidental and not serious, but the referee stuck by his decision after reviewing the images, and Swedish forward Nilsson swept in the penalty.

“I’ve only just seen the footage and I reckon that if you ask 100 people if that was a penalty all 100 would say no. It’s very strange,” complained Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere.

Whoever wins that tie will face Aston Villa or Lille next.

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Penalty Row As Club Brugge Gain Champions League Advantage Over Atalanta https://artifex.news/penalty-row-as-club-brugge-gain-champions-league-advantage-over-atalanta-7698519/ Thu, 13 Feb 2025 02:46:29 +0000 https://artifex.news/penalty-row-as-club-brugge-gain-champions-league-advantage-over-atalanta-7698519/ Read More “Penalty Row As Club Brugge Gain Champions League Advantage Over Atalanta” »

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Gustaf Nilsson shot Club Brugge to a 2-1 win over Atalanta on Wednesday with a controversial penalty in stoppage time to boost the Belgians’ chances of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League. Atalanta looked to be escaping Bruges with a draw after Mario Pasalic’s fine header four minutes before half-time levelled Ferran Jutgla’s fabulous opener for the hosts. But Nilsson won and then netted the decisive penalty at the Jan Breydel Stadium, delighting home fans and enraging Atalanta who could barely believe that the spot-kick had even been awarded.

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini stormed down the tunnel before the final whistle in anger while his players continued to protest at the end of the match, collecting only a series of bookings from unrepentant referee Umut Meler.

Nilsson had crumpled to the turf after being grazed on the face by Isak Hien’s left fingers as the Atalanta defender ran to collect the ball in his own area.

Hien couldn’t believe his eyes when Meler pointed to the spot and gave Nilsson the chance to fire Club Brugge to a win which they might have otherwise deserved for their enterprising performance in front of passionate home support.

“All I could see is that he (Meler) was arrogant, if you tried to speak to him he just handed out yellow, yellow, yellow,” said Charles De Ketelaere whose return to his home town and boyhood club was marred by the late penalty drama.

“I’ve only just seen the footage and I reckon that if you ask 100 people if that was a penalty all 100 would say no. It’s very strange.

“It hurts to lose right at the end like that. And it’s definitely not right.”

Club Brugge take a slender lead to next Tuesday’s second leg in Bergamo where Atalanta will be fired up to go through and face one of Aston Villa or Lille in the next round.

Penalty anger ‘pointless’

But the Serie A team will have some work to do get through, as they battle injuries, including key attacker Ademola Lookman, and were clearly rattled by their opponents at various points in the match.

“It’s pointless to talk about the penalty, I think anyone who watches football knows that was never a penalty,” said Marten de Roon.

“But what we need to do is look at our performance today which was not good… we need to be better if we want to get through.”

Club Brugge tore into the sluggish away side from the first whistle, doing to Atalanta what Atalanta usually do to other teams with intense pressure and high energy in chasing down the ball.

Atalanta were off the pace and it was an uncharacteristic mistake from Hien which led to Jutgla’s opener, with Chemsdine Talbi pouncing on a sloppy pass before setting up his Spanish teammate for a fine finish.

But moments before the break Pasalic struck the leveller in the only short period of the match in which Atalanta were on top.

Brugge again came out all guns blazing after the break but although Gasperini was left baffled by Atalanta’s performance it was his team that created the two best chances of the game around the hour mark.

First Simon Mignolet did brilliantly to keep out Davide Zappacosta’s close-range header and then substitute Lazar Samardzic blasted well wide a great chance to put Atalanta in the lead with the goal at his mercy.

That appeared to be it until Nilsson hit the deck and Meler gave Club Brugge a penalty which could be decisive in the tie.

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