The season in the UEFA Champions League 2016/17 was one of unprecedented quality, featuring matches and goals for decades to come. Thousands of fans would descend on the continent as Europe’s top clubs did battle for superiority in one of the most illustrious competitions in world football. UEFA Champions League 2016/17 season was full of drama and excitement — from Real Madrid’s dominance to Leicester City’s fairy-tale run. We’ll take a look back at some of the highlights in this piece.
The Group Stages The Opening Act of a Dramatic Play
With 15 goals and countless shocks in this season’s UEFA Champions League 2016/17 group stage, reshuffle your Fantasy XI now! Real Madrid the holders, are part of Group F where they will face Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP, and Legia Warsaw. Lining up against Madrid, Dortmund provided them with some competition but both made it through to the knockout phase. Real Madrid came on second best, and Dortmund finished top of the group.
Indeed, Leicester City made their Champions League bow in the group stages and it was a moment that got people talking. Having won the Premier League in a fairytale 2016 season, Leicester would embark on another magical ride through Europe. Group G: Top of Group (above FC Porto and FC Copenhagen) Their never-say-die attitude embodied the spirit of football fans across the globe.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich Juventus, and Atlético Madrid all topped their groups to reach the last 16. Barcelona was the winner of Group C in impressive style and also heading through to the knockout rounds as Bayern Munich, who finished second behind Atletico Madrid in Group D.
Round of 16 – UEFA Champions League 2016/17
Round of 16 had few heart-racing matches which kicked off things for the competition. A standout encountered was when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) faced off against Barcelona. PSG 4-0 Barcelona (first leg)This result left football fanatics and corresponding fans of the teams either overly optimistic or bitterly pessimistic. Still, the second leg at Camp Nou is one of if not the greatest comebacks in the Champions League contest. The Catalans overturned the aggregate discrepancy to win 6-5. The fixture famously came to be known as the “Miracle of Camp Nou,” and symbolized a never-say-die spirit.
Leicester City: Another incredible chapter in the Cinderella story of reigning English champions as they beat Sevilla 3-2 on aggregate to reach the last eight. If anything, their displays were a testament to the sort of battling spirit that had made them Premier League champions only 12 months earlier.
Real Madrid eased past Napoli 6-2 on aggregate and Arsenal slumped to a humbling 10-2 loss across two legs against Bayern Munich. It was a large rearguard effort from Juventus, who progressed 3-0 on aggregate over FC Porto to the knockout round there, and Borussia Dortmund, having kicked it into gear at home after losing in Portugal in their first leg against Benfica, helped themselves through another enjoyable tie for them with an impressive 4-1 aggregate bottom line.
Quarter-final: Real Madrid and the Glory Road
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich produced the games of the quarter-finals. Tension was in their legs too and stunned every Brazilian location, with five of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals under pressure split between the two tiers. The tie finished 6-3 to Real Madrid on aggregate with Bayern’s fate virtually sealed when Ronaldo completed his hat-trick.
Atlético Madrid 2-1 Leicester City: The defeat ended Leicester’s fairy-tale debut as a club in the competition at only their third attempt.
The Italian side easily got passed Barcelona; 3-0 on aggregate. Only their defensive wall headed by the legendary Gianluigi Buffon could be broken because of extremely astute finishing as they emerged a team threatening for glory.
The dark horse, Monaco triumphed against high-scoring Borussia Dortmund 6-3 on aggregate. It was fans novel to Monaco attackers who seemed like they had been cloned from the same player, all fleet-footed and flashy—they were being led by young tyro Kylian Mbappé – that captivated many.
Semi-finals: UEFA Champions League 2016/17
In the semi-finals, Real Madrid would face Atlético Madrid for a place in Cardiff while Juventus took on Monaco. Real Madrid powered past Atletico & advance 4-2 on agg. The Real hero, naturally, was Cristiano again: he scored a first-leg hat-trick to put the team in control.
Monaco is an experienced Italian side in the other semi-final but simply does not have enough experience in juvenile. Juventus comfortably won 4-1 on aggregate and Dani Alves inspired a brutal edge to their game as they set out to give Barcelona’s monumental achievement of the previous round against Paris Saint-Germain some serious perspective. Juve, good at the back and devastating on the break generally, was rolling into a final Mourinho-style confident.
Real Madrid vs Juventus (The Final)
UEFA Champions League Final 2016/17, was at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The finals: Real Madrid vs Juventus of Europe. Real Madrid made history by becoming the first side to reach this year’s ultimate fixture in Cardiff and they were looking for more, attempting to become the first team since AC Milan (1989 and 1990) to offer successive UEFA Champions League titles. It was Juventus’ Acadia from European football when meeting Barcelona three years ago that gave them whilst also securing their shot at a possible date back with glory as La Vecchia Signora have not been able2015!
Predictably, the final was a hard-fought battle with both teams coming out of the gates strong. The equalizer from Juventus came rather early in the first half, after Cristiano Ronaldo struck scored at the start of Madrid’s scoring run, Mario Mandzukic produced one of the finest finishes he has made for Real against Juventus—that crazy overhead kick. But the second half was when Real Madrid took over. Ronaldo scored another two and was joined on the score sheet by Casemiro and a Marco Asensio strike as Madrid won 4-1. With it all done, they also scored another three times at Melilla with goals through Ronaldo (2) along And matches confirmed in this round.
By doing so, Real Madrid was the first ever team to retain a UEFA Champions League 2016/17 title in its current format which officially started in 1992. Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the campaign as he finished top scorer with 12 goals. Real Madrid had made it to 12 European Cups and established themselves as the team to beat in Europe.
Conclusion
The UEFA Champions League 2016/17 campaign was a memorable one. It had everything a football fan could ask for, including incredible comebacks and fairy-tale runs. From Real Madridto the incredible tale of Leicester City, this season will be remembered for a long time and we spoke with Football Radar’s scouting whizz Dan Barker
One of the most exciting, surprising, and memorable seasons in history Whatever your level of involvement with football — die-hard fan or mere spectator — there is no denying that the UEFA Champions League 2016/17 left its mark. For more detailed match analysis, follow JustSports24 to stay up-to-date with all the latest football news.
