Group Stage Drama
The stage of the UEFA Champions League will always tell you about the general excitement and expectations of fans. The 32 teams were divided into eight groups as each team played to book their tickets for the knockout stages. A few of the big teams had established themselves right from the early days while some others were in unexpected positions.
1) Bayern Munich:The reigning champions won fairly decisively, as favorites from the onset. They showed their skills, joining the tournament as an undefeated team 5-0 in six matches during the group stage. It sent a message loud and clear that, with Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller, etc still firing on all cylinders, Bayern was the team to beat.
Group Stages – Real Madrid Poor Start:Arguably the shock story of the group stage was how badly Real Madrid got on. Real Madrid rode their luck to avoid crashing out after a shaky start but ultimately topped the group thanks to crucial victories over Borussia Mönchengladbach and (both) Inter Milan.
Steady progress for Liverpool: Not much went right in domestic games, yet European competition brought out the best of Liverpool. Despite key injuries to a number of their players, they comfortably won their group.
Shocking Results: Teams such as Atalanta and Borussia Mönchengladbach turned their league form into knockout stage performances.
Knockout Stage — Do Or Die Matches
The meaning of the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League 2020/21. This entire season has seen a lot of drama, comebacks, and action unfold.
Round of 16
The most notable other game was PSG vs Barcelona, a fixture that many had highlighted ahead of time as one likely to be much more evenly contested.
Revenge from PSG: Two years after their famous comeback in 2017, Barcelona had still not paid the visit to die by its consequences. They were more measured on this occasion, emerging as 4-1 victors at Camp Nou with a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappé. The second leg in Paris finished 1-1 also which saw Barcelona knocked out and PSG through to the quarterfinals.
Porto 2-1 Juventus: Another shock happened yesterday in the early part of the Champions League Round of 16-Premiership Nigeria from this morning hash.porto931,stdoutPremiership Panama from last night [Games] Where to find Porto vs. A 2-1 win in the first leg put Porto into a promising position, and while they needed an away goal to edge out Ronaldo & Co. on aggregate after falling at Juventus Stadium by that scoreline, needing yet another offensive masterclass from ageless wonder Pepe was probably never part of manager Sérgio Conceição’s preferred scenario.
Quarter-Finals: UEFA Champions League 2020/21
The quarter-finals were played out and there was some breathtaking football on show as the tournament moved towards its conclusion. The former encounter was a repeat of the 2020 final with reigning champions Bayern Munich playing PSG and also Liverpool rekindled their high-octane history with Real Madrid.
PSG 3-2 Bayern Munich (Agg: 3-3, PSG win on away goals): One of the best series of this season sees PSG move past the holders and into another final four. Provided by Sporting News Bayern rallied in the second leg to win 1-0 in Paris, but PSG’s away-goal advantage guaranteed progression following a 3-2 success in Munich. Neymar and Mbappé were instrumental as PSG advanced to the semi-finals, where they are looking for their maiden Champions League triumph.
Real Madrid 3, Liverpool 1: Real Madrid used its experience to wear down the home side and advance on aggregate. The Spanish giants convincingly won the first leg 3-1 at home, before securing their place in the last four with a hard-fought goalless draw at Anfield.
Semi-Finals: UEFA Champions League 2020/21
The semi-finals then pitted four of Europe’s giants against one another in a bid to reach the showpiece.
Manchester City 2, PSG 0: It was the first UCL final for Pep Guardiola and Man City. Their opponents PSG were just as desperate for European glory. The decisive advantage came their way in February as they were beaten 2-1 on the night at Wembley and it was more of the same when City visited for6, with a response from Raheem Sterling securing a second-half win. Ballon D’or Riyad Mahrez was the savior for City with goals in both games as they made their first-ever UEFA Champions League 2020/21 final.
The other semi-final saw Chelsea face Real Madrid. Thomas Tuchel faced a tough Chelsea defense and they did enough to win 3-1 on aggregate. Timo Werner and Mason Mount were among the goals as a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in the second leg secured their passage to Baku, who had already dumped Atletico Madrid out of the competition.
Final: Chelsea vs Manchester City [Chelsea Win]
The 2020/21 UEFA Champions League final was played on May 29, 2021, at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto (Portugal). A meeting of two Premier League giants, in an all-English final between Manchester City and Chelsea. City were the pre-match favorites, but it was Chelsea who held all tactical aces having won two of their past three league meetings against City.
The defense of Chelsea was the main figure again. Indeed, despite the high press of City, it was Chelsea who looked more likely to find an opening in their rivals’ backline. Chelsea took the lead in the 42nd minute when Kai Havertz rounded Ederson to net the only goal of the game.
The City exerted all the pressure for an equalizer but none was to come as Chelsea held on. N’Golo Kanté was the man-of-the-match, as he broke up play and neutralized City’s dangermen. In the end, Chelsea were crowned champions for a second time in their history — nine years after collecting their first Champions League trophy.
Key Players of the Tournament
Top player — 2020/21 UEFA Champions League
Kylian Mbappé (PS PSG):The French superstar was on fire in the entire tournament, most especially against both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea): A midfield dynamo and played a crucial role in Chelsea’s triumph, delivering world-class displays at the semi-final & final.
Conclusion
One of the most captivating campaigns in recent years ensued, as Chelsea achieved European glory and Manchester City missed out on it by a whisker with PSG still trying to win their first title. Now that the dust has settled fans of justsports24 are already looking forward to next year’s contest, dreaming of more drama and football magic moments.
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