Category: Champions League

Reyna deletes comment on Bellingham Instagram post after backlash

Some Dortmund fans didn’t take kindly to Reyna’s comment on his friend’s post

Gio Reyna has deleted a comment on Jude Bellingham’s Instagram in the wake of Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s Champions League final.

Madrid star Bellingham posted a series of celebratory images after winning his first European title, with the caption: “CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!! Siempre HALA MADRID!”

In the comments section, Reyna responded with three white heart emojis.

On one hand, the U.S. national team star’s response made perfect sense: Reyna and Bellingham are close from their time playing together with Dortmund, as the England midfielder even said last month that Reyna is his best friend outside of Real Madrid.

On the other hand, some Dortmund fans were perturbed by Reyna — at least in some way — appearing to celebrate Madrid’s victory in the final over his own team.

Reyna spent the first half of the 2023-24 season with Dortmund, making two appearances in the club’s Champions League campaign before a midseason loan switch to Nottingham Forest.

After a disappointing loan in England, Reyna will return to Dortmund ahead of the 2024-25 campaign with his future very much in the air.

Perhaps in response to the backlash, or with the hope of avoiding a greater one, Reyna eventually deleted the comment.

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Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund: How to watch UEFA Champions League final, TV channel, live stream

The biggest match in club soccer will see Real Madrid heavy favorites to win a 15th Champions League title

The biggest prize in club soccer is here, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund battling in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday.

The contrast between the clubs couldn’t be more stark. Real Madrid has lifted the Champions League trophy 14 times over the years, including five times since 2014. Carlo Ancelotti’s side won this year’s La Liga crown, and is often discussed as the masters of knockout play.

Dortmund, meanwhile, finished fifth in the 2023-24 Bundesliga, and has reached just two Champions League finals in its history. Die Schwarzgelben have won Europe’s biggest club competition just once, all the way back in 1997.

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For los Merengues, goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is the biggest doubt, having contracted an illness earlier in the week, with Thibaut Courtois likely to start as a result. Aurélien Tchouameni (foot) and David Alaba (knee) are also unavailable due to injury.

Dortmund, meanwhile, faces a question over forward Sébastien Haller, who has only recently returned to training after an ankle injury made him unavailable for several late-season Bundesliga matches.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund (Champions League final)

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Even Toni Kroos admits Bayern Munich got screwed at Real Madrid

The Madrid star said Bayern had a legitimate gripe over a late disallowed goal

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has criticized referees for a vital decision that went in his side’s favor during last week’s Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich.

After a stunning Madrid comeback, Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt appeared to have equalized the second leg at 2-2 when he scored deep into stoppage time.

But the assistant referee raised his flag for offside and head official Szymon Marciniak blew his whistle before the ball went in. Because play was stopped prior to the goal, there was no chance for a VAR review.

Real Madrid went on to win the match 2-1, advancing to the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund via a 4-3 aggregate score.

Bayern players and coach Thomas Tuchel fumed after the match, correctly pointing out that the referees’ action was against protocol that instructs officials to let a sequence play out if there is a borderline offside call.

On the podcast he hosts with his brother Felix, even Kroos admitted that Bayern had a legitimate gripe.

“It’s bad handling. You have to let play continue,” the Germany international said. “I think the mistake is primarily the linesman’s.”

“If he raises the flag now, the referee assumes that his linesman sees it exactly that way and trusts him that it was probably three meters offside,” Kroos added. “The anger is justified because you just have to play the situation to the end, 100%.”

Kroos also said that he was unsure if De Ligt would have actually scored if there were no whistle, because Madrid’s players switched off as soon as they heard it.

“I don’t know if there was a collective switching off because you could hear the whistle very early,” Kroos said. “You could tell the tension dropped among everyone who wanted to defend this goal.”

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UEFA names Slavko Vincic as Champions League final referee

It will be the first Champions League final for the experienced Slovenian official

UEFA has announced that Slavko Vinčić will referee the 2023-24 Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.

It will be the first Champions League final for the Slovenian, who previously officiated the 2021-22 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers.

Vinčić has been an international referee since 2010, and has plenty of experience at the top levels of the club and international game.

The 44-year-old refereed at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, and is on the list of officials for the upcoming Euro 2024.

Vinčić has already taken charge of seven games in this season’s Champions League, including the quarterfinal second leg between Dortmund and Atlético Madrid, and the last-16 second leg between Bayern Munich and Lazio.

Vinčić will be joined by fellow Slovenians Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič as assistant referees, and Nejc Kajtazović as the VAR.

Dortmund and Real Madrid will face off at Wembley Stadium in London on June 1.

2024 Champions League final referees

Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SLO)
Assistants: Tomaž Klančnik & Andraž Kovačič (SLO)
Fourth Official: François Letexier (FRA)
Reserve AR: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
VAR: Nejc Kajtazović (SLO)
Assistant VAR: Rade Obrenović (SLO)
VAR Support: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)

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Tuchel rages after late Bayern goal disallowed in Champions League: ‘It’s the wrong call’

Tuchel slated the referees over waving off De Ligt’s seeming equalizer

Bayern Munich was left flabbergasted by a late call in its Champions League semifinal defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.

Over 13 minutes into second-half stoppage time in a dramatic second leg, Matthijs de Ligt appeared to have scored a staggering equalizer.

However, referee Szymon Marciniak chalked the goal off, drawing intense disagreement from Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel.

“To raise the flag in a situation like this, where you can never, never, never be sure that this is offside, to raise — to have the balls, to have the guts, to raise the flag in a situation like this — is a huge call, and it’s the wrong call,” seethed Tuchel in a post-match press conference.

“The referee has the chance, when he sees that we win the second ball and we win the rebound and we get a shot away within five seconds, he has the chance not to whistle. He takes the decision to whistle, it’s against every rule.”

Tuchel: Call ‘would not have happened’ to Real Madrid

A long ball forward put Real under pressure, and a knockdown header from Thomas Müller set De Ligt up to fire home, seemingly equalizing the scores at 4-4 and setting up extra time.

However, in a game that had already seen a stunning comeback for los Merengues, the last turn of the tale was the wildest: assistant referee Tomasz Listkiewicz lifted his flag to signal offside rather than following the current IFAB directive to let the sequence play out, and Marciniak blew his whistle in agreement.

By rule, Marciniak’s whistle coming so early prevented any VAR check, meaning any chance for Bayern’s goal to be given — much in the same way that Real’s winning goal from Joselu was — was dashed in an instant.

Joselu’s stoppage-time winner came on a sequence that was initially called back for offside, but in that sequence Marciniak held his whistle until the ball crossed the line. As such, VAR could check the call, eventually overturning the initial decision and awarding Real what turned out to be an utterly crucial goal.

For Tuchel, the call went beyond a mistake, with the German coach intimating that Madrid got special treatment.

“I’m sorry. We accept we lost. It is what it is, but just…that [call] would not have happened on the other side.”

Nonetheless, Real will go on to June 1’s Champions League final at Wembley, with Borussia Dortmund the opponent.

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‘Pray for RS’ – Rodrygo reveals shirt with message for Brazil flood victims

The Madrid star showed support for his home country amid devastating flooding

After narrowly missing a first-half chance against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, Real Madrid forward Rodrygo lifted up his jersey in frustration.

Underneath, there was another shirt with a message: “Pray for RS”

The shirt was meant to be revealed in a goal celebration, but the Brazil international nonetheless showed his support for his home country amid devastating floods.

Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, with officials saying that at least 100 people have been killed so far. A further 128 people are missing, per authorities.

More storms are expected on Wednesday, with more than 230,000 people already displaced by the floods.

Madrid staged a dramatic late comeback to win the second leg 2-1, advancing to the Champions League final by a 4-3 aggregate scoreline.

Watch Rodrygo reveal ‘Pray for RS’ shirt

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Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: How to watch Champions League, TV channel, live stream

The European powers clash in Madrid with a spot in the final on the line

Real Madrid will host Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg on Wednesday, with a spot in the final on the line.

The match is perfectly poised after the two sides played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Munich last week.

Bayern looked set to take a lead back to the Spanish capital as it led 2-1 thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Leroy Sané. But Vinícius Jr. completed his brace with a late penalty to send Madrid back home level.

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Madrid is coming off a weekend in which it clinched the La Liga title, with Carlo Ancelotti resting some key players in a 3-0 win over Cádiz. Bayern, meanwhile, defeated Union Berlin 5-1, maintaining a two-point lead over Stuttgart in the race for second place in the Bundesliga.

The winner of this tie will advance to the final, where they’ll face Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on June 1.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich (Champions League)

  • When: Wednesday, May 8
  • Where: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid)
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: CBS, Univision, TUDN, ViX, Paramount+ (WATCH NOW)

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PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund: How to watch Champions League, TV channel, live stream

The first spot in the Champions League final will be decided on Tuesday

The first spot in the UEFA Champions League final will be decided on Tuesday when Borussia Dortmund faces PSG in the second leg of the semifinal.

Dortmund secured a 1-0 win at home in last week’s first leg, with Niclas Füllkrug’s goal giving the Bundesliga side a slim advantage heading into the second leg in Paris.

That sets up a potentially dramatic night at Parc des Princes, as PSG continues its quest for a first ever Champions League title ahead of Kylian Mbappé’s expected departure to Real Madrid in the summer.

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PSG comes into this match having enjoyed the weekend off from Ligue 1 play, while Dortmund played a heavily rotated side on Saturday but still managed to hammer Augsburg 5-1.

The winner of this tie will face the winner of the other semifinal between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid on June 1 in the final.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund (Champions League)

  • When: Tuesday, May 7
  • Where: Parc des Princes (Paris)
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Univision, TUDN, ViX, Paramount+ (WATCH NOW)

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Borussia Dortmund vs. PSG: How to watch Champions League, TV channel, live stream

The German side hosts the first leg as the Champions League nears its climax

PSG will travel to face Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League semifinal.

Both teams memorably beat La Liga opposition in the quarterfinal, with PSG coming back to overcome Barcelona and Dortmund doing the same against Atlético Madrid.

These sides have already met twice in this competition this season, having been drawn together in the group stage. PSG beat Dortmund 2-0 at home before the teams played out a 1-1 draw in Germany.

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PSG comes into this matchup having just clinched another Ligue 1 title over the weekend. Dortmund, meanwhile, is down to fifth place in the Bundesliga after a 4-1 defeat to RB Leipzig over the weekend.

The winner of this tie will advance to the final, where they’ll face the winner of the other semifinal between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. A repeat of the all-German final between Bayern and Dortmund in 2013 could beckon.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Borussia Dortmund vs. PSG (Champions League)

  • When: Wednesday, May 1
  • Where: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund)
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: CBS, Univision, TUDN, ViX, Paramount+ (WATCH NOW)

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Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid: How to watch Champions League, TV channel, live stream

The German giants will look to salvage a disappointing season in Europe’s biggest competition

Bayern Munich will look to salvage a disappointing season when it takes on Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semifinal.

The Bavarians will host the first leg on Tuesday, aiming to take an advantage heading back to the Spanish capital ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg.

Bayern has already lost its Bundesliga crown to Bayer Leverkusen, and was stunned in the German cup against third-tier Saarbrücken. Failure to win the Champions League, then, would mean the rarest of events: a trophy-less season in Munich.

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Bayern will have a number of key players either missing through injury or facing a late fitness test, which won’t make things easy against the Spanish giants.

Madrid is cruising toward a La Liga title, and is aiming to complete a double by taking back the Champions League title that Manchester City clinched last season.

The winner of this tie will advance to the final, where they’ll face the winner of the other semifinal between Borussia Dortmund and PSG.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid (Champions League)

  • When: Tuesday, April 30
  • Where: Allianz Arena (Munich)
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: CBS, Univision, TUDN, ViX, Paramount+ (WATCH NOW)

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