Category: Champions League

Ronald Araujo didn’t appreciate Ilkay Gundogan’s assessment of his red card

The defender does not seem happy with his Barcelona teammate

Ronald Araujo has offered a terse response to his Barcelona teammate İlkay Gündoğan’s assessment of his red card in a Champions League defeat to PSG on Tuesday.

With Barça up 4-2 on aggregate, Araujo was sent off 30 minutes into Tuesday’s second leg — a moment that ended up completely turning the quarterfinal tie on its head.

The Uruguayan fouled PSG’s Bradley Barcola, who was closing in on goal. Referee Istvan Kovacs deemed that Araujo had denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity, showing a red card.

Barcelona would completely fall apart after Araujo’s sending off, conceding four goals in a row to lose 4-1 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate.

Gündoğan didn’t mince words speaking to CBS Sports after the game, saying that Araujo would have been better off simply letting Barcola go rather than committing a costly foul.

Araujo appeared Thursday at an event promoting a book for charity, and was asked about the red card as well as his teammate’s response.

“I’m sad, like all culés (Barcelona fans), for the elimination,” he said. “We wanted to qualify. We had it in our hand and there is sadness. It was a play that was 50-50. If the referee doesn’t call a foul, nothing happens. But if he called it, he had to send me off. As a culé, it hurts.”

On Gündoğan, he added: “I prefer to keep what I think to myself. I have codes and values ​​that must be respected.”

What did Gundogan say?

“Disappointed, very disappointed actually because we were in such a good position. Not just after the first leg, after the first goal we scored. Everything was in our hands and we just gave it away in the most simple manner. We just gave it to PSG and that’s the most disappointing thing,” the Germany international told CBS Sports.

“If he fouled him, I guess it’s a red card. I haven’t seen the replay. Difficult to say, in these kind of crucial moments you need to be sure to get the ball, and if you don’t get it — and I don’t know if he touched the ball or not — you have to stay away. I’d prefer to concede the goal there or give the striker a one-v-one even though he played the ball quite far, so I don’t even know if he’d be able to reach the ball.

“But given the opportunity, maybe let the goalkeeper save us or even concede a goal because to go down one man and get a red card so early in the game just kills the game.”

[lawrence-related id=61571,61614,61728]

Champions League matches to go ahead after ISIS threats

A media channel linked to the terrorist group called for attacks on four stadiums this week

All four UEFA Champions League matches this week are set to go ahead, despite alleged threats from terrorist group ISIS.

A media outlet linked to ISIS has called for attacks on the venues for all four quarterfinal first legs.

In a statement to several media outlets, UEFA said it was aware of the threats but the matches would proceed as planned.

“UEFA is aware of alleged terrorist threats made towards this week’s UEFA Champions League matches and is closely liaising with the authorities at the respective venues,” the governing body said. “All matches are planned to go ahead as scheduled with appropriate security arrangements in place.”

The four games will take place across three cities this week, with two games in Madrid and one each in Paris and London.

Real Madrid hosts Manchester City and Arsenal hosts Bayern Munich on Tuesday, while Atlético Madrid faces Borussia Dortmund and PSG will take on Barcelona on Wednesday.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said security would be “considerably reinforced” for PSG’s match against Barcelona at Parc des Princes.

“I will remind you that only 10 days ago, [ISIS] shared a picture of the Munich stadium and said action should be taken against sports venues that host football games — although all sports can be targeted. Given how important the Champions League is for football, we are of course talking to our partners,” Darmanin told the media.

London police’s deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan said in a statement: “We’re aware of online and media reports in relation to calls to target matches across Europe and here in London.”

“However, I want to reassure the public that we have a robust policing plan in place for tonight’s match and we continue to work closely alongside the club’s security team to ensure that the match passes peacefully.”

In Spain, government spokesperson Pilar Alegria said more than 2,000 police officers would be deployed to boost security in Madrid for the two matches.

[lawrence-related id=29589,29340,29823]

PSV’s USMNT trio made some history in a bad night at Arsenal

For the first time ever, three U.S. internationals shared the same UEFA Champions League pitch

For the first time ever, three U.S. internationals played in the same UEFA Champions League game. That is an accomplishment worth celebrating. As for the game itself? Much less so.

PSV trio Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi all shared the field on Wednesday, but the Dutch side was blown away in a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal to kick off both teams’ group-stage campaigns.

Dest played the full match, while Tillman came on midway through the second half and Pepi was introduced in second-half stoppage time.

In particular, it was a rough night for Dest, who tried and mostly failed to contain Bukayo Saka on the right side of Arsenal’s attack. The first and third goal for the Gunners could at least partially be blamed on Dest.

First, he completely switched off and allowed Saka to run past him and score on a rebound.

Dest would later get sucked inside and was unable to close down Gabriel Jesus quickly enough, as the Brazilian had plenty of time to take a touch and fire home Arsenal’s third goal.

After the game, PSV head coach Peter Bosz admitted that Arsenal’s superior quality was the difference, adding that his team did not defend well in its own box.

“[Our players] worked, they played with the ball, but the difference in quality was too great,” Bosz said.

“I’m willing to take a critical look at myself. They defended well in their box, we did not in ours. Then you run into a major defeat. If we play more at this level more, we’ll learn from these mistakes. I hope we can see that in the second leg in December, against the best team in the group and one of the best teams in the world.”

PSV will also face Lens and Sevilla in a difficult Group B.

[lawrence-related id=27344,28776,28685]

Musah: AC Milan ‘angry’ with Newcastle draw: ‘We had to win’

Milan outshot the Premier League side 25-6 but still had to settle for a point at home

Yunus Musah has admitted that AC Milan is “angry” after a frustrating 0-0 draw against Newcastle to open the Champions League group stage.

Milan squandered a host of chances at San Siro on Tuesday, as poor finishing and some good saves from Nick Pope combined to keep the Rossoneri off the scoresheet.

Musah turned in an impressive cameo for Milan, coming off the bench after 72 minutes when Ruben Loftus-Cheek went off injured.

Speaking to Sky Italia after the game, Musah said that failing to win at home will not go down well with his team, especially in a group that also contains Borussia Dortmund and PSG.

“There is a lot of anger over not finding the goal, in a match like this at home we had to win,” the U.S. men’s national team midfielder said.

Milan would outshoot the Premier League side 25-6 and won the expected goals battle 2.1 to 0.2, but still had to settle for a point at home.

Though the team’s result fell short of expectations, Musah’s individual performance was strong. With Loftus-Cheek now injured, the 20-year-old could be in line for his first Milan start on Saturday in a Serie A match against Verona.

“I have to learn and work hard to have a place [in the team],” Musah said. “I always try to be ready to play, then if [head coach Stefano] Pioli gives me the opportunity I will take it.

“I’ve been feeling very good since the first day I arrived, it’s very nice to play in this club. Choosing Italy was easy for me.”

[lawrence-related id=28644,28489,27493]

Lazio goalkeeper Provedel scores stoppage-time equalizer in Champions League like seasoned striker

Provedel looks like the best goalscoring goalkeeper in the Champions League

Are we sure Ivan Provedel is a goalkeeper?

The Lazio man looked for all the world like a natural striker as he came up to score an amazing stoppage-time equalizer for the Roman side in a 1-1 Champions League draw with Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.

The stunning late show earned Lazio a potentially crucial point in Group E, while also denying group favorites Atléti the chance to start running away with things from matchday one.

It was also, you know, a goalkeeper goal, in stoppage time, in the Champions League, so it obviously got people talking. Provedel is the first goalkeeper to score in the Champions League since Vincent Enyeama in 2010, and only the second to score from something other than other than a penalty kick. He joins Sinan Bolat, who did it for Standard Liège in 2009.

Here are the best of the reactions.

Wasteful AC Milan lets Newcastle off the hook

The Rossoneri were dominant on the stat sheet, but couldn’t make their control of the match pay off

Just one game into the Champions League, and AC Milan is already on the back foot.

Despite controlling the match at San Siro, the Rossoneri were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home against Newcastle on Tuesday.

Making its first Champions League appearance since 2002-03, Newcastle turned in a strong defensive effort that was boosted by some poor finishing from the home side.

With Borussia Dortmund and PSG also in Group F, missing a chance at maximum points at home will be a difficult way for Milan to start off its Champions League campaign.

Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both entered the game as second-half substitutes, with Musah proving the more effective of the U.S. national team pair, but neither was able to provide a match-deciding contribution.

In a first half where it outshot Newcastle 15-2, Milan should have taken the lead through Rafael Leão, who did everything right before making an ill-advised decision to try a backheel after crafting a shooting chance.

It would get no better in the second half for Milan, which still wasn’t able to find a way past Nick Pope in the Newcastle goal. The final stats showed total domination from the Rossoneri, but no separation when it came to the one stat that truly matters.

To make things worse for Milan, both goalkeeper Mike Maignan and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek went off injured. Musah looked lively when he replaced Loftus-Cheek in the 72nd minute, with the USMNT midfielder now potentially looking at a more prominent role in the England man’s absence.

[lawrence-related id=28489,28404,27609]

USMNT left back Vines left off Antwerp Champions League roster — by mistake

This was a big oops

When Sam Vines was left off Royal Antwerp’s Champions League roster for the upcoming group stage, it appeared that his recent injury must have been serious.

Vines started the 2023-24 season well, scoring an excellent goal from distance against Union Saint-Gilloise in league play last weekend before leaving the match with an injury.

But the truth of why Vines won’t play in the Champions League is actually much stranger.

As Antwerp head coach Mark van Bommel revealed at a press conference on Thursday, Vines was omitted from the roster by mistake.

“We have made an administrative error and it cannot be corrected,” Van Bommel said.

The coach added that although Vines is injured, he is expected to be fit at some point during the group stage.

“Everyone wants to be on that list, so he is disappointed,” Van Bommel said. “Sam is now recovering and we cannot estimate how long he will be out, but he should be fit before the end of the group stage.”

Van Bommel added: “He is now focusing on his rehabilitation, that is the most important thing.”

Missing the chance to face Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto in the Champions League will be a major blow for Vines, who was also forced out of contention for a World Cup roster spot last year due to a broken leg.

Vines would return in March and made a handful of appearances for the club’s reserves, before he was reintegrated into the senior team ahead of the current season.

[lawrence-related id=27344,27456,27241]

U.S. U-17 goalkeeper Diego Kochen makes Barcelona Champions League squad

A USYNT player to watch made Barça’s Champions League roster

U.S. youth national team goalkeeper Diego Kochen is one to watch.

Just ask Barcelona, who included the 17-year-old in its 27-player squad for the upcoming Champions League group stage.

The Miami native, who is a dual national eligible for the U.S. and Peru, is one of eight players who are currently playing for either Barcelona’s “B” team Barça Atlètic or the club’s U-19 squad.

Kochen has been in the mix for the first team this season. Kochen has been in uniform for each of Barça’s last three league matches, though due to availability and registration issues, he has not been the only back-up goalkeeper on the bench for any of those matches.

That said, with Barcelona finally able to register Iñaki Peña — Marc-André ter Stegen’s projected back-up this season — Kochen still dressed for Sunday’s 2-1 win at Osasuna. That builds on a good end to the season for Kochen, who trained with Barcelona’s first team last May.

Barça still pulling levers is good news for Kochen

Despite being home to La Masia, long lauded as one of world soccer’s most productive academies, Barcelona is having to get creative to put together its Champions League squad.

UEFA allows Champions League participants to include up to 25 players on “List A,” which is what most people would think of as the team’s actual roster for the tournament. Of that group, eight must meet requirements to be listed as “locally trained,” of whom four must have spent at least three seasons between the ages of 15-21 at the club.

Barça’s problem is that they can’t meet that requirement, and UEFA’s punishment is to reduce the number of spots a team has on List A as a result. As such, Barcelona submitted a List A with just 19 players, with the rest on List B.

Here is the full description from UEFA on what makes a player eligible to be included on a squad list as part of List B:

A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after 1 January 2002 and since his 15th birthday has been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years, or a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year. Players aged 16 may be registered on List B if they have been registered with the participating club for the previous two years without interruption.

Kochen, who made his move to Barcelona’s youth system in July 2019, is thus eligible for inclusion.

All of which is to say that while Barça still has a long way to go to get its house in working order financially, and that its apparent win-now mentality has restricted openings for youth players, Kochen is still managing to find a way to get reps with the first team in training, and be in uniform on matchdays.

[lawrence-related id=19447,27241,27111]

Champions League group stage draw: USMNT stars into group of death

The results for the U.S. contingent could have been friendlier

The 2023-24 UEFA Champions League is coming into view.

Thursday’s group stage draw saw 32 sides placed into eight groups of four, with play officially starting on September 19. The group stage will run through December 13.

For the USMNT players that are in the mix, the results are not exactly the most agreeable. Group F will see three of the most prominent U.S. players — Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic with AC Milan, and Gio Reyna at Borussia Dortmund — dealing with what is arguably this year’s group of death. Their clubs will go up against Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle, a potentially bruising group in which every team has a strong claim at a place in the knockout rounds.

That trend holds to some degree for the other Americans. Brenden Aaronson and Union Berlin ended up in Group C with Napoli and Real Madrid, while PSV’s trio of USMNT regulars will go up against Arsenal and Sevilla in Group B.

Elsewhere, the draw has ended with a mix of tough assignments and favorable results. Bayern Munich and Manchester United were paired up in Group A, while Manchester City will be expected to come through Group G without much difficulty.

Here are the full results of the Champions League group stage draw:

USMNT players in UEFA Champions League 2023-24

11 U.S. players are in the world’s biggest club competition

There was once a time where a U.S. men’s national team player being on a Champions League squad list — even if they might have no shot at playing in any actual games — was a very big deal.

It’s safe to say those days are gone, with no fewer than 11 U.S. players on the books for clubs that qualified for this year’s competition.

Sure, in some cases the player in question is probably a major longshot to even dress on gameday, but between Christian Pulisic’s sublime start to life at AC Milan and a USMNT trio at PSV, USMNT fans are likely going to be watching games on multiple screens just to keep up.

Here is the complete list of U.S. men’s players to make it to this year’s Champions League proper: