Tyler Adams was given 27 minutes to rescue RB Leipzig. Brought on by Julian Nagelsmann in the 63rd minute, his side already trailing by three goals, the New Yorker was hoping to make an immediate impact.
His initial contribution, however, was to play horsey-ride with PSG megastar Neymar.
Lautaro Martinez played chief tormentor as Inter Milan claimed an emphatic 5-0 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the Europa League final and come closer to a first title in nine years on Monday.
Argentine striker Martinez, who scored twice, was the pinnacle of a perfect tactical display as Antonio Conte's team set up a clash with five-time champions Sevilla, also thanks to a goal by Danilo D'Ambrosio and a Romelu Lukaku brace.
Shakhtar had their share of possession but failed to threaten a compact Inter side, who eventually completely overwhelmed their opponents.
Sevilla’s quest for a record-extending sixth Europa League crown continues after LaLiga’s fourth-place finisher defeated Manchester United 2-1 on Sunday. United took an early lead through Bruno Fernandes’ customary penalty, but Sevilla overturned the deficit with goals from the unlikely duo of Suso and Luuk de Jong.
Missing a Borussia Dortmund match in 2020-21 is going to be a form of sacrilege. We already knew, heading into last season, that Jadon Sancho was a pièce de résistance sort of footballer capable of uplifting your weekend. By January, Erling Haaland had proclaimed himself as Paul Bunyan’s only begotten son, increasing the joy of having BVB on your television set.
This was supposed to be the year for Manchester City. Having seen Liverpool run away with the Premier League title, Pep Guardiola’s side focused on the Champions League. The Citizens saw off Real Madrid in the Round of 16 and seemingly had an easy path to the semifinals after Lyon stunning Juventus.
But with just the seventh-place Ligue 1 side in its path, Manchester City once again stumbled in the Champions League.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said radical changes were needed from top to bottom after his side were annihilated 8-2 by Bayern Munich on Friday to exit the Champions League in one of the Catalan side's darkest ever nights.
"We feel devastated, although shame is the real word I'm looking for. We cannot afford to compete like this because it's not the first, the second or the third time that something like this has happened," a tearful Pique told reporters after the quarter-final drubbing, their worst ever result in Europe.
It’s impossible to forget Germany’s epic six-goal beatdown of Brazil at the 2014 World Cup. But for those who missed it, the first half of the Barcelona-Bayern Munich Champions League quarterfinal on Friday was a pretty good reenactment.
Bayern Munich relentlessly breached Barcelona’s vulnerable defense en route to a 4-1 halftime lead in Lisbon, stunning a Blaugrana side not used to facing such an onslaught.
Paris Saint-Germain’s last three European odysseys could largely be boiled down into a series of infamous images that haunted the club’s every waking moment.
In 2016-17, La Remontada gave us Messi lording over the Camp Nou…
And the cursed image of Ángel Di María shushing the ground prior to Barça’s three-goal haul in the final seven minutes of the match.
We admit, it’s easy to shit on Neymar; he’s the opposite of the hard-nosed player fawned over by traditional English media.
He dances, he taunts, he teases, he flaunts. But on Wednesday, he also inspired.
Diego Valeri set up two goals to help the Portland Timbers beat Orlando City 2-1 in the MLS Is Back Tournament Final on Tuesday in Orlando, Florida. Valeri’s delightful set pieces guided the Timbers to just their second ever major trophy — assuming you consider this a major trophy.