UEFA Champions League

Following Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United in Premier League action on Monday, we finally got down to business. Despite there being no official word on the start date of the newly formed European Super League, we do know that the league is now official and our worst dreams have been realized.

The cat is out of the bag as 12 “leading European clubs” have thrown it all away in pursuit of securing the most gluttonous bag in the history of football. It’s difficult to see these historic institutions — Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan among them — as football clubs at this point; they’re self-serving vehicles of greed that operate as welfare for billionaires. We should amend the “FC” abbreviation on these clubs’ names accordingly.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, you're aware of the biggest disgrace in the history of this sport. 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced plans to create their own European Super League.

Fans, former players and others vehemently denounced the situation with some seeing the move as the beginning of the end for the sport.

MANCHESTER, England - European soccer's governing body UEFA on Monday said clubs and players joining a proposed breakaway Super League could be banned from all of its competitions and the World Cup as it condemned a "disgraceful and self-serving proposal.”

Addressing an emergency meeting the day after 12 of Europe's top clubs announced the breakaway, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin upped the ante, describing the Super League plan as a "spit in the face" of all football lovers.

Paris Saint-Germain ended Lyon’s five-year reign as European champions as they progressed to the women's Champions League semifinals on away goals after securing a 2-1 win on Sunday.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg in Paris, Lyon doubled their advantage inside four minutes when Catarina Macario found the net from close range, before PSG midfielder Grace Geyoro equalized in the 25th minute.

Macario goal, Cascarino assist pic.twitter.com/odmoTqUY0O

Manchester City's Phil Foden has parted ways with a social media company handling his accounts after they posted a controversial tweet calling out Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe when both teams qualified for the Champions League semi-finals.

Foden sealed victory with a late goal in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund as City progressed to the semifinals where they will meet PSG, who knocked out holders Bayern Munich on away goals a day earlier.

Porto scored the goal of the competition during Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg. If you’re looking for the other Chelsea vs. Porto highlights, I’m afraid to tell you that there isn’t much to see. 

The Blues advanced to their first Champions League semifinal in seven years despite Porto winning 1-0 on the night. Chelsea advanced 2-1 on aggregate. 

To provide a taste of how riveting the affair was, here’s a highlight of the first shot on target … in the 64th minute.

Borussia Dortmund’s Edin Terzić and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola promised not to sit on any advantage in Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg at Signal Iduna Park, but both were alternately guilty of doing just that in a tumultuous match that was ultimately decided by two second-half goals from the Premier League champion-elect. 

But 40 minutes following Jude Bellingham’s marvelous opener for the home side, Borussia Dortmund genuinely believed. 

Real Madrid entered the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals with a two-goal advantage. Los Blancos played as if they had an even larger cushion, looking comfortable and professional — even boring at times — in a 0-0 draw to complete a 3-1 aggregate victory over Liverpool on Wednesday at Anfield.