Tottenham were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday in disappointing style.
The North London club were faced with European giants Juventus and secured a widely praised 2-2 performance in Turin.
This result meant that they were the favourites going into their home leg.
They started the game well, showing early signs of threat to Juventus.
And things got even better for Spurs with Son scuffing a shot home to give them the lead.
Son scored midway through the first half, but Tottenham failed to hold on to their lead.
Tottenham were looking comfortable, sixty four minutes in, with Juventus needing a two-goal mountain to progress.
However, the Italian side, with heaps of Champions League experience managed to turn it around.
Tottenham, having evidently lost concentration allowed Juventus to score twice in the space of just three minutes.
The game seemed lost from then on, as the London club couldn’t create an equaliser.
Not to be hard on the Spurs team, but despite all the attention they’re getting they’re failing to progress in cup competitions and are not challenging for the title.
Real Madrid became the first team to win the Champions League two seasons running by beating Juventus 4-1 in the final.
There was a big sense of expectation and hope as both teams were led out on to the pitch. But one man we thought we would see was not there after Zidane chose Isco instead of Bale.
Juventus started well, but Real soon took back control.
Ronaldo’s goal put the Spanish side in front, and Juventus into shock after their bright start.
However, the experience of Juve’s backline spurred them on to an equaliser.
Sandro fired in a cross which Higuain laid off to Mandzukic who, with his back to goal, looped the ball over Keylor Navas to level the scoreline and score one of the best Champions League final goals.
Incredible skill: Mandzukic’s overhead kick.
Real Madrid dominated in the second half, with Casemiro’s long-range deflected shot putting them in front again before Ronaldo scored his second of the day from Modric’s cross.
Juventus’ final got even worse as Juan Cuadrado, a substitute, was sent off for a second caution and young forward Asensio scored late on to make Real Madrid Champions of Europe once more.
Arsenal won the FA Cup in an all-London derby against a disappointing Chelsea team.
Arsenal got an early lead thanks to Alexis Sanchez’s goal inside five minutes. Chelsea’s fans and players appealed against the goal after the ball had hit Sanchez’s hand in the build-up, but Anthony Taylor was unmoved. Initially the goal had been ruled out for offside, however, when Taylor had a word with the linesman, he correctly told him that although Ramsay was offside, he didn’t actually touch the ball and the goal was given.
Chelsea looked like a completely different team to the one we saw this season as Arsenal had chance after chance with Chelsea still struggling to get into the game.
Sanchez was really running the show as the Gunners went into half-time happy.
The next bit of drama was Moses’ red card… the Nigerian ran into the box and dived. The ref gave him a yellow and his FA Cup final was over.
Diego Costa’s deflected goal got Chelsea back on track, but Arsenal struck back with a goal a few minutes later.
Substitute Giroud sent in a hopeful cross which Aaron Ramsey turned into the net and got Arsenal celebrating again.
Delighted: Ramsey after his winning goal.
The Welshman has already scored a winner in an FA Cup final, and was one of Arsenal’s best players in the game.
This victory was rather unexpected since Arsenal played the game without three of their best defenders, Mustafi, Koscielny and Gabriel, but Mertesacker and Holding deputised well and were solid.
Manchester United beat Ajax 2-0 in the Europa League final after goals from Pogba and Mkhitaryan.
United were hyped up about the fixture, and started well with a very organised team.
It only took eighteen minutes for United to predictably break the deadlock and happened when Paul Pogba found himself in acres of space outside the box. He took a shot, but it got deflected and looped into the net leaving keeper Onana with no chance.
The Frenchman celebrated wildly along with his team-mates, relieved to come up with a goal as big as this one after making a record signing this summer and not impressing much since.
Relieved: Pogba.
United went into half-time comfortably, confident of victory.
The English side looked like winners right from the half-time kick off and Mkhitaryan just about confirmed they were that after turning in Smalling’s flick.
Ajax showed no sign of posing any major attacking threat and their play going forward was very predictable with no width and pointless passes through the middle. United maintained their lead until the end and a trophy ceremony followed.
Wayne Rooney got put on at the end along with Martial and Lingard, in what could be his last game for United in a very memorable career.
This Europa League victory was not just about what happened on the pitch, but for the terrible attack in Manchester at a singer’s concert and a minute’s silence was held before the game.
This win means that United will be in the Champions League next season along with Mourinho’s pride of winning two trophies in his first season.
United maintained their lead at the end of the game, meaning they are through to the final.
Celta Vigo started very brightly with former Liverpool failure, Iago Aspas causing problems for United down the right side and pulling off a curling effort which had to be saved by Sergio Romero.
However, United kept believing and scored when Marcus Rashford floated a cross in, which Fellaini diverted to Alvarez’s post, a saveable effort which the keeper made a mess of – and granted Fellaini with his first goal in European football.
Fellaini’s height gets him lots of headed goals, like the one last night.
With Celta Vigo definitely in need of a goal, their manager, Eduardo Berizzo sent on Jozabed, a Fulham player on loan, who impressed in the second half and came close with a long-range effort.
The Spanish side were building attacks well, but couldn’t find a breakthrough until Roncaglia fired a header out of Romero’s reach with six minutes to go and suddenly there was still hope for Vigo.
A massive brawl at the end highlighted United’s frustration about the goal, and in the mess Bailly and the goalscorer, Roncaglia both got red cards and there were a few players who were lucky they didn’t get disciplined too.
United managed to hang on, and when Guidetti couldn’t sort his feet out to guide the ball into an unguarded net with six seconds to go, it surely made both pair of fans and players miss a beat.
United will now play Ajax in the final on the 24th of May and hope to win the Europa League for the first time in their history
Leicester City’s incredible run in the Champions League came to an end with a 1-1 draw which meant Atletico were 2-1 up on aggregate and sent them through.
Leicester were in full control when Saul Niguez scored a 26th minute bullet header. The cross came about when Luis picked the ball up after an interception from Leicester and crossed it into Niguez, who smashed the ball across goal to sink Leicester’s hearts.
Leicester needed three goals and Shakespeare realised that changes were going to be required. At half time Ulloa and Chilwell came on for Okazaki and Benalouane and both players were important in the remaining part of the match. Chilwell fired a volley over the bar after being set up by his fellow substitute, and Ulloa’s goal-bound shot was blocked.
Leicester had to score a goal to have any hope in the tie and they got one at the perfect time. A blocked shot fell to Vardy who hit the ball at the perfect height and with no uncertainty that Oblak would get a touch on it. Leicester’s dream was suddenly alive again.
Vardy’s goal gave Leicester hope.
Chance after chance followed and Leicester were getting frustrated, the clock was ticking and it probably felt like the game was going on and on for Atletico who desperately threw men in front of the ball and flew into tackles trying to maintain their lead. Atletico defended well and the final whistle blew without Leicester getting a goal.
It has been an incredible journey for Leicester in the Champions League, but it was always going to be difficult to beat one of Europe’s best teams.
It was a day of dreams for Brighton & Hove Albion, who secured promotion to the Premier League with a 2-1 over Wigan Athletic.
The Seagulls striker Glenn Murray opened the scoring before Solly March added to the scoreline, and they managed to hang onto their lead after Wigan’s 85th minute goal to gain promotion.
Brighton fans had a nervous wait before they could get the party going because if Huddersfield won their game against Derby then Brighton would not be promoted yet. But luckily Huddersfield drew and Brighton fans went crazy, running onto the pitch to join in with the players’ celebrations.
Brighton’s fans invaded the pitch after their win which secured promotion, despite the club pleading the fans beforehand to keep off.
Brighton only missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League last season because of a draw with Middlesbrough and then failed in the play-offs, so it must have been brilliant for the fans after having been so close last season.
It has been a long journey for the club. Twenty years ago they were thirty minutes away to playing non-league football, and since their last season in the Premier League (2002/2003) they spent five seasons in League One and five in the Championship.
The Seagulls’ next task is to beat Norwich to win the title.
A bad decision from referee Jonas Erikkson cost Leicester a defeat against ten-time La Ligawinners, Atletico Madrid, in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Atletico started well and were trying from distance on numerous occasions. The best effort was Koke’s shot from outside the box which thundered off the bar.
Leicester were looking vulnerable, so when Simpson went up for a corner and challenged for the ball outside the penalty box, and lost out to Griezmann, you knew something special was going to happen. Griezmann carried the ball up the pitch and was speeding through the Leicester defence.
Then, in his best attempts to stop him, Albrighton unintentionally nudged the French forward to the floor. The ref’s eyesight was slightly obscured because Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater was in front of him, but he gave the penalty anyway.
However, replays showed that Albrighton’s foul on Griezmann took place outside the box and that Leicester were hard done by with the decision.
Here is the evidence that Albrighton’s contact with Griezmann was outside the box.
After all the protests, Griezmann coolly slotted his penalty away to put Atletico Madrid in front – and scored what turned out to be the winner in the first leg.
Vardy was an isolated figure upfront and it was hard for him, playing against one of the best defences in the world. His only real chance came at the start of the game when Leicester played a hopeful ball upfield which Vardy got on the end of, but he couldn’t find the onrushing Mahrez in the box. The Englishman got replaced in the 77th minute on a frustrating night.
Leicester defended well and kept Atletico quiet in the second half, and the Spanish side’s only big chance was when Torres found space for himself inside the box – but he slipped at the vital moment, and the ball went flying out for a throw-in.
Overall, I think Leicester did well against such a good team, but it would’ve been easier for the next leg if they had got an away goal here.
Podolski retired from international football last night, and even though he’s not a very high profile name, Germany will miss him.
Although England lost, Gareth Southgate is the right man to take the Three Lions forward because they did do well and kept the scoreline down to one against a strong German team.
England need to play Vardy upfront with someone else.
Bertrand is not worthy of being England’s first choice left back.
Livermore should not start in England’s next game with Lithuania because he wasn’t that great against Germany.
Guardiola’s decision to send Joe Hart on loan because he wasn’t good with his feet was proved wrong last night with his Cruyff turn to beat Timo Werner in his own penalty box.
Podolski bowed out of international football in style last night.
