UEFA Champions League

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, like almost all the rest of world football, is currently suspended. The world's leading club competition has not escaped to the global COVOD-19 pandemic effects. But, what had happened so far in the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League edition?

What happened in the group stage of the 2019/2020 Champions League?

In the 2019/2020 Champions League group stage, the favorite teams confirmed their status by qualifying for the next stage. Only Ajax disappointed its followers by being eliminated in this stage. The team had a positive start. However, yielding at home to Chelsea and Valencia ended up taking its toll. Another Europe big-team, Inter Milan, also said goodbye to the maximum continental competition in this phase. Defending champion, Liverpool, avoided surprise and made it through to the Round of 16 as the group leader.

Real Madrid, with an irregular performance, managed to advance to eighths as second in the group. For their part, Bayern Munich took advantage of Tottenham's low performance to crush their group. They won all their matches and ended with a goal differential of +19. Manchester City did the same by leading a group in theory accessible. Those of Guardiola had as escorts an Atalanta that recovered remarkably after its third match in this phase. On the other hand, FC Barcelona ended up as the undefeated leader of their group. However, they did not show the superiority of different times, resenting Luis Suárez's absence due to injury.

These clubs joined Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain as group leaders. Napoli, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and Olympique de Lyon, along with Real Madrid, Atalanta, and Tottenham, were seconds in their groups. Salzburg, Ajax, Inter, and Benfica had to settle for playing the Europa League.

2019/2020 UEFA Champions League round of 16

The knockout stages brought surprises for other big teams. Liverpool, the current champion, transferred the awful moment they experienced in their last domestic league matches to the maximum continental competition. Jürgen Klopp's men faced Atlético de Madrid. Diego Simeone's squad, true to their style, complicated the Reds' lives and managed to get them out prematurely from the tournament. For its part, Paris Saint Germain managed to turn the adverse score obtained in the first leg against Dortmund. In return, they won 2-0 to settle in the quarterfinals.

RB Leipzig took advantage of Tottenham's defensive and injury problems to leave them behind. Likewise, Atalanta ratified their recovery, beating Valencia 4-1 at home and then 3-4 as visitors. As for the series that are yet to be defined, Lyon put Juventus in trouble by beating them 1-0 at home. Those in Turin hope that Cristiano Ronaldo will recover his best form to turn the situation around at home. Another big one in trouble is Real Madrid. The Whites lost at the Bernabeu 1-2 against a formidable rival like Guardiola's Manchester City. They will now have the challenging task of turning the result on the return match.

Barcelona could not resolve the away game against Napoli in their favor. Napoli ended up complicating them by drawing to 1-1. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich has put Lampard's Chelsea against the wall after beating them 0-3 at Stamford Bridge. We can only wait to see the 2020 UEFA Champions League future. Meanwhile, football fans will look forward to the return of the best football competition in the world.