Good day everyone,
I hope you are all well and have had an excellent week, welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things sports. Today I will be doing a recap on the UEFA Champions League Round of 16's first week of results. This week saw eight teams facing off in their first leg games, with the return legs to be played in March.
Round of 16 Week 1 Results
Tuesday 14th February 2023
AC Milan 1-0 Tottenham
Diaz
On seven minutes former Manchester City winger Diaz managed to bundle the ball into the net to score the only goal of this one. Conte and his men could not deal with a hostile San Siro and were lucky not to concede again late on as De Ketelaere and Thiaw wasted excellent chances. Injury hampered Spurs as they played Skipp and Sarr in midfield, and Dier picked up a suspension for the return leg after getting booked, but they will hope to have a stronger set of players available for that game. The tie is far from over and they manged with the dangerous Leao for much of the game, which will boost hopes ahead of the second leg. Their lack of attacking threat however proved their undoing, and even bringing on Richarlison could not change their fortunes. Much to ponder for Conte, who will be happy in the knowledge only a one goal deficit is manageable.
Paris Saint-German 0-1 Bayern Munich
Coman
A late red for Pavard dampened the spirits for Munich, but Coman, who also scored the only goal in the Champions League final between these sides, gave the German men a decisive result in Paris. The form of PSG has been rightly awful in 2023, with five loses in a row in all competitions confirmed with this result. Mbappe could only start on the bench, but they did finish with their star trio of Neymar, Messi, and the Frenchman upfront who himself saw two goals ruled out for offside. It was another Frenchman, Coman, when he got on the end of a Davies cross eight minutes into the second half. The advantage will be important for the return leg in Germany, as PSG will be determined not to get eliminated at the last 16 stage for the second year in a row.
Wednesday 15th February 2023
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea
Adeyemi
A masterful solo run where Adeyemi beat Enzo saw Dortmund take the win in this one, although Chelsea did have the better chances throughout. UEFA allowed Dortmund to have their standing fans this season, meaning a capacity crowd of 81,000 witness events unfold in Germany. Silva had a goal disallowed for handball and Felix wasted two great chances in the first half, including hitting the bar. With Bellingham taking the armband, Dortmund controlled the ball but created little in the opening half. Chelsea took control in the second half and looked good, but were hit by a wonderful break. Dortmund looked vulnerable after the goal but held out as Chelsea could not find a way to score, meaning they have it all to play for in London for the return leg.
Club Brugge 0-2 Benfica
Mario, Neres
The away side dominated from the off here, showing their class and that they are a cut above their opponents. With possession and shots all in their favour, the Portuguese side failed to break down their Belgian counterparts in the first half. A penalty early in the second half, excellently dispatched by Mario, saw Benfica finally take the lead after Hendry had brought down Goncalo Ramos. Benfica did not let up from there, and with the game almost over Neres made the most of a defensive slip to nip in and score. The two goal advantage with be a healthy lead to protect back in Portugal for Benfica in the second leg, as they aim for another run in the competition which saw them eliminated at the Quarter Finals by Liverpool last year.
Also as a side note to the action, Manchester City overcame Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in London to move to the top of the Premier League table, ensuring the title race is very much alive and that we will have an excellent battle ahead for the rest of the campaign.
The second batch of first leg games takes place next week.
You can also find my previous prediction for this seasons Champions League here: Champions League 22/23 Round of 16 Draw & Prediction
My prediction for the 2022/23 Premier League season is also available here: Premier League 2022/23 Prediction
Have a great day.
Peace. CryptoGod-1.
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