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Old 04-11-2020, 06:05 AM   #19
treva
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Re: Finishing the 19/20 Season | FM20/FIFA20

Champions League QF 2nd Leg



Man City reach second ever UCL semi final as PSG cruise to their first



Man City were made to sweat for a place in their second ever Champions League semi final but prevailed thanks to goals from talismen Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero.

Heading into the second leg with Leipzig, they knew that a win would send them through and the comfort of two away goals from the first leg had given them some breathing room. Any nerves from the home fans at The Etihad were quickly calmed as De Bruyne stepped up to take a free kick on the edge of the area after just 17 minutes and duly popped it up and over the wall and into the back of the Leipzig net.

Aguero doubled their lead just after the half hour mark helped by some sloppy play by Leipzig as they looked to play out of the back, instead handing the ball straight to Ilkay Gundogan who took full advantage to slip in Aguero. The Argentine made no mistake in doubling the hosts lead, knocking the ball past the charging goalkeeper and slotting into an open net.

There would be a moment of panic for the home side late on as Timo Werner capitalised on a scramble in the City box from a corner to momentarily give the German side a glimmer of hope. However, City kept the ball for the remaining few minutes without alarm to progress to the last four of the competition, a feat they have only achieved once before when they lost 1-0 on aggregate to eventual champions Real Madrid in 2016.

They will play Bayern Munich in the semi finals after the German champions needed extra time to beat Lyon away from home in a game that saw Benjamin Pavard sent off for a reckless challenge on Martin Terrier in the first half.

Robert Lewandowski had levelled things on aggregate inside five minutes after a Cruyff turn gave him space on the edge of the box to unleash a powerful left footed strike beyond the goalkeeper.

The sending off rather evened things out and neither side looked like throwing caution to the wind as the prospect of extra time soon became a reality. The deciding goal would come just minutes into the extra period, substitute Philippe Coutinho cleverly dropping a shoulder to turn his marker before finding the back of the net with a deadly accurate shot to the far corner.

Things were much more straightforward for five-time winners Barcelona as they dumped out the last remaining Italian side Atalanta with a 4-1 victory at the Nou Camp. Goals from Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann settled the tie within half an hour, although Josip Ilicic's goal on the stroke of half time gave the travelling supporters something to shout about.

Dreams of a magical comeback were quickly squashed after the break as Arthur Melo made it 7-2 on aggregate to ensure the European giants would make the semi finals for the second year running.

PSG will be their opponents after stunning Atletico Madrid with a comprehensive 3-0 victory in the Spanish capital to reach their first ever Champions League semi final.

With little goalmouth action for the majority of the first half, two back heels in the build up allowed Angel Di Maria to run free into the box with seconds to go before the half time whistle. His low shot was saved but the rebound fell kindly for Mauro Icardi who made no mistake in giving PSG the lead. Edinson Cavani, saviour in the first leg, then popped up with two goals in the second half to silence the home crowd and hand his side a place in the last four, an achievement that's alluded them despite the involvement of Qatari investors since 2011.

Neither PSG or Man City have ever made a Champions League final but both could feature in the main event on 30 May, although they will have to get past two teams that between them have won Europe's elite competition 10 times and reached 18 finals.

Results

Barcelona 4-1 Atalanta
Messi (7), Suarez (18), Griezmann (28), Arthur (48) - Ilicic (45+1)
Barcelona win 7-2 on aggregate

Lyon 0-2e Bayern Munich
Lewandowski (4), Coutinho (93), Pavard sent off (21)
Bayern Munich win 2-1 on aggregate

Atletico Madrid 0-3 PSG
Icardi (45+1), Cavani (59, 84)
PSG win 5-2 on aggregate

Man City 2-1 Leipzig
De Bruyne (17), Aguero (32) - Werner (90)
Man City win 4-3 on aggregate

Semi-Final Draw

Man City vs Bayern Munich
Barcelona vs PSG

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