Champion’s League Last-16 First Round Action
The Champions League last-16 kicked off on Wednesday with Tottenham taking on Juventus in Turin. The two sides looked evenly matched on paper, but an early double by Gonzalo Higuain sent the visitors into flat panic and scrambling for a piece of the action. In the end the English Premier League side manage to pull back 2 goals to draw the match.
Tottenham Draw against Juventus
It took just 75 seconds for the hosts to score. The Spurs made the mistake of leaving Higuain unmarked from a free kick. The result, a perfectly timed volley into the back of the net. Six minutes later, Juventus scored again, this time form a penalty against Ben Davies. Somehow the visitors managed to make their way back into match with bothy Kane and Eriksen both finding the back of the net.
Manchester City Thrash Basel
In Switzerland, the action was more one-sided. Manchester City was the visiting team while FC Basel enjoyed the home advantage. In one of the most dominant displays in the competition so far, Manchester City all but destroyed the Basel defence to slot with 4 unanswered goals. If FC Basel thought they had any chance, it quickly faded at Man City scored 3 goals inside of nine minutes in the first half. A final goal in the 23rd killed the tie and sent Basel out for the count.
Real Madrid Defeat PSG
On Thursday the action continued with Real Madrid taking on Paris Saint Germain at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Coming from a goal down, it was Cristiano Ronaldo doing what he does to give the hosts a 3-1 win. The opening stages of the match were fairly pedestrian, that was until French midfielder Adrien Rabiot slotted a beauty past Keylor Navas to put the visitors ahead.
Luckily, Ronaldo was on hand to make up the equaliser just on the stroke of half time. The second half went much the way of the first until Ronaldo got a gift from the keeper and kneed the ball into the goals. Marcelo then finished the PSG defence with yet another goal just before the end of play.
Liverpool Dominate FC Porto
In the final match of the first leg, Liverpool travelled to Estadio do Dragao to take on FC Porto. Taking a page out of Man City’s book, Liverpool completely demolished the Portuguese side to return home with a 5-0 win and plenty of moral boosting points. A Sadio Mane hat-trick and goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino put the hosts away for good.
Next week, Chelsea take on Barcelona while Bayern face off against Beskitas. On Wednesday, Man United go up against Sevilla while Roma rounds out the final game against Shakhtar Donetsk.
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More About Gary Hicks
When it comes to knowing what’s going on, on the track, field or any other sporting arena, Gary Hicks is your man. With an almost unrivalled passion for journalism, sports and betting Gary decided to combine his love of all 3 and share his expertise with the world.
In the last few years Gary has risen through the ranks and prides himself on always keeping a finger on the pulse of what’s hot and happening in the sports betting world. Gary is the resident news expert at OnlineBettingNZ.co.nz and his articles make for invaluable fodder for any avid punter.
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