IFFHS NEWS AND STATISTICS OF THE WEEK 33
Picture : Neymar and Paris SG will celebrate 50th Anniversary of the Club ...
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FACTS AND NEWS
The fixtures for the UEFA Champions League semi-finals have now been confirmed after the conclusion of the quarter-final faction on Saturday night.
The first semi-final match-up was confirmed on Thursday night after RB Leipzig defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 in Lisbon.
As a result, the Bundesliga outfit will now face Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, who staged a late comeback against Atalanta on Wednesday night.
The action continued on Friday night in Lisbon, where Bayern München romped to a 8-2 victory over five-time winners FC Barcelona to secure a last eight spot.
Bayern have rewarded a with a semi-final tie against Olympique Lyon, who stunned Pep Guardiola's Manchester City 3-1 on Saturday night.
Semi-final fixtures:
Paris Saint-Germain v RB Leipzig 18 August
Olympique Lyon v FC Bayern München 19 August
FACTS
- It is the first time in History that two French teams will play the semi finals of the Champions League in the same year ! and also the first time that they will play against two German teams.
- RB Leipzig is the youngest club in the History to reach a continental semi final. It was founded in 2009, promoted to 4th Division in 2010, to 3th Division in 2013, to Second Division in 2014 and to Bundesliga in 2016 ! Runner-up in the Bundesliga 2017, RB Leipzig is semi finalist in the UEFA Champions League and one of the best clubs in Europe ! Only with young players, talents allover the World !
- Julian Nagelsmann is the youngest Coach in the History to reach Champions League Semi Final. At 33, the RB Leipzig coach has a fantastic career. In 2016, he became coach in Hoffenheim’s U19 before taking in charge the first team in the Bundesliga in 2017. He brought Hoffenheim from the 15th to the 4 th place in the season ! In 2020, he finished at the third place in Bundesliga in his first season with Leipzig.
- It is the first time since the season 2005/06 tat a semi final of the UEFA Champions League will be hold without Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi !
- Thomas Muller, the FC Bayern striker, became last Friday the first German player in the History to play 113 matches in the UEFA Champions League. Manuel Neuer counts 109.
- FC Bayern München is the first club in the History to score 8 goals against FC Barcelona ! It is interessant to know that the German team has scored in this season 2019/20, 155 goals in 50 official matches ! The best total in Europe !
- Olympique Lyon reached for the third time in his history the semi final of the UEFA Champions League after beating Juve and Manchester City !
- Paris SG reached the semi final for the second time after 1995. The club celebrates the 50th anniversary this year, maybe the time for Neymar and Mbappe to bring the Trophy to Paris !
- Since 29 years, it is the first time that we have no club of Spain, Italy and England in the UEFA Champions League semi finals !
NEW BEGIN !
Five months after the last international match between national teams , Estonia’s and Latvia’s women national teams have played the first official international AFTER COVID match ! Kristina Bannikova (picture) scored the victory goal (1-0) for Estonia in Tallinn before 567 spectators.
TRANSFERS
Sarina Wiegman, the coach of the Dutch National Team (UEFA Euro Winner 2017, Finalist of the FIFA World Cup 2019), has signed a four years contract as Coach of England’s Women National Team !
Willian (Brazil) stays in London but leaves Chelsea to Arsenal.