The Champions Blog

  Liverpool's 2004-05 Champions League Winning Squad: Where Are They Now? 25th May 2005: Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool (2-3) The 2005 final of the Champions League is probably the greatest ever final in Champions League history. Liverpool, three goals down at the stroke of half time came back and produced one of the greatest comebacks in the history. Liverpool first Champions League title since 1984 was certainly on that won't be forgotten by any Liverpool fan. So, where are the Liverpool team that won in that historic night in Istanbul? 1) Jerzy Dudek (#1) Dudek was an instrumental part of Liverpool's team in the final in Istanbul. He made vital saves and saved 2 penalties in the penalty shootout. Dudek spent the next two seasons with Liverpool, winning the Super Cup, then winning the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2006 before making another Champions League final appearance in 2007. He then left Liverpool in the summer of 2007 and joined...

THE CHAMPIONS BLOG: ROUND OF 16 DRAW SPECIAL We have some exciting matches in store for us in this season's Champions League Round of 16. Some of the matches we have in store will be absolute blockbusters for the final 16 teams that we have left in the Champions League. Welcome to a special edition of the Champions Blog. We will give a guide to all the matches and when they will be played Game 1: Porto vs Arsenal The first game of the Round of 16 will be contested between Porto of Portugal and Arsenal of England. The Gunners are aiming for their first place in the quarter finals since 2010 after making a successful return to the competition so far. Porto can qualify successfully qualify for the last 8 for the first time in 3 years of they were to defeat the London side. The last time these two sides met in the competition was at the same phase with Arsenal being victorious 6-2 on aggregate. Leg Locations: Leg 1: 21st February 2024 (Estadio do Dragao, Porto) Leg 2: 12th March 2024 (...

  The Champions Blog  Please Note: Original creation date was 13th December  The final matchday of the Champions League had it all. Shocking eliminations, amazing comebacks and happy moments. On this matchday, the Round of 16 lineup is officially completed with four more teams qualifying for the last 16. This is the Champions Blog In Berlin, already eliminated, Union Berlin hosted Real Madrid, leaders in Group C. Real could have the opportunity to go undefeated in their group for the first time since their astonishing 2016-17 winning campaign. The game started off with Union Berlin almost capitalizing  from a mistake in Real Madrid's penalty area. Real Madrid star, Jude Bellingham almost had the chance to score but had his attempt saved by Union Berlin goalkeeper, Frederik Rønnow. Madrid almost had their chance to score but failed to capitalize after Joselu narrowly missed a header which met the crossbar. As the first half neared its end, Real Madrid successfull...

  The Champions Blog Please Note: Original creation date was November 29th  The Champions League had more exciting action including late drama, vital wins and as well as that, more teams qualifying for the last 16 of the competition. There was also moments of controversy and amazement within Matchday 5 of the Champions League. This is the Champions Blog. The week kicked of with Barcelona hosting Porto in a highly anticipated match for both sides. Barcelona failed to purchase Round of 16 tickets after a surprise defeat in the hands of Shaktar Donetsk who defeated the Blaugrana 1-0 while Porto with 9 points, are tied with Barcelona. Any team who would win in Catalonia, would secure their place in the last 16. The game started of with Barcelona having great chances before Porto would open the scoring with talisman, Mehdi Taremi, however, the goal was ruled for offside. However, it didn't take ages for Porto to find their first goal of the game and it was scored in the 30th minute...

 Porto's 2003-04 Champions League Winning Squad: Where are they now? 26th May 2004: Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany Porto 3-0 Monaco Porto's Champions League win in 2004 is probably regarded as the most incredible fairy tale of Champions League history. The European Cup would be returning to Portugal for the first time since 1987. It was a moment of history for Jose Mourinho's side as they won the title against all the odds. So, where is the Porto squad that guided them to this historic victory? 1) Jorge Costa (#2) Costa is best known for his aggressive and physical style of play and is commonly regarded as one of Portugal's best defenders. Costa was the captain for Porto coming up to the final in Gelsenkirchen and started the final. After the final in Germany, Costa spent another year with the Portuguese club wining the Club World Cup in before leaving for Belgium to play for Standard Liege before retiring a year after. Internationally, Costa appeared with Portug...

  The Champions Blog Please Note: Original Creation Date was November 8th Matchday 4 of this season's Champions League brought some exciting action including big wins, some impressive surprises and some dominant displays. As well as that, the first Round of 16 tickets have been purchased by six teams. This is the Champions Blog The week got off with Borussia Dortmund hosting Newcastle. The Toon Army went into Dortmund with hope of still qualifying for the last 16 after nabbing points in their first two games with Milan and PSG. On the other hand, Dortmund entered the game with a defeat against PSG, a draw with Milan, and a win at Newcastle back in October. Each teams had four points and can still qualify. The game in Germany started off with a lot of chances by Dortmund and eventually, the German side got their reward when Niclas Fullkrug netting a close-range finish to break the deadlock and open the scoring in the 27th minute. Chances came from both ends for the rest of the first...