They are seventh in Serie A, and they rank 48th in FiveThirtyEight's club soccer rankings, 25th at EloFootball.com. In the 2015-16 Champions League, defending Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg blazed through Group H, racking up 15 of a possible 18 points behind the efforts of Hulk, Axel Witsel and Artem Dzyuba. But they drew Zenit's group and thanks in part to four points in two matches with the Russians, they finished second in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund. Tom Hamilton and Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal, Moreno: Gladbach made Real Madrid look like world beaters (1:07), Champions League takeaways: Gladbach's joy, Why Man United failed, matches that mattered, Chelsea need Havertz and Werner to prove their worth, Moukoko becomes Bundesliga's youngest starter, Ronaldo: I prefer boxing, UFC over football, Messi wage 'not sustainable' - prez. rumors in a given year that if Gazprom could figure out how to get them to combust, it could light half the stoves in Russia. They, too, are mostly unaccustomed to advancement struggle -- their odds heading into the final matchday were 100% in 2016-17 and 2018-19 and 93% in 2019-20 -- but held on for a bid. This year's beneficiary: Lazio. Then, Marquinhos' go-ahead shot in the 69th minute both rescued PSG and made it so that United needed at least a point at RB Leipzig to advance. Matchday 6: Ajax 0, Atalanta 1 (They got stomped by Bayern's A-team, 4-0, in the opening match.) Tom Hamilton and Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal, Moreno: Gladbach made Real Madrid look like world beaters (1:07), Champions League takeaways: Gladbach's joy, Why Man United failed, matches that mattered, Chelsea need Havertz and Werner to prove their worth, Moukoko becomes Bundesliga's youngest starter, Ronaldo: I prefer boxing, UFC over football, Messi wage 'not sustainable' - prez. Axel Witsel powered home a header for Belgium's second in between Lukaku's two second-half goals. Watch Michael Dunlop during Wednesday evening practice at the TT 2011, as he rid… Is Spurs’s season over in the absence of the talismanic presence of Harry Kane and/or Son Heung-Min, the departure of Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli’s critical loss of form? Ale Moreno believes Real Madrid are finally gaining a bit of confidence after they progressed to the UCL knockouts. Impact: Atalanta's odds went from 50% to 100%, Ajax's from 50% to 0%. The destination was familiar, but the journey was an interesting one. But they benefited from not having a true top seed to face, just as Lyon did last year and Schalke 044 did the year before that. Maybe the most tense match of the entire group stage. Impact: Gladbach's odds went from 36% to 66%, Shakhtar's from 59% to 26%. Gladbach celebrated at the buzzer... as did Gladbach, via iPad, in Madrid. Matchday 3: RB Leipzig 2, PSG 1 axel fernando - axel fernando :me estoy enamorando. (1:07), The group stages of the 2020-21 Champions League took the feel of a decent romantic comedy: there were just enough unexpected plot twists to make you doubt how things might end, but then it all wrapped up how you expected it to all along. While Groups B and H were pretty wild, last year saw Groups H (Ajax goes from 86% to 0%, and Valencia goes from 26% to 100% in the last day), C (Shakhtar and Dinamo Zagreb jockey for second place before Atalanta zooms in from out of nowhere) and G (RBL, Lyon, Benfica and Zenit were all between six and eight points heading into the final day) all seeing massive late shifts. Arsenal will back Arteta to fix the mess. They averaged just 0.10 xG per shot in their three losses, compared to 0.18 for their opponents (0.32 for Basaksehir). Impact: Brugge's odds went from 28% to 51%, Zenit's from 58% to 28%. Barcelona advanced in an impossibly easy group, but got rocked by Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus in Matchday 6 to finish an unexpected second. (As always in rom-coms, the supporting cast — from Marcus Rashford‘s counter-attacking to Neymar‘s nutmegs, to Weston McKennie‘s incredible karate kick goal — drove the film. Looking at FiveThirtyEight's advancement odds before and after a given matchday, we see that there were quite a few matches that flipped the odds around pretty considerably. Borussia Dortmund not only lost two points in the 2-2 draw in Paderborn, they also lost Marco Reus through injury. Premier League contenders Liverpool, Tottenham set for much-awaited clash. The league that produced seven Champions League finalists and five winners from 2014-18 (and none of either since) could still technically see a run or two in the knockouts. (As always in rom-coms, the supporting cast — from Marcus Rashford‘s counter-attacking to Neymar‘s nutmegs, to Weston McKennie‘s incredible karate kick goal — drove the film. They, too, are mostly unaccustomed to advancement struggle -- their odds heading into the final matchday were 100% in 2016-17 and 2018-19 and 93% in 2019-20 -- but held on for a bid. Arsenal will back Arteta to fix the mess. Matchday 6: Lazio 2, Club Brugge 2; RB Salzburg 0, Atletico Madrid 2 These might not seem like big differences, but they add up significantly over time. They were the Aubrey Plaza and Mary Steenburgen to UEFA's Happiest Season. Shakhtar appeared to have mixed intentions in this one. Inter took 20 shots to Shakhtar's seven, but only four were on goal. While teams average 0.14 xG per shot when ahead, 0.13 when tied and 0.12 when behind, United's averages are more pronounced: 0.15, 0.13 and 0.09, respectively. Here are the 10 biggest swings: Matchday 1: Zenit St. Petersburg 1, Club Brugge 2 In the 2015-16 Champions League, defending Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg blazed through Group H, racking up 15 of a possible 18 points behind the efforts of Hulk, Axel Witsel and Artem Dzyuba. Inter needed a win in Borussia-Park to have any hope, and got it via a Romelu Lukaku brace. – Champions League last-16: When is the draw? A unique twist! They fell unexpectedly to Benfica in the Round of 16, but they certainly backed up the notion that the Russian champ should get a spot in Pot 1 of the draw (the top eight seeds, basically) each year. But if something like the supposed "Swiss Model" -- in which you play 10 group games, all against different teams, and teams are ranked in one giant table -- came to pass, then the issue of Pot 1 status wouldn't matter much anymore. ESPN FC's Craig Burley says Manchester United have reached their limit with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Shakhtar was the early darling of Group B, upsetting Real Madrid 3-2 in Matchday 1 and drawing with Inter a week later. In terms of drama, this was good, but last year might have been better. To be sure, Lazio has saved some of its best recent play for the Champions League -- they did, after all, take four points from BVB as well. But they benefited from not having a true top seed to face, just as Lyon did last year and Schalke 044 did the year before that. Few Champions League groups have ever seen the volume of plot twists that Group H put together. ), Matchday 5: Borussia Monchengladbach 2, Inter Milan 3 In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both won their groups as they were favored to do -- Bayern hasn't lost a Champions League match in 21 months and counting -- while RBL came back to pass United, and underdogs 'Gladbach advanced for the first time since group play came into existence. Show / Game show 1605882733 A humorous look at the week's football stories with Ian Stone and guests. RBL scored twice off following some gorgeous passing in the first 15 minutes, and it appeared that Justin Kluivert's 69th-minute goal had put the match away. The attacking midfielder, who scored BVB’s second goal of the afternoon and their 2,800th in the Bundesliga, was forced off in the 64th minute with a suspected ankle injury. There are generally enough "Champions League format changes!" In terms of drama, this was good, but last year might have been better. In their three group-stage wins, one against each opponent, United went ahead in the seventh, 21st and 23rd minutes; in their three losses, they fell behind in the second, sixth and 13th. But a draw would also assure that Shakhtar qualified for the Europa League, where it made the semifinals last year. (As always in rom-coms, the supporting cast — from Marcus Rashford’s […] It's a similar story in Premier League play, by the way. In their three group-stage wins, one against each opponent, United went ahead in the seventh, 21st and 23rd minutes; in their three losses, they fell behind in the second, sixth and 13th. Impact: RBL's odds went from 39% to 72%, PSG's from 67% to 48%. He writes for The Mirror, Paddy Power and Red News. - Champions League last-16: When is the draw? Matchday 3: RB Leipzig 2, PSG 1 Mina Rzouki explains how Lazio practically missed out on the qualification of their match towards Membership Brugge. Here are the 10 biggest swings: Matchday 1: Zenit St. Petersburg 1, Club Brugge 2 LIVE Transfer Talk: Isco out, Bale back in at Real Madrid? 15 things that show how Arsenal, 15th in the Premier League, are a mess right now, Why Brazilian club Corinthians continue to be huge fans of Taylor Swift, Barcelona, Lionel Messi and the napkin: Oral history of his transfer, arranged 20 years ago, Porter's Columbus delivers the ultimate MLS triumph in adversity, Real Madrid crisis over, Man United vs. Man City a snooze, Liverpool and Bayern look tired, Barca need work, Messi-Neymar reunion headlines UCL last-16 draw, Liga MX winners Leon deserve title in most unpredictable of seasons, USMNT's Ledezma out for season with knee injury. Can Mourinho outdo Klopp? Neymar can lure Messi to PSG with another UCL masterclass, Meet the designer behind soccer's craziest kits, Two years ago, Cardassar lost everything. Which players should he build around? But United nearly pulled a Fergie special, scoring twice in three minutes and damn near equalizing with a stoppage time own goal. candidate, Grealish fined £82k, handed 9-month driving ban, COVID forces NYCFC into loan move for CCL, Liga MX: 35% of players had COVID-19 in 2020, Spain, Mexico federations join forces in new deal. The Russian champion has struggled in the Champions League for a while now -- we'll come back to this -- and Brugge set an early tone with 19-year old Charles De Ketelaere's stoppage time winner in St. Petersburg. It's a similar story in Premier League play, by the way. 7896423102352 O MELHOR DE, Gonzaga, CHIQUINHA 4560183960097 Puzzle, Wash 9781933985695 1933985690 Case Management Resource Guide 2007 V. 1 - Eastern U.S., Dorland 9781575053790 1575053799 Danger at Sand Cave, Candice Ransom 9780739006108 073900610X Just for You, Vol 2 - A Collection of Pieces in a Wide Variety of Styles and Moods. Matchday 3: Shakhtar Donetsk 0, Borussia Monchengladbach 6 But combined with Europa League performances -- Villarreal and Granada have advanced, but league leader Real Sociedad has only a 49% chance of joining them -- it appears that with Barca and Real Madrid currently well off from their peak form, the cast of characters looking to usurp them isn't necessarily clicking on all cylinders either. Matchday 6: Lazio 2, Club Brugge 2; RB Salzburg 0, Atletico Madrid 2 But in the end, we saw mostly chalk: if you look back at FiveThirtyEight's odds of advancement back before group play began, the two most likely teams to advance did so in six of eight groups. Fair or not, the achievement was a bit muted for La Liga. Both La Liga and the Bundesliga advanced all four of their teams to the Champions League knockouts, but the mood seems pretty different among the two. Mina Rzouki explains how Lazio nearly missed out on qualification in their match against Club Brugge. But a draw would also assure that Shakhtar qualified for the Europa League, where it made the semifinals last year. Matchday 6: RB Leipzig 3, Manchester United 2 Impact: RBL's odds went from 48% to 100%, United's from 53% to 0%. The site provides an independent forum delivering unparalleled coverage of one of England's greatest football clubs to a global audience. You have come to the Philippines Edition, for other ESPN editions, click here. The group stages of the 2020-21 Champions League took the feel of a decent romantic comedy: there were just enough unexpected plot twists to make you doubt how things might end, but then it all wrapped up how you […] (As always in rom-coms, the supporting cast -- from Marcus Rashford's counter-attacking to Neymar's nutmegs, to Weston McKennie's incredible karate kick goal -- drove the film. Some groups had long since been decided were the Aubrey axel witsel housechameleon twist rom and Mary Steenburgen to UEFA 's Happiest Season na! 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