The UEFA Champions League is reaching its climax as we enter the last stages of the competition. The tournament has seen several ups and downs and given the fans its fair share of thrills and spills.
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How the teams got here
Probably the biggest upset of the competition was Barcelona’s exit in the quarter-final stage itself. The Catalans were touted as favourites to win the competition and become the first team to retain the title since the European Cup was renamed its current name.
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But it wasn’t to be as Atletico Madrid under the leadership of Diego Simienoe gave us a tactical masterclass dumping the holders out of the tournament.
Another surprise package in the tournament you could say is Manchester City.
The cash-rich club have never made it past the round of 16 stage but they created history by reaching the semi-finals of the competition for the first time ever. The Sky Blues defeated Paris Saint-Germain after the French side had defeated another English team,Chelsea on their way to the quarter-finals.
Bayern Munich were handed a straightforward draw against Benfica but it proved to be tougher than expected. The Germans managed to edge past their Portuguese rivals after earning a 2-2 away draw, and winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
But the story of the quarter-final stage was Real Madrid’s comeback against Wolfsburg. After being 2 goals down in the first leg Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brilliant hat-trick to at the Bernabeu to ensure Los Blancos’ hopes of lifting a record 11th Champions League crown were still alive.
The Europa League story so far
The Europa League also saw a dramatic turn of events. While Villareal and Shakhtar Donetsk enjoyed rather comfortable wins over Sparta Prague and Braga respectively, Sevilla’s and Liverpool's victories were nail-biters.
Sevilla needed penalties against their Spanish rivals Athletic Bilbao which they won 5-4. Liverpool channelled the inspiration of Istanbul by scripting a memorable comeback against Jurgen Klopp’s old sid Borussia Dortmund.
After being 3-1 down in the second half it looked like the tie was done and dusted. But Dejan Lovren had other ideas. Phillipe Coutinho and Mohamadou Sakho scored to level it up on the night. With just 4 minutes of stoppage time left Dejan Lovren stepped up and scored the goal that took the Reds to the semi-finals of the competition
Also Read: UEFA Champions League semi-final draw: Manchester City draw Real Madrid, Atletico to play Bayern
When and where can I watch the draw?
The draw for the semi-finals is set to place today and it will be telecasted live for Indian audiences on Ten 1 HD and Ten 2. The coverage will begin at 3:00 PM Indian time which is 11:30 am CET(Central European time).
The draw can also be viewed on UEFA’s official website where it will be streamed live. The event is taking place at UEFA’s headquarters which is located in the City of Nyon in Switzerland. There are no restrictions placed on the draw and any team can face any other from the pool.
The Europa League draw will follow immediately after the Champions League ties are decided.
So with the favourites knocked out of the competition, it’s anyone’s guess who will win this year’s UEFA Champions League. Liverpool after their jaw-dropping comeback against Dortmund will now be fancied to win the Europa League but Sevilla, Shakhtar and Villareal are no pushovers
