Hello again everyone! I have a special LIVE Coverage blog post today, of two quarter-final UEFA Champions League Matches.
Barcelona travel to Paris to play against PSG in a tough, interesting match between two heavyweights.
Also, Bayern Munich host Italian giants Juventus at the Allianz Arena on the back of a 9-2 thrashing of Hamburg on Saturday.
Team Line-Ups:
PSG: Sirigu, Jallet, Alex, Thiago Silva, Maxwell, Beckham, Matuidi, Lucas Moura, Pastore, Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi.
Subs: Douchez, Sakho, Menez, Gameiro, Chantome, Van Der Wiel, Verratti.
Barcelona: Valdes, Dani Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Sanchez, Messi, Villa.
Subs: Pinto, Fabregas, Thiago, Bartra, Montoya, Song, Tello.
Referee: Wolfgang Stark
Bayern Munich vs Juventus:
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Lahm, Van Buyten, Dante, Alaba, Schweinsteiger, Gustavo, Muller, Kroos, Ribery, Mandzukic.
Subs: Starke, Robben, Shaqiri, Pizarro, Boateng, Gomez, Tymoschuk.
Juventus: Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Peluso, Matri, Quagliarella.
Subs: Storari, Pogba, Vucinic, Giovinco, Padoin, Asamoah, Marrone.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
19.45: Both matches have kicked off in tonight's two heavily anticipated UCL matches. PSG vs Barca will be the more talked about of the two however.
19.45: GOAL! Bayern have broken the deadlock instead at home! Austrian full-back David Alaba has scored with a bullet 25-yard strike within 30 seconds of kick-off which took a deflection but beat Buffon into the net.
PSG vs Barcelona - LIVE Commentary
20: PSG are the side that have started the match off the brighter out of the two teams in Paris.
Spainsh goalkeeper Victor Valdes has done well to deny Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore on numerous occasions, as the scoreline stays goal-less on a great night for football in France.
24: Barca are trying the "patient play" approach now, passing the ball around the field, trying to hold possession while looking for space to slot into. The home supporters are not happy about this, and are booing profusely.
25: CLOSE! PSG go on the counter attack after Barcelona winger David Villa is tackled by former Chelsea defender Alex.
The ball falls to pacy Brazillian winger Lucas Moura who runs on the break past the Barca defence before playing in Ibrahimovic on his left who takes a ouch to control before having a mishit shot, and the ball goes wide of the goal.
36: Barca are slowly starting to get their rhythm.... Sanchez has a deflected shot, and it goes out for a corner.
Nothing comes of the corner, which is cleared away by Brazil defender Thiago Silva.
38: GOAL! PSG will live to rue their missed chances! Barca have broken the deadlock with a crucial away goal thanks to none other than - Lionel Messi.
The Argentinan forward latched onto a beautifully weighted pass by Brazil full-back Daniel Alves to control before volleying the ball past Sirigu into the far corner of the net! 1-0 to the away side, and it just proves that Barca are dangerous on the counter attack.
FACT: Lionel Messi has become only the sixth player to score 60 goals in European competitions (UCL)
40: PSG seem as if they do not know what has hit them. The intensity from the hosts has stopped dead in its tracks after Messi's goal.
42: CLOSE! Messi used a great change of pace to get past two defenders with ease before having a finesse shot just over the bar. Unlucky, and he almost got his second within 5 minutes.
44: Messi is clutching his hamstring and looking uncomfortable... he has pulled his hamstring after shaping to shoot.
45: The fourth official has signalled for just the 1 minute of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first-half of action at the Parc des Princes.
45+1: The referee Wolfgang Stark has blown his whistle to end the first-half in Paris. The hosts trail by 1 goal to nil, thanks to the world's best player - Lionel Messi.
Up until that point, the hosts had been dominating and were unlucky not to score with chances from Pastore, Lavezzi and Ibrahimovic, but they were denied well by Valdes.
They will be encouraged to keep their heads up, because they were playing some good, fast-paced football but just were not able to score.
Barca on the other hand will be encouraged to continue the way they are playing, but get the ball more to Villa and Sanchez and look for the killer goal to seal the first leg. They have the away goal, and even if they lose or concede now, they will still be in a good position for the second leg in the Nou Camp back home.
HT - Bayern 1 Juventus 0
It is 1-0 to the hosts at the Alianz Arena, thanks to Alaba's 25-yard strike within the first minute of play.
German playmaker Toni Kroos had to be replaced by Arjen Robben after only 20 minutes, due to suffering an ankle injury after a tackle by Juventus full-back Stephan Lichsteiner.
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| Agony: Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos had to be replaced after just 20 minutes with an ankle injury. |
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| Limped off: Kroos was replaced by Robben as he could not continue. |
However, Bayern are the team in the lead at the break having all of the chances and possession but not converting all of their chances so far.
20.47: The two teams are jogging onto the pitch, getting ready for the second half in Paris.
45: Wolfgang Stark blows his whistle to start the second half, while Barca make a half-time substitution.
Barcelona SUB:
Cesc Fabregas ON
Lionel Messi OFF
Messi is being replaced as a precaution, to ensure that he does not aggravate that hamstring knock. Fabregas will move just behind Sanchez and Villa.
60: Still 1-0 to Barca. PSG have increased the intensity slightly, but Ibrahimovic and Lavezzi are yet to get beyond the Barca defence and have a concrete chance.
62: CHANCE! Dani Alves gets past the PSG defence with pace before whipping in a dangerous swerving cross towards goal.
The ball falls straight to the feet of Sanchez who does well to control, but takes too long on the ball and fails to have a shot on goal before defender Alex intercepts and clears away to safety.
66: PSG SUB:
David Beckham OFF
Marco Verrati ON
68: PSG SUB:
Kevin Gameiro ON
Javier Pastore OFF
69: CONTROVERSIAL! PSG go close to an equaliser while two Barca players are down injured inside the box. Mascherano and Alba are the two down clutching several body parts, after an aerial collision.
72: GOAL! PSG have equalised at home, and even though it's a goal - it's controversial!
Brazil defender Thiago Silva towered over the Barca defence before having a header bounce off the post before falling to Ibrahimovic who was yards offside but tapped the ball past Valdes into the far corner of the net.
75: Barcelona SUB:
Christian Tello ON
David Villa OFF
78: Barcelona SUB:
Marc Bartra ON
Javier Mascherano (due to injury) OFF
80: Tense last few minutes in Paris. Still 1-1, with Barca feeling hard done by...
87: PENALTY! Barcelona have a golden chance to get back into the lead, after Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez was recklessly fouled inside the box by Sirigu. Yellow card given by Wolfgang Stark, and that is a lenient decision.
88: Xavi steps up to take it.... GOAL! Calm and collected finish from the Spainard! He sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with his body language before slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the net. 2-1 to Barca, with just a few minutes left to play.
Can PSG get back into this?
90: The fourth official has signalled for 4 minutes of stoppage time to be added on. 4 minutes for PSG to equalise and give the home crowd something to scream about ahead of the 2nd leg tie at the Nou Camp next Wednesday.
90+4: GOAL! PSG have done it, right at the death!
PSG equalise again, after Ibrahimovic controls the ball with his chest before playing defensive midfielder Blaise Matuidi on, before he had a powerful drive from 16 yards out which just beat Valdes into the net for the last kick of the match.
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| Last-minute: PSG defensive midfielder Blaise Matuidi scores with a swerving drive past Valdes to make it 2-2 |
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| Chance: Despite conceding 2 goals at home, PSG still have a chance of progressing through to the semis. |
90+4: The referee Wolfgang Stark has blown his whistle, it ends 2-2 in Paris with PSG content with a home draw.
Barcelona have the away goal advantage to take home to the Nou Camp, but the last-second goal by Matuidi gives PSG just a bit more chance of progressing into the semi-finals....
Meanwhile, Bayern beat Juventus 2-0 at home at the Allianz Arena. Thomas Muller doubled the lead for the hosts in the 63rd minute with an easy tap-in, but in truth the Germans were dominant throughout.
(MORE TO FOLLOW - AS IT CONTINUES)
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