Happy Wednesday! There was no shortage of entertaining soccer on Tuesday between the Champions League and the USWNT's win over Canada. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a midweek check-in on the latest.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, April 10
🇪🇺 UCL: PSG vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Atleti vs. Dortmund, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🌍 CCC: Monterrey vs. Inter Miami, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ FS1
Thursday, April 11
🇪🇺 Europa League: AC Milan vs. Roma, 3 p.m ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇪🇺 Europa League: Liverpool vs. Atalanta, 3 p.m ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
🇪🇺 Goals galore in the Champions League
The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals kicked off in style on Tuesday with 10 goals across two games that both ended in draws, setting up for equally exciting second legs a week from now.
The headlining act was arguably Real Madrid's 3-3 draw with Manchester City, which is already going down as a classic as both teams' high-profile attackers turned up and each side delivered memorable goals. Rodrygo was amongst the goalscorers for Real Madrid while Vinicius Junior delivered two assists. Phil Foden scored his fourth goal in a week for City. One player who was notably uninvolved was City's Erling Haaland, who ranked last amongst the starters for touches with 20 and got just one shot off. It's part of a worrying trend, but as Chuck Booth writes, it's not all doom and gloom for Haaland.
- Booth: "Haaland averages 4.16 shots per game that he starts in the Premier League and Champions League but Real Madrid held him to one. This is only the fourth time this season that Haaland has started a match and been held to one or fewer shots in these competitions. What's even more interesting is that three of these four matches have happened in 2024. … The three matches in 2024 where he's been held with one or fewer shots are facing Arsenal, Liverpool and Real Madrid. If you make a list of the top 10 teams in the world, all of them would be included. All of those matches were also away from the friendly confines of the Etihad Stadium."
Meanwhile in London, Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich as the visitors showed signs of life in a season that has been full of low points for them. While another batch of high-profile attackers like Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane scored, the refereeing took center stage at times at the Emirates Stadium. Kane's goal came from a penalty, but both Arsenal and Bayern looked for another late in the game. Bayern, though, were particularly upset post-match when the referee opted not to penalize Gabriel for placing his hands on the ball after David Raya rolled it to him, presumably because he was unaware play had resumed.
- Kane: "They had a decision at the end which sometimes go your way but we also had a clear penalty which would have been really strange when the keeper passed it to Gabriel and he picked the ball up in his box but it was a stonewall penalty and I don't know why the ref didn't give it. It would have been strange. But the ref blew the whistle, he passed it, he picked it up, it would have been child like but that's not our problem. The rules are the rules and maybe they should have had one, we should have had one, and it's 2-2 and level for next week."
Wednesday's follow-up act will see Atletico Madrid host Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain take on Barcelona, which will be the latest stop on Kylian Mbappe's farewell tour. The World Cup winner remains the team's focal point but manager Luis Enrique has worked hard to ensure PSG are not a one-man team and as Jonathan Johnson notes, a handful of players could provide Barcelona with some trouble. That includes Ousmane Dembele, who has a chance to impress against his former club.
- Johnson: "The next major threat is an extremely familiar face in Dembele who only swapped Barcelona for Paris last summer and is already making himself at home in the French capital providing Mbappe with much of his ammunition. Although the France international is still lacking the finished product on occasions -- which will surprise none of his former teammates and staff -- he is absolutely capable of turning it on for the biggest games and this certainly qualifies. Coming up against former clubs can often be motivating and that seems likely to be the case for Dembele who had a generally mixed relationship with Barca before his exit."
CBS Sports Golazo Network Turns One
🔗 Midfield Link Play
🇺🇸 USWNT beats Canada on penalties in SheBelieves Cup
The U.S. women's national team and Canada may have swapped a waterlogged pitch for ideal conditions on Tuesday night, but the regional rivals once again tied 2-2 before the USWNT won things in a penalty shootout. The latest edition of the rivalry ended with the USWNT lifting their seventh SheBelieves Cup, capping off their final match before Emma Hayes' arrival with high levels of optimism.
For the second time in as many games, the USWNT went behind first when Canada's Adrianna Leon scored in the 40th minute. The players on the field responded with fervor and then interim head coach Twila Kilgore acted swiftly with a crucial halftime switch -- Mallory Swanson for Sam Coffey, moving Jaedyn Shaw from her role as a wide forward to one as an attacking midfielder. The substitution paid off in a big way, with Sophia Smith scoring a brace and coming away as the USWNT's standout player, as Sandra Herrera writes in her player ratings.
- Herrera: "[She] was active out wide and did a good job winning balls and in defensive recognition but had some hesitant moments in the first half. Came out swinging in the second 45 and put her boot right through it on the equalizer and converted her penalty [in the shootout]."
Crystal Dunn was called for a foul on Leon in the last 10 minutes, with Leon stepping up and converting the penalty to send the match to a shootout. Alyssa Naeher was once again the hero of the shootout, making three saves and converting her own spotkick as things progressed to sudden death.
This marks the end of Kilgore's seven month tenure as the interim head coach, one in which the player pool was rapidly transformed and a large group of younger players staked their claim on not just roster spots, but starting roles. While young players with World Cup experience like Smith and Trinity Rodman continue to prove their worth, breakout stars like Jaedyn Shaw and Sam Coffey demonstrate that this quick period of experimentation has so far been a successful one. There's room to grow for sure, but the last few months offer Hayes plenty of food for thought once she begins her short prep for the Olympics, and then begins to map out the USWNT's identity post-Paris.
🔗 Top Stories
🇪🇺 Champions League central: Here's more on the spectacle that was Madrid's draw with City and the non-call at the Emirates, as well as a look at Arsenal's defensive resolve and way-too-early predictions for the second legs. Plus, here's a preview of Wednesday's matchups and the latest on the coefficient battle.
🏟️ Stadium security: Security has been increased at this week's Champions League matches amid terror threats from a pro-Islamic State media outlet, but the games will go on as scheduled.
🔴 Amorim to Liverpool?: Sporting manager Ruben Amorim is reportedly close to succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and could sign a three-year deal soon.
⚽⚾ Red Stars at Wrigley: The NWSL's Chicago Red Stars will play Bay FC at Wrigley Field in June in a partnership with MLB's Chicago Cubs, hoping to expand the club's footprint in the city.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- UEFA Europa League: AC Milan vs. Roma, Thursday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Christian Pulisic to score (+220) -- Pulisic has five goals in his last six games for AC Milan, so a bet on him feels like an easy choice while he's in the midst of the best scoring run of his career. AC Milan also enter the first leg of the quarterfinals as the favorite to advance, so he might not be the only one on the scoresheet by the final whistle. - UEFA Europa League: Liverpool vs. Atalanta, Thursday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Liverpool to win 3-0 (+700) -- Liverpool may not longer be the favorites to win the Premier League, but they are still very much the team to beat in the Europa League. The Reds are also the oddsmakers' choice to advance out of this tie with relative ease, so expect Jurgen Klopp's team to showcase just that and come out of the first leg with a commanding lead.
📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.
📦 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.
3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long.
👟 Kickin' It (Tuesdays): CBS Sports Golazo Network's unfiltered interview show releases Tuesday. Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch.
⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
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