Tag Archives: #ChampionsLeague

RONALDO: Fifth Player in History to Reach 400 League Goals

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FOX Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo is fifth player to reach 400 but has his sights set higher.

  1. Bican: 578
  2. Puskas: 514
  3. McGrory: 410
  4. Seeler: 406
  5. Ronaldo: 400

Breakdown of goals in his career 

SPORTING C.P.

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LIGA NOS

When he first broke through in Portugal with Sporting he notched 3 goals in Primeira Liga. In a friendly game versus Man United the legend of Cristiano Ronaldo was about to begin as Sir Alex Ferguson saw the potential of the young Portuguese player.

MANCHESTER UNITED

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ManchesterUnited.com

He then moved on to England with Manchester United where he began his scoring tally with 84 goals in the Premier League. His game was fine tuned under the tutelage of the leaders on the team and this helped him round out his all around play on the field.

REAL MADRID 

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RealMadrid.com

Next stop was Spain for Real Madrid in La Liga where he reached peak level and netted 311 goals. This is where his potential shined the most with the constant battles versus Messi and Barcelona bringing his talent to the CR7 we all know worldwide.

JUVENTUS 

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Getty Images

His latest endeavor has been for Juventus in Serie A in Italy where 2 goals in his most recent game got him to the 400.

After going through his own scoring drought which for Cristiano Ronaldo is big news, an easy tip into the net sent Allianz Arena into complete bedlum. It hasn’t been for a lack of opportunities or hard work that he had not scored a goal officially for Juventus in his Serie A games but the longer this lasted the more questions would have arisen about his age and if he had possibly lost a step. His scoring could not have come at a better time as Juventus are about to begin the Champions League tournament. He is looking to win his 6th UEFA Champions League title.

He keeps himself in phenomenal shape and will give everything he has on the training field and weight room to try and give himself the opportunity to go as far as he can with his potential.

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Who Is the Greatest Footballer of All-Time: Lionel Messi

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International championships or not, Lionel Messi is the greatest player to ever live. There is no one better. While some will argue Cristiano Ronaldo, or argue Diego Maradona is better. They are sadly mistaken. With Messi’s hat trick today, he has 48 career hat tricks and eight total in the Champions League, which gives him one more than Ronaldo’s seven. There is only one Messi and the world may never get someone quite like him ever again.

Messi’s Accolades

Let’s start with his club awards. Since 2004, Lionel Messi has brought nine La Liga championships in 14 years. That’s a 64% winning rate for him. In the five years, he didn’t win the league, Messi and Barcelona were the runner-ups four times. In Messi’s 14-year career with Barcelona, he has come in first or second place 13 out of 14 years. Messi has also helped bring Barcelona six Copa del Rey championships, two runner-ups, seven Spanish Super Cups, four UEFA Champions Leagues, UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups. That is a total of 32 championships for club. In comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo only has 25 total championships, and he has played for four different teams over his 16-year career. All of that only makes up Messi’s club championships. For is individual honors he’s won five Ballon d’Or, been the runner-up five times and came in third once. He’s won FIFA World Player of the Year once came in second twice, Won the World Cup golden ball and the FIFA Club World Cup golden ball twice. In terms of championships, no one even comes close to what Messi has accomplished over his 14 years career.

Stats

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Lionel Messi also has the stats to back up his accolades. Just for Barcelona, he has made 643 appearances scored 558 goals and registered 215 assists. That is only 17 goals less than Christiano Ronaldo, who has two years in hand on Messi. If you think Messi won’t score 17 goals in two years, you have never watched Lionel Messi play. Messi also has a higher goal per game average than Ronaldo with an outstanding 0.87 goals per game compared to Ronaldo’s 0.75 goals per game ratio. Now for internatonal play. Yes, Lionel Messi has never won any International competitions, but that doesn’t take away from his stats on the national team. In 128 caps he has scored 65 goals and tallied up 40 assists. Ronaldo might have better stats than Messi in some departments, but there is no doubt that Messi will eventually catch up to the majority of what Ronaldo has done. No matter where Messi plays, he dominates the field like no other athlete ever has. And that is why messi is the greatest footballer of all time

BENFICA: Maintains first place in LIGA and gets Champions League opponents

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BENFICA STAYS IN FIRST IN LIGA AND FINDS OUT THEIR OPPOSITION IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP

BENFICA IN FIRST PLACE AFTER VICTORY IN NACIONAL

Photo courtesy:
Benfica.com

In a game that has been usually difficult for opposing teams in Madeira, the Eagles came out victorious 4-0. They were able to score two goals in each half and Salvio continued rolling with a goal and assist. Seferovic got the team on the board first with a nice set up from Salvio. Salvio added to the scoring right before the first half ended to give them a 2-0 lead going into halftime. As the game worn on Benfica kept control of the possession and put the game out of reach when Grimaldo scored in the 76th minute. Rafa put the game away in extra time for the team’s fourth goal of the game. SLB has gone undefeated in the first eight games of the season for the first time since 1990.

The LigaNos is off this week for the international soccer break as Portugal will be participating in two games.

UEFA Champions League – Group E 

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Planet Benfica

AEK from Greece, Ajax from Amsterdam and Bayern from Germany are the teams Benfica will have to face to advance out of the group stage. Each team will have a home and away game and goal differential will determine who advances.

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Benfica Ties in Derby and Advances in Champions League

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BENFICA TIES SPORTING IN LISBON DERBY AND ARE MOVING ON IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.

Benfica in first place tie with Sporting after “O Classico“

Photo courtesy: Liga NOS

Benfica met long time rival Sporting in the first Derby of the 2018/19 Liga NOS season. These matches are usually intense and dramatic, but unfortunately for this game that was not the case. The home team held possession for most of the game but it was Sporting who got on the board first. Nani converted a penalty as the keeper chose the wrong direction, which gave Benefica an early 1-0 lead. The Eagles, who were playing at home in front of a sell out crowd, kept applying pressure. In the 86th minute the raucous crowd at Estadio da Luz were finally able to erupt as eighteen year old Joao Felix leveled the game at 1-1 on a beautifully headed goal on a cross.

Unfortunately, once the game became level, it seemed both teams were content on getting the one point. SLB had some close opportunities, but both teams turned the match into killing whatever time was left to play. Even the officials appeared to let the game slip away from them. With the point and Porto’s loss both Benfica and Sporting are now tied for first place after three games. This will surely set up what will be a wild finish.

Benfica advance in Champions League

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Benfica.com

Next up was the second leg game of the UEFA Champions League qualifying stage versus PAOK. If the first 20 minutes were to be any indication, it seemed as if the Eagles were about to be eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. PAOK got off to a roaring start and took the lead early in the game 1-0. After those first twenty minutes, the game completely changed. Benfica equalized on a corner when Jardel headed the ball into the lower corner just out of the goalkeeper’s reach. That goal was all it took to open the floodgates as Benfica went on to score the next three goals.

In a moment of complete misunderstanding, PAOK sent the ball back to their goalie and as he rushed to keep it in play he tripped the Benfica player for a penalty. Salvio lined up and scored to make it 2-1. The next play was a beautiful team effort as passes were made throughout the whole field, setting up Pizzi who made it 3-1. Jardel and Salvio once again played parts in the final goal as another penalty was awarded, allowing Salvio to score once again to close out the scoring at 4-1.

Benfica advanced on aggregate goals 5-2 and will now advance to the group stage of the Champions League. The team also gets 50 million dollars for advancing to the group stage.

The Eagles’ next Liga NOS game is on Sunday versus Nacional. The draw for the Champions League is this week to determine the group and teams they will face.

 

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Benfica Keeps Rolling in LIGA, Missed Opportunity in Champions League

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Benfica had two strong games but had to settle for a victory and tie.

Liga NOS battle versus Boavista 

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Benfica.com

Benfica started this week by defeating Boavista 2-0 on the road. In a match that was an away contest but felt like a home game for the Eagles, Ferreya began the scoring in the first half to get the team in the right direction. Adding to his goal streak, Pizzi once again found the back of the net to put it away in the second half. It felt like most of the crowd was in red as Benfica supporters traveled in droves for this game.

Benfica and PAOK look to advance in UEFA

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Benfica.com

In the UEFA Champions League qualifying stage PAOK was their next opponents. They were able to get an important away goal as they tied the team from Lisbon 1-1 in the first leg of the games. Pizzi, after missing on many chances, was finally able to score on a penalty right before the first half ended. SLB should have run away with this game in the first 30 minutes, but many chances were missed. All they can do now is hope it doesn’t come back to bite them on aggregate goals.

The Eagles’ next Liga NOS game is a derby versus Sporting on Saturday. The game between these rivals is expected to be intense as usual. It could also affect the standings as the season goes on, with the two expected to battle for the title with Porto.

Their next matchup against PAOK is on the road Aug. 29th.

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Victorious First Week For Benfica In UEFA Champions League, Liga NOS

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Benfica.com

The week began and ended in the UEFA Champions League.

The first qualification match was at home for Benfica at the Estadio da Luz. The opposition was Fenerbache from the Turkish league.

Photo courtesy:
Benfica.com

Franco Cervi’s deflected shot in the 69th minute gave them the important 1-0 lead at home, going into the second leg.

The next qualification game was played on August 14th in Turkey. Gedson opened the scoring for SLB in the first half. Fenerbache tied the game, but due to aggregate goals, Benfica would advance.

Photo courtesy: Benfica.com

The Eagles will now face PAOK in the playoff round to enter the group stage in the tournament.

It was also the start of the LIGA NOS season in Portugal.

Pizzi scored all 3 goals for the home side and they began their season in the win column.The first half began in the best way possible; Benfica led 3-0 at halftime. The second half was a different story, as V.Guimaraes fought back with 2 goals of their own. The team was fortunate to hang on for the victory. Their next game in the Portugal Liga is against Boavista on Sat 8/18.

Photo courtesy:
Benfica.com

The other big teams in Portugal, Sporting and Porto, were also victorious in their opening games.

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