Aston Villa’s dream of reaching the Champions League ended in anger after a costly referee mistake at Manchester United. The turning point came in the 73rd minute when Villa believed they had scored a crucial goal.

Harry Maguire’s weak header forced United keeper Altay Bayindir to scramble. As he tried to grab the ball, Villa’s Morgan Rogers poked it free and scored. However, referee Thomas Bramall had blown his whistle before the ball went in. The video assistant referee (VAR) couldn’t review the goal, so it didn’t count. This angered Villa’s players, manager Unai Emery, and their fans.

The match stayed goalless until United struck late. Amad Diallo scored with a header from Bruno Fernandes�?cross. Later, Bramall gave United a penalty when Ian Maatsen fouled Diallo. Christian Eriksen scored, sealing the 2-0 win.

Emery said the referee’s call killed Villa’s Champions League hopes. The team had been close to a top-four finish, but this mistake ended them in sixth place.

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Declan Rice is on a fantastic run in 2025, as he has become Arsenal’s focal point. Despite their injury troubles, the Gunners are in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after beating 15-time winners Real Madrid. Rice played a huge role in the 5-1 aggregate win, as he scored two spectacular free kicks in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium on April 8.

With his performances for Arsenal, Rice has cemented his place as one of the world’s best midfielders. In fact, he is the best example of an ‘all-action midfielder�? as he is good at every facet of football. Find out more about Rice and why he deserves to be called an elite player.

Rice has elite versatility in midfield

As a youth player, Rice started as a centre-back, where his athleticism and strength stood out. Despite those traits of being a traditional CB, Rice progressed further up the pitch, as he became a defensive midfielder (#6) at West Ham United. 

He became elite in that position, but people caught glimpses of him being an all-action midfielder there. Rice moved to Arsenal in 2023, where he continued playing at #6. A few months into his time at Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta assigned him as a left-sided central midfielder (#8). 

This made him more influential on offence as he became Martin Ødegaard’s playmaking partner. Rice’s ball-carrying and attacking instincts helped him become a more impactful player. He is still impactful with his out of possession (OOP) work with interceptions, which shows his versatility as a well-rounded midfielder.

Rice perfectly blends the traits of elite midfielders

Rice has become an established elite player, but he is also a product of midfielders of previous eras. Declan plays with the relentless energy reminiscent of Steven Gerrard.

Rice’s impact on offence is similar to that of Paul Scholes or even Frank Lampard to some extent. With all these comparisons to former icons of the English game, it further cements Rice’s status as a world-class midfielder for Arsenal and the England national team.

Arsenal has maximised his skills as a top player

With Rice playing at this elite level, he can be considered one of the world’s best players. The performances against Real Madrid were already strong, but he deserves more recognition for what he has done in the past two seasons with Arsenal.

He will only improve with time, as he learns how to become a better playmaker and leader. Rice already has all the tools; he just needs to finish the job and win a trophy with Arsenal as they are a spectacular side that deserves some silverware.

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After an impressive performance in Round of 16 of the Champions League, Arsenal are back to the Quarter-Final stage. This is the second straight year they have done this after missing the UCL for many years. They now set up a date against 15-time winner Real Madrid, which is possibly the best matchup of the competition so far. 

A blockbuster clash between elite teams

This is a matchup that any football fan could enjoy as it’s a fantastic story heading into the two-legged tie in April 2025. Arsenal have long starved for a Champions League trophy, which got even worse when they lost in the UCL Final in 2006 to Barcelona. 

On the other hand, Real has been the most successful team in the competition, as they win it nearly every year. It is only the Quarter-Finals, but if Arsenal can get past Los Blancos, they could win the UCL.

With Bukayo Saka returning soon, he could be the key for Arsenal to beat Real Madrid. It will be difficult because of the championship pedigree and experience the Spanish titans have over their English adversaries.

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Real Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in a close match at the Bernabéu. Kylian Mbappe scored first in the 30th minute with an intense shot into the net. Vinicius Jr. scored another goal four minutes later, showing skill with a smooth finish.

Rayo Vallecano did not give up. Pedro Diaz scored before halftime, bringing the score to 2-1 and showing them hope. Both teams had great chances to score during the second half, but Mbappe almost found the net again yet missed just wide.

The victory of Real Madrid is now level on points with leaders Barcelona in La Liga but remains in second place because of the goal difference. Real's defence needs work, as they have let in 51 goals in 46 games this year, ranking them among those with the most goals given up in La Liga. Rayo was tough, taking 20 shots during the game, which shows their strength. Both teams played their best, but Madrid's sharp goals were vital to the win.

As the title race resumes, Real Madrid will face city rivals Atletico Madrid in the next Champions League match, striving to make a big mark on this win and keep their title hopes alive.

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Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings played a vital role in the team's success in the recent Champions League game against Club Brugge. The player helped his team secure a 3-1 win in the first leg of the last-16 round. He expressed his excitement, stating, ‘I was more than happy to return here because I think we had unfinished business.�?nbsp;

Mings assisted Leon Bailey's opening goal within the first three minutes of the match. He also made a vital defensive play, stopping a header from Brugge's captain, Hans Vanaken, that could have tied the game. Mings recorded seven clearances, showing his strong defensive skills.

Aston Villa's manager, Unai Emery, praised Mings for his focus and skills. He noted that Mings learned from his earlier mistake and played a fantastic game. Emery highlighted the value of staying calm as the team prepares for the tie’s second leg on March 12.

While Villa has a good chance of advancing to the quarter-finals, Emery reminded everyone that the job is not yet done. ‘We are not in the quarter-finals. There are still 90 minutes to play,�?he said.

With Mings back in form, Aston Villa fans feel hopeful for more success in the Champions League.

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The UEFA Champions League (UCL) gives every domestic league a fixed number of places to qualify for the tournament every season. However, it awards two domestic leagues extra places, allowing them to have more participants to represent their association. The English Premier League (EPL) is leading the race to win these extra places for 2026 UCL. 

It’s not final and there’s still a lot of time until UEFA declares the winners. Other candidates include the Italian Serie A, the Spanish La Liga, the German Bundesliga, and the French Ligue 1 in that order. There is still a lot of work to be done with Italy and Spain having the best chance to overcome England’s lead. 

Factors to decide which league wins the extra place

To keep up with these events, it’s important to know what factors the UEFA consider to decide the winner of these extra places. Here are some of them and how they impact the association’s participation in the UCL:

UEFA coefficient standing

The UEFA coefficient ranking is the easiest metric to follow because it is updated live and the chart is publicly available on the main website. As of writing, the points of each association club coefficients are as follows:

• England �?106.624
• Italy �?93.418
• Spain �?89.381
• Germany �?83.956
• France �?70.22

The coefficient standing takes records of all clubs�?performances in every European competition. That includes the currently ongoing UCL as well as other tournaments like the Europa League, Conference League, and Super Cup. 

Extra bonus points system in the UCL

The 2024/25 UCL has a revamped bonus point system where the clubs�?performance in the ongoing UCL contributes to their chances to win the extra place. Spain has a troubled start in the 2024/25 season with AC Milan, Atalanta, and Juventus losing in the knockout play-off. However, Real Madrid earned a big win when they defeated Manchester City. 

England still has plenty of opportunities to widen their lead having Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool still in the Round of 16. Italy only has Inter Milan left to represent them while Spain still has Atletico, Barcelona, and Real Madrid in the race. 

How’s England doing in the race for an extra UCL place?

The EPL still has 3 participants in the UCL Round of 16 including Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa. All of them are heavy hitters and are among the top 5 favourites for the 2024/25 Champions League trophy. 

Probable hurdles they can face in the last stage of the UCL include Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona. Don’t miss their eventual head-to-head in the UCL because their meets will be a deciding factor in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 UCL seasons. 

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Celtic came into the match down 2-1 from the first game. However, they shocked Bayern when Nicolas Kuhn scored in the 61st minute after a mistake by Bayern’s Kim Min-jae. Celtic was 1-0 up, and the score was tied 2-2 on aggregate.

Before that goal, Celtic missed a few good chances. Callum McGregor shot over the bar when he should’ve scored. Daizen Maeda also had some chances but couldn’t finish. Even with these missed chances, Celtic kept pushing and fought hard.

Bayern’s push and Celtic’s defence

Bayern quickly reacted, pushing hard to find an equaliser. Leon Goretzka had a wide header, and Leroy Sane forced a great save from Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. Celtic’s defence stood firm, blocking shots and clearing the ball when needed. Bayern had 23 shots, but Celtic kept them from scoring.

Celtic struggled to escape their own half, but their defence stayed solid. It looked like the game was heading for extra time as Bayern kept pressing and Celtic fought to hold their lead.

Bayern’s last-minute goal breaks Celtic’s heart

With extra time moments away, Bayern scored a heartbreaking goal in the last seconds. Michael Olise sent a cross into the box, and though Schmeichel saved Goretzka’s header, the ball fell in front of the goal. Cameron Carter-Vickers tried to clear it, but Alphonso Davies quickly pushed the ball over the line, giving Bayern the win.

The last-minute goal was cruel to Celtic, who had worked so hard. Tired and heartbroken players lay on the field while Bayern celebrated. Celtic had given everything, but Bayern’s last-second goal crushed their hopes.

Celtic’s progress and Bayern’s lucky escape

Even though they lost, Celtic should be proud of their fight. They showed great strength and played better than many expected. Celtic’s defence was strong, and Schmeichel made some crucial saves. They were just seconds away from extra time and could’ve had a chance to win it.

Bayern, however, will be relieved to have won. They struggled to break down Celtic’s defence and had many shots but couldn’t score. Their win was hard-earned, and they had to play better to go far in the competition.

Looking ahead

Celtic may have been knocked out, but they have shown huge progress. They’ve grown a lot since earlier this season. This match showed they are a stronger team now, and their fans can look forward to even better performances in the future. Bayern must fix their mistakes as they move on to tougher opponents in the following rounds.

Celtic will return home with pride, knowing they gave their best shot. They didn’t win, but they have improved a lot and will come back stronger next season.

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