RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig will not host Liverpool in the Champions League later this month after authorities ruled the English club cannot enter Germany because of coronavirus mutations in the UK, the Interior Ministry said Thursday. The match was set to take place in Leipzig on February 16, but the German federal police responsible for border control (the Bundespolizei) rejected RB's application for a special permit that would have allowed Jürgen Klopp's Premier League outfit to enter the country.
"The Coronavirus Protection Order agreed by the federal government last Friday envisions only a few exceptions and no special arrangements for professional athletes," the German Interior Ministry said in a statement.
After a draw made on Monday, UEFA Champions League round of 16 ties are:
- Borussia Mönchengladbach (GER) vs Manchester City (ENG)
- Lazio (ITA) vs Bayern (GER)
- Atlético (ESP) vs Chelsea (ENG)
- Leipzig (GER) vs Liverpool (ENG)
- Porto (POR) vs Juventus (ITA)
- Barcelona (ESP) vs Paris (FRA)
- Sevilla (ESP) vs Borussia Dortmund (GER)
- Atalanta (ITA) vs Real Madrid (ESP)
The first legs are scheduled for 16/17 and 23/24 February, with the second legs on 9/10 and 16/17 March.
PSG have beaten RB Leipzig 3:0, at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, and qualified to the Champions League final for the first time in the club history. The club are the first French team to reach the Champions League final since Monaco in the 2003-04 season.
Marquinhos, Angel di Maria and Juan Bernat scored the goals for PSG.
PSG will play for the title against Bayern Munich or Lyon on August 24.
RB Leipzig overcame a defensive Atletico Madrid to reach their first Champions League semi-final. With a 2:1 victory, Leipzig ended the dream of Madrid to reach their third final in the last six years.
Dani Olmo and Tyler Adams scored for the German side, and João Felix scored for the Spanish.
RB Leipzig will face PSG on August 18 at 19:00 UTC for a spot in the Champions League final.
In the first UEFA Champions League match, PSG has beaten Atalanta 2:1, to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 25 years.
The game, played at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, was decided in the last minutes with PSG managing a comeback in dramatic fashion. Marquinhos got their equaliser in the 90th minute, with Choupo-Moting scoring the winner two minutes later.
PSG will face in semi-finals the winner of the game between RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid.
In what the Deutsche Fußball Liga, the association responsible for professional football in Germany, calls an "act of solidarity" Champions League clubs FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig will provide a combined €20 million with the goal to support other Bundesliga clubs that will suffer financially from coronavirus effects. "We have always said that we will show solidarity when clubs, through no fault of their own, get into an imbalance as a result of this absolutely exceptional situation that they can no longer control on their own", Dortmund Chairman of the Board Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a joint statement.