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| Leipzig striker Hwang Hee-chan. © AFP=News1 |
Hwang Hee-chan (25), who plays for the German Bundesliga RB Leipzig, played an active part in the 17th minute, but could not prevent the team from losing.
Leipzig lost 0-2 to Liverpool in the first leg of the 2020-21 European Football Federation (UEFA) Champions League (UCL) round of 16 held at the Fuskas Arena in Hungary on the 17th (Korean time).
Leipzig started with caution, saving Hwang Hee-chan as a bench member and focusing on the defense, but suffered a hard time because of Liverpool’s strong pressure and offensive.
Liverpool scored consecutive goals by Mohamed Salah in the 8th minute and Sadio Manet in the 13th minute.
As the score rose in an instant, Leipzig went on the offensive in the 28th minute of the second half, excluding defensive midfielder Kevin Kampl and putting in striker Hwang Hee-chan.
Hwang Hee-chan stepped on the UCL stage in four months after the first Istanbul Basaksehir FK match in Group H group stage held in October last year.
Hwang Hee-chan actively moved from the right side of the penalty box at the last minute and tried to shoot, but missed the goal. In the end, Leipzig couldn’t narrow the score gap even with Hwang Hee-chan’s input.
Liverpool scored two goals and victories on the away, gaining a favorable spot for advancement to the quarterfinals. Leipzig, which failed to bear fruit despite the last-minute counterattack in the second half, was in a position to pursue a miracle in the second game.
The second leg of the round of 16 will be held at Anfield in Liverpool on the 11th of next month.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG, France) also defeated FC Barcelona (Spain) by Lionel Messi with the hat-trick of Cillian Mbafe.
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| Paris Saint-Germain striker Killer An Mbappe wrote a hat-trick to lead the match to Barcelona. © AFP=News1 |
PSG won a big win 4-1 against Barcelona in the first leg of the round of 16 held at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain.
PSG increased the likelihood of advancing to the quarterfinals by winning a big win thanks to Mbafe’s big success in the situation where Neymar fell into injury.
Barcelona was the first to open fire. In the 26th minute of the first half, Frankie Deyong scored a penalty for an opponent foul, and Messi scored the opening goal with a calm success.
However, from this time on, Mbafe’s’One Man Show’ took place.
In the 32nd minute of the first half, Mbappe quickly knocked out two opponents from within the penalty box and scored the equalizer with a powerful left foot shot.
PSG, which finished 1-1 in the first half, beat Barcelona in the second half with Mbafe.
PSG, which had an offensive against Barcelona, succeeded in reversing the cross from the right flank in the second half of the 20th minute with Mbafe’s left footed shot.
The PSG scored 3-1 in an instant with Mois Keane’s header shot five minutes later.
Mbappe completed a hat-trick in the 40th minute of the second half. He scored the team’s fourth goal in a counterattack situation with an exquisite right-footed kick.
Eventually the match ended with PSG’s 4-1 win.
The second game will be held in Paris on the 11th of next month. PSG, which won three goals in the away game, has a favorable point for advance to the quarterfinals.
◇ UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st leg result
△Paris Saint-Germain (France, 1 win) 4-1 Barcelona (Spain, 1 loss)
Liverpool (England 1 win) 2-0 Leipzig (Germany 1 loss)