Mertens motoring at NapoliChristmas seems to be coming at the wrong time for Dries Mertens, scorer of seven goals in Napoli's last two games, including four in Sunday's 5-3 defeat of Torino – the first three constituted Serie A's fifth fastest hat-trick. "I still have to understand what I did," said Mertens, who scored four and set up three in this autumn's UEFA Champions League group stage. His fourth against Torino, a wonderful lob, drew comparisons with a notable Napoli old boy. "Maradona?" said the 29-year-old. "I think I have a way to go yet ..."Marseille and the power of suggestionHypnosis apparently helped French striker André-P... UEFA.com - News
Tag: stage
Bilbao counting down to EURO 2020
"A city that breathes football" was the fitting description given to Bilbao at the unveiling of its UEFA EURO 2020 host city logo on Thursday.UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin was present in Bilbao, located in the Basque region of Spain, as the proud city celebrated its role as one of the 13 cities that will stage an eagerly awaited EURO final tournament in four years' time.The event took place in Bilbao City Hall, a short distance from the majestic Estadio de San Mamés, which will hold three group stage games and one round of 16 match in 2020.Alongside Mr Čeferin at the ceremony were Bilbao-born Ángel
UEFA Futsal Cup elite round updates
The UEFA Futsal Cup comprises three group stages and a four-team final tournament.Preliminary roundDepending on the number of entrants, the lower-ranked nations are drawn into three or four-team mini-tournaments played at the start of the season. Each mini-tournament is staged by one of the clubs and each team plays each other once with the group winners progressing.Main roundThe preliminary round winners join all but the four highest-ranked entrants excused the previous stage. They are drawn into six groups of four, staged as one-venue mini-tournaments, with the top two teams going through.Elite roundT... UEFA.com - News
Luc Nilis looks back on the night PSV beat Bayern
Luc Nilis, now a coach at PSV Eindhoven, recalls the last time the Eredivisie club met their matchday three opponents Bayern München, in the 1999/2000 group stage. PSV had lost away from home six weeks earlier but gained revenge in the south Netherlands, with their Belgian striker inflicting much of the damage. UEFA.com: What do you remember from the run-up to the last group stage match between PSV and Bayern?Luc Nilis: I think Bayern were as big a team then as they are today, so for us it was very special to be able to make a name for ourselves in Europe and achieve something sp... UEFA.com
Under-21 qualifying deciders live
The 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship features a qualifying group stage and a play-off round to determine which 11 teams join hosts Poland in the final tournament.Qualifying group stageTeams are split into nine groups – seven of six sides and two of five – and play each other on a home-and-away basis. The nine group winners qualify automatically. The four runners-up with the best record against the nations first, third, fourth and fifth in their sections advance to the play-offs.Play-offsThe two play-off ties are contested according to the knockout system. The team that scores the greater aggregate of goals proceeds to... UEFA.com - News
LIVE: Women’s Champions League round of 32
The UEFA Women's Champions League comprises a qualifying group stage, four rounds of two-legged knockout ties and a one-off final.Qualifying roundThe lower-ranked champion clubs compete in four-team, one-venue mini-tournaments hosted by one of the participants.Knockout phaseThe qualifying round winners join the teams given a bye past that stage in the round of 32. From here on the competition consists of two-legged knockout ties, continuing with the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals played over two legs. If scores are level after 90 or 120 minutes of the second leg, the team with the most away goals wins, otherwise a pena... UEFA.com - News
How have Scottish clubs fared against English sides?
Scottish fans have cause for alarm as Manchester City visit Celtic for the first time on matchday two, and not just because Josep Guardiola's side have won all of their games this season.The recent history of club matches between English and Scottish teams makes grim reading for fans north of the border. Scotland's representatives are without a win in their last ten encounters with English clubs (D4 L6) since Shunsuke Nakamura's goal at Parkhead earned Celtic a 1-0 victory against Manchester United in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group stage. However, the overall statistics in the 40 UEFA games between