Accidentally dropped Manchester United ball in Champions League draw
Abolition of the away multiple goals system
If the goals are equal, it will be decided to overtime or penalty shoot-out
The round of 16 draw for the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League (UCL) was completed after a redraw due to a ridiculous mistake by the organizers. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain, PSG) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) were expected to face off in a ‘Me-Ho match’, but it was canceled due to a redraw.
UEFA confirmed the draw for the UCL round of 16 tournament at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on the 13th at 11 pm (Korean time). PSG (France) and Real Madrid (Spain) face off, and Manchester United (England) and Atlético Madrid (Spain) face off.
Last season’s UCL champion Bayern Munich (Germany) will face off against Salzburg (Austria), who made it to the round of 16 for the first time.
Messi, the ‘god of soccer’, who transferred to PSG this season, will meet Real Madrid, who was his nemesis at the time of his former team FC Barcelona. Sergio Ramos, who played for Real Madrid for 16 years from 2005 to 2021, was faced with his former club as soon as he moved to PSG this year.
In the UCL round of 16, played in a home and away format, the away goals rule, in which the team that scores more goals in away matches, is recognized as the more goals will be abolished from this season. The disadvantage of the away team has been offset more than in the past, and it is according to the point that the away goals bring an extreme tendency to defensive football. Starting this season, if both teams score the same in both home and away matches, the game will be played in overtime and penalty shootouts. The first round of the round of 16 will be held on February 15-16 and 22-23 next year, followed by the second leg on March 8-9 and 15-16.
This group draw was an unprecedented situation in which the draw was redrawn due to a mistake by UEFA. In the UCL Round of 16, teams from the same group stage or from the same league do not meet in principle, but Manchester United and Villarreal (Spain), who belonged to the same group, were selected. It seemed to be settled by drawing the ball again, but in the next draw, the draw was held without Manchester United, which should be in the draw box. In the end, the lottery was re-drawn due to opposition from participating clubs and criticism from the local media. As a result, the ‘Me-Ho match’ between PSG and Manchester United, which was held in the first lottery, was also canceled.
By Park Jae-hong, staff reporter maeno@seoul.co.kr
