“Atletico Madrid’s 7-4 aggregate Champions League play-off round victory over Club Brugge sees Diego Simeone’s new-look side roll on to face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16, and comes as veteran attacker Antoine Griezmann mulls a possible move to MLS. The build-up to Tuesday’s game saw The Athletic report that Orlando City were in advanced discussions to sign Griezmann, most likely this summer but potentially in the coming weeks, and the former France international came off the bench to play a key role in Atletico’s third goal of a 4-1 victory against Brugge on the night. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Atletico Madrid are evolving, but still cannot be written off
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“Tonight’s Champions League match between Real Madrid and Benfica sees Jose Mourinho return to the Bernabeu for the first time since his turbulent spell at the Spanish club from 2010 to 2013. He does so in dramatic circumstances. Last Tuesday’s knockout phase play-off first leg between the teams saw Mourinho sent off for protesting from the sidelines during a 1-0 defeat for his Portuguese side. After the game, he made headlines around the world with his comments about the alleged racist abuse of Madrid forward Vinicius Jr by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. …”
Queretaro (in red) will be forced to play their league match on a later date 
“The year that Inter last won the Champions League, their historic treble season of 2009-10, Bodo/Glimt finished sixth in the Norwegian second division. We could be here for quite a while, listing ways to measure the gulf in the respective sizes and international reputations of these two clubs, but that seems as good as any. One of the most historic and storied football clubs to ever exist — 20-time Serie A champions and three-time European champions — were beaten on Tuesday, and beaten easily, by ‘a team from a small town up north’, as their head coach, Kjetil Knutsen, put it after the game. …”
Scissors Kick 