LEVERKUSEN STUN MAN CITY 0-2: GRIMALDO, SCHICK HEROES
Bayer Leverkusen shocks Champions League holders Man City 2-0 at the Etihad. Clinical Germans hand Guardiola's rotated side a defeat.
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Manchester City lost their first Champions League game of the season, with Bayer Leverkusen taking home a 2-0 victory at the Etihad.
City controlled much of the game, but Leverkusen was able to score on two of their seven shots.
In the 23rd minute, Leverkusen's quick counterattack led to Christian Kofone setting up Alejandro Grimaldo, who scored with a great shot from the left side.
Even though City kept up the pressure, Leverkusen scored nine minutes again into the second half when Patrick Schick headed in a goal.
In Pep Guardiola’s 100th Champions League game as City's manager, he made a lot of changes to the team that lost to Newcastle United. Nico González was the only player who started in both games.
City started strong, trying to score early. Nathan Aké had a close-range shot saved by Mark Flekken.
City started to get frustrated as passes went astray in the final third, and they were later made to pay for it.
Leverkusen looked threatening on the counter-attack, and this time they took advantage, scoring against the run of play. A fast break from the German team put Ibrahim Maza in a good position on the right.
Maza crossed the ball to Kofane, who passed it to Grimaldo, who shot the ball into the bottom corner, giving James Trafford no chance.
City didn't have many chances in the first half, even though they had the ball most of the time. Tijani Reijnders had a shot late in the half, but it went straight at Flekken.
City made three attacking substitutions at halftime to try to change the game. But Leverkusen scored again, taking a valuable two-goal lead against the 2023 Champions League winners.
Maza sent a great cross into the box, and Schick headed it into the net, shocking City.
In the 64th minute, Guardiola brought on Erling Haaland. The striker almost scored six minutes later when he tried to go around Flekken, but the goalkeeper stood firm.
Rayan Cherki took a free kick in the 85th minute, but Flekken saved it. It was becoming clear that it wasn’t going to be City’s night.
Despite City’s efforts to come back, Leverkusen's defence held strong to get a memorable win in the first game ever between the two teams.
City’s next game is away against Real Madrid. Leverkusen will play Newcastle United at home.
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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