Sports

CL Quarter-Final: Chelsea Face Real Madrid, Manchester City Play Atletico Madrid

Published

5 years ago

March 18, 2022

…Liverpool face Benfica, as Villarreal ambush Bayern Munich

Joel Ajayi

Defending champions Chelsea have been drawn against 11-time winners Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The Blues will host their former manager Carlo Ancelotti, who won the double at Stamford Bridge, in what is a repeat of last year’s semi-final, that Thomas Tuchel’s side won.

Elsewhere the other tie of the round sees Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, last year’s runners-up, face Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid, who knocked out City’s rivals Manchester United in the last 16.

It will be just the fourth and fifth time that Guardiola and Simeone have faced off against each other and the first time City and Atletico have played against each other.

Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool will face one of the surprise packages, Benfica, while the other unexpected name, Villarreal, meet Bayern Munich.

Should they get through Liverpool will face the winner of the Villarreal and Bayern whilst the other semi-final could see a Madrid derby or Chelsea against City depending on the outcome.

The first legs of the quarter-finals will take place on April 5/6, with the return legs set for the following week.

QUARTER-FINAL DRAW IN FULL

Chelsea v Real Madrid

Manchester City v Atletico Madrid

Villarreal v Bayern Munich

Benfica v Liverpool

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Sports

Drogba, Amuneke, Eguavoen Lead African Legends’ Arrival in Lagos

Published

16 hours ago

November 7, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

With just one day to the much-anticipated Legends of Africa Football Game, Ivorian football icon Didier Drogba has arrived in Lagos, joining an impressive assembly of former African internationals already in the city ahead of Sunday’s star-studded encounter.

Drogba’s arrival further heightens anticipation for the game, which will bring together some of the continent’s most celebrated football figures at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

Also in Lagos are Nigerian football greats Mobi Oparaku, Emmanuel Amuneke, Emmanuel Babayaro, Garba Lawal, Austin Eguavoen and Mutiu Adepoju, alongside other members of the legendary Super Eagles generations of 1994 and 1996.

The African contingent also features distinguished names including Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Cameroon’s Rigobert Song, among other former international stars.

The excitement will extend beyond the legends’ reunion, with popular Nigerian entertainers and celebrities preparing for a special Celebrity Match as part of the event. Yhemolee, Sheggz, Jeriq, Teddy A and Charles Okocha are among the personalities set to feature in the celebrity fixture, scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.

The Celebrity Match will form part of a wider programme of activities designed to give fans a full day of football, entertainment and celebration before the main legends’ fixture, which kicks off at 5pm. Gates open at 1:30pm.

Organized by Toptier Sports Management in collaboration with Afreximbank and CANEX as part of CANEX WKND 2026, the game will feature 15 Nigerian legends taking on 13 African icons in a celebration of the players whose achievements helped shape the history of football on the continent.

Beyond the match, the programme includes a football clinic involving 500 young players, entertainment and special recognition for the heroes of African football.

The Legends of Africa Football Game promises a memorable gathering of football royalty, bringing together generations of fans to celebrate the enduring legacy of the continent’s finest players.

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