Top 5 teams after first-leg round of 16 games | UEFA Champions League 2019-20
The first leg of the always awaited UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie is done and dusted. There were some upsets and some predicted scorelines in what were eight high-quality football games which delivered the excitement that the Champions League always promises the fans.
All the Bundesliga clubs had a dream first leg as Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and Bayern Munich emerged victorious in their matches. Former CL finalists Atletico Madrid earned the most impressive victory against defending champions Liverpool as they beat the Reds at home, whereas underdogs Atalanta beat Valencia 4-1 in their CL knockout debut. Manchester City emerged victorious in this round's most anticipated tie against Real Madrid, while Borussia Dortmund shocked PSG in a 2-1 victory.
The likes of Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli, Liverpool, and Juventus have all to play for in the second leg as most of the ties are expected to go down the wire in a couple of weeks. After an exciting round of football, we analyse the top 5 teams in the Champions League at the end of the first leg of the round of 16.
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#5 RB Leipzig
When RB Leipzig drew Tottenham Hotspur in the round of 16, the game was expected to be a hard-fought one and had the potential to be one of the low-key, yet one of the best ties of this round. After 90 minutes at the London Stadium, the second-placed Bundesliga team had thoroughly outplayed last year's Champions League finalists and went back home with a 0-1 victory and a precious away goal.
There is little doubt now that Julian Naglesmann is the next big thing in the world of football management. The 32-year-old is younger than the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer, and yet it seems as if he has been a coach for over two decades. The German international got the better of the legendary Jose Mourinho at the latter's home stadium, and now the North London club has to put in a serious shift in Germany if they want to progress to the next round.
Leipzig was sharp off the front and put in one of their best performances of the season. The leaders of their group in the previous round, the German club is now in pole position to advance to their first-ever quarter-final appearance in the competition.