Tag: Firmino

Champions League top scorers: Ronaldo out in front of Neymar & Kane

As Europe’s elite battle it out for team glory, individual players are engaged in a fight to come out on top as the best goalscorer

The 2017-18 Champions League has returned for the knock-out stage and the race to see who will finish as the tournament’s top goalscorer is back on.

Cristiano Ronaldo was last season’s top scorer with 12 goals as Real Madrid clinched their second Champions League title in a row and he narrowly edged out long-time rival Lionel Messi, who scored 11.

The likes of Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani, Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski and the precocious Kylian Mbappe were also among the contenders last term.

Ronaldo currently leads the way with nine goals in six games, while Tottenham star Harry Kane is up into second place after taking his tally to seven with a goal against Juventus. In joint-third place are Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Edinson Cavani, Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Sevilla’s Wissam Ben Yedder on six goals.

Interestingly, Messi is some way off the pace, scoring a relatively paltry three goals in six matches, so he will have to find his scoring boots in the knock-out stage if he is to stand a chance of taking the crown from his Real Madrid rival.

Champions League 2017-18 top goalscorers:

*Correct as of games played on February 14, 2018

Pos Player Club Goals
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 11
=2 Roberto Firmino  Liverpool 7
=2 Harry Kane  Tottenham 7
=4 Neymar PSG 6
=4 Edinson Cavani PSG 6
=4 Wissam Ben Yedder Sevilla 6
=4 Mohamed Salah  Liverpool 6
=4 Sadio Mane  Liverpool 6
=9 Philippe Coutinho Liverpool 5
=9 Vincent Aboubakar  Porto 5
=11 Kylian Mbappe  PSG 4
=11 Cenk Tosun  Besiktas 4
=11 Raheem Sterling  Manchester City 4
=11 Sergio Aguero  Manchester City 4
=11 Gonzalo Higuain  Juventus 4
=11 Dimitri Oberlin  Basel 4
=11 Anderson Talisca  Besiktas 4
=11 Romelu Lukaku Manchester United 4
=11 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Borussia Dortmund 4

Liverpool reclaim Champions League record after just one day

Pep Guardiola’s men set a record on Tuesday that lasted just 24 hours before it was topped by Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying Reds

Manchester City set a Champions League record with their 4-0 thrashing of Basel on Tuesday. It lasted one day.

The four-goal win for Pep Guardiola’s side was the largest margin of victory ever for an English team away from home in the Champions League knockout rounds.

But on Wednesday, Liverpool did them one better with a stunning 5-0 victory at Porto in the first leg of a Champions League last-16 tie.

Jurgen Klopp’s side breezed to the win at the Estadio do Dragao, behind the strength of a hat-trick from Sadio Mane – the fourth Liverpool player to score a Champions League treble (Michael Owen, Yossi Benayoun and Philippe Coutinho are the others).

The Reds also became the first English side to score five goals in an away Champions League knockout match.

The five-goal margin tied Liverpool for the largest away Champions League knockout win for any side, levelling Bayern Munich (5-0 over Sporting in 2009) and Real Madrid (6-1 over Schalke in 2014).

Liverpool have scored more goals (28) than any other side in the Champions League so far in 2017-18.

The Reds will have the chance to add to that total in the second leg against Porto on March 6, with progress into the last eight of the tournament all but assured.

Jurgen Klopp’s side return to Premier League action on Saturday with a match against West Ham.