Football regulating bodies throughout the world had to take safeguards and follow health protocols to avoid the coronavirus threat. One of the most important decisions was to restrict supporters from entering the stadium. However, European football organizations and other regulating bodies in football had decided to let spectators into the stadium starting with the current season. Therefore, the second half of the year was far more satisfying for both organizers and fans. Let's look at the top ten most notable football incidents from 2021.  2021's Most Notable Football Events There were plenty of amazing football moments in the year 2021. Therefore, picking the top 10 was challenging. Here are the top ten most noteworthy moments in the year 2021.  Italy’s second EURO Championship win Italy were the underdog Prior to the EURO 2020, but they steadily improved as the competition progressed. Before facing England in the final, Italy won two closely-contested matches in the quarter-final and semi-final. They defeated Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals and then defeated Spain in a penalty shootout. After a 1-1 draw, Italy defeated England 3-2 on penalties in the final. It was Italy's second EURO title and the first since 1968. Read Champions League 2021-2022: PSG to face Real Madrid, Man Utd to face Atletico in the Round of 16 Argentina’s Copa America 2021 win Argentina's 15th Copa America championship came after a 28-year drought. In the meantime, they competed in four finals but lost all of them. The moment had finally come as Lionel Messi's Argentina team won the Copa America 2021, defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final. Chelsea’s Second UEFA Champions League victory When Frank Lampard was sacked in January, Chelsea were nowhere near their best. However, things began to change when Thomas Tuchel was appointed as Chelsea manager. His ideology has been well-taken by the players. Chelsea started to dominate the opposition with their pressing approach, ultimately reaching the Champions League 2021 final. They defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the final to win their second UEFA Champions League trophy. Read Independence Cup Football: Police book first-ever semifinal berth at Sheikh Russel KC’s expense Al Hilal’s AFC Champions League Victory  Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal won the 40th edition of the AFC Champions League, Asia's best club competition. They defeated Pohang Steelers of South Korea 2-0 in the final. Al Hilal became the most successful club in AFC Champions League history with this triumph. Palmeiras’ 2021 Copa Libertadores Victory Brazilian team Palmeiras won the Copa Libertadores 2021, Latin America's most prestigious club championship. It was their third championship in the competition's history. USA’s 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Win  The United States won the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup in August. The USA acquired its seventh CONCACAF Gold Cup championship, defeating Mexico 1-0 in the final. Read National Football: Rangamati, Bagerhat districts win matches Lionel Messi’s seventh Ballon d’Or win The most talked-about topic of the year was who will win the Ballon d'Or 2021. Lewandowski was the clear favorite in the first half of the year. However, Jorginho of Italy and Lionel Messi of Argentina were considered favorites in the second half because of their national team success. Messi went on to win the trophy, which was his seventh overall.  Jorginho’s UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award Italian midfielder Jorginho was named UEFA Men's Player of the Year for his consistent performances for both club and nation. He was the only player to win both the Champions League and the EURO in 2021. Robert Lewandowski’s European Golden Shoe Award Bayern Munich's Polish striker Robert Lewandowski earned the European Golden Shoe Award after scoring 41 goals in the 2020-2021 Bundesliga season. Read Champions League 2021-2022: The Five Best Matches in the Group Stage Robert Lewandowski beats Gerd Muller’s Record Robert Lewandowski has been in outstanding form over the past several seasons, breaking individual records on a regular basis. Gerd Muller's most goals in a single season was one such unique record Lewandowski broke in last season. He scored 41 goals in the season, making him the highest goal scorer in a single Bundesliga season.     Aftermath So far, we have discussed the iconic football moments of 2021. A significant number of individual and team records were broken this year. Italy, Argentina, and the United States of America were the most successful nations, winning their respective continental championships in 2021. Italy set a new record for most consecutive victories, while Argentina have gone more than two years without losing. Lionel Messi's record-breaking seventh Ballon d'Or award was the most talked-about topic of the year. On the other hand, Jorginho and Lewandowski were always in the headlines for their consistent performances. Overall, 2021 was an eventful year. Read Ronaldo reaches 800 career goals as United beats Arsenal 3-2

The ongoing Champions League 2021-2022 season's group stage ended last week. The Round of 16 draw for Europe's elite club competition and the first knockout round of the Europa League took place in Switzerland on December 13. This Champions League draw was plagued by controversy. Therefore, UEFA had to act quickly and they declared the initial draw void. UEFA reset the draw in three hours and confirmed the first knockout round ties. Let's see who will be playing with whom in the Champions League Round of 16.  Who will meet who in the Champions League Round of 16? The draw promises to be plenty of exciting matchups in the Round of 16. However, the matches between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid will be the most enthralling of all. Former Real Madrid players Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria, and Keylor Navas will be reunited. On the other side, Lionel Messi and Neymar will be ready to display their class against the Madrid team. Aside from that, the match between Manchester United and Atletico Madrid will be fascinating to watch. Both teams desire to play a counter-attacking style of football. The other fixtures are Sporting CP will play Manchester City, Salzburg will play Bayern Munich, Inter Milan will play Liverpool, Chelsea will play Lille, Villarreal will play Juventus, and Benfica will play Ajax.  Read: Argentina, Italy Keen to End Continental Trophy Droughts Fixtures of the Champions League Round of 16 Date Match Venue February 15 Sporting CP vs Manchester City Estadio Jose Alvalade March 9 Manchester City vs Sporting CP Etihad Stadium February 15 Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid Parc des Princes March 9 Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain Santiago Bernabeu February 16 Salzburg vs Bayern Munich Red Bull Arena March 8 Bayern Munich vs Salzburg Allianz Arena February 16 Inter Milan vs Liverpool San Siro March 8 Liverpool vs Inter Milan Anfield  February 22 Chelsea vs Lille Stamford Bridge March 16 Lille vs Chelsea Stade Pierre-Mauroy February 22 Villarreal vs Juventus Estadio de la Ceramica March 16 Juventus vs Villarreal Juventus Stadium February 23 Benfica vs Ajax Estádio da Luz March 15 Ajax vs Benfica Johan Cruyff Arena February 23 Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United Wanda Metropolitano March 15 Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid Old Trafford            Source: https://www.uefa.com/ Europa League 2021-2022: First Knockout Round Fixtures The fixture between FC Barcelona and Napoli is the most exciting one of the Europa League's first knockout round. Apart from that, football fans are interested in the matches between Porto and Lazio and Dortmund and Rangers. The winners will join the eight UEFA Europa League group winners in the Round of 16.  Read: Hockey: Asian Champions Trophy begins Tuesday Fixtures of the Europa League first knockout Round   Date Match Venue February 17 Barcelona vs Napoli Camp Nou February 17 Zenit vs Real Betis Gazprom Arena February 17 Dortmund vs Rangers Signal Iduna Park February 17 Sheriff vs Braga Sheriff Stadium February 17 Sevilla vs Dinamo Zagreb Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium February 17 Atalanta vs Olympiacos Gewiss Stadium February 17 Leipzig vs Real Sociedad Red Bull Arena February 17 Porto vs Lazio Estádio do Dragão February 24 Dinamo Zagreb vs Sevilla Stadion Maksimir February 24 Olympiacos vs Atalanta Karaiskaki Stadium February 24 Real Sociedad vs Leipzig Reale Arena February 24 Lazio vs Porto Stadio Olimpico February 24 Napoli vs Barcelona Diego Armando Maradona Stadium February 24 Real Betis vs Zenit Benito Villamarín Stadium February 24 Rangers vs Dortmund Ibrox Stadium February 24 Braga vs Sheriff Braga Municipal Stadium Source: https://www.uefa.com/ Bottom Line  Almost all of Europe's top clubs have qualified for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2021-2022 season. The deserving teams are likely to proceed to the quarter-finals from the Round of 16. However, no match in this round will be easy. The matches between PSG and Real Madrid, as well as Atletico Madrid and Manchester United, are anticipated to be the most enthralling. Each team must perform at their best to proceed to the quarterfinals.   Read: PSG vs Monaco: Match Prediction, team news, preview

Organizing tournaments in accordance with health guidelines due to the coronavirus was a unique experience for everyone. Nonetheless, there were a number of big sporting events that grabbed the attention of enthusiasts in the year 2021. From the United States' dominance in the 2020 Summer Olympics to Australia's maiden T20 World Cup victory, Italy and Argentina's continental championship victory, Novak Djokovic's record-breaking year, Hideki Matsuyama, the first Asian-born golfer’s Masters trophy win, this article highlights some of the most significant sporting events in 2021. A Look Back at the Noteworthy Moments of the Sports Year 2021   Almost all major athletic events resumed in the first quarter of 2021, following a disappointing year in 2020 because of the covid-19 epidemic. Some of the events that were scheduled for 2020 were pushed back to 2021. Summer Olympics 2020 in Japan, Euro 2020, and Copa America 2020 are among them. Initially, many sports events were held behind closed doors, which meant that no spectators were permitted inside the stadium. The covid-19 regulations provided a fresh experience for everyone, especially the players. Here are some of the year's most noteworthy sporting events. Read Expected personal milestones to achieve in the Upcoming NZ vs BAN Test Series 2022 Summer Olympics 2020: The United States maintained its dominance The 2020 Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo, Japan, from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The Games were the most expensive ever, costing more than $20 billion in total. The competition drew 11,656 athletes from 206 countries. The tournament featured 33 sporting events. Like in previous editions, the United States maintained its dominance in the competition. The United States of America took home most of the 113 medals, with 39 gold, 41 silver, and 33 bronze. China placed second in the overall rankings with 88 medals. They took home 38 gold medals, 32 silver medals, and 18 bronze medals. Burkina Faso, San Marino, and Turkmenistan all won their first-ever Olympic medals in this event. Marcell Jacobs of Italy won the most popular Olympic 100m sprint with a time of 9.80 seconds. He made history by being the first Italian to win a gold medal in the event. Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica won the Women's 100 meters with an Olympic-record time of 10.61 seconds. Read Root: England's best option is to make brave calls Tokyo also hosted the 2020 Summer Paralympics two weeks later. The tournament drew 4,403 participants from 162 countries. China won the most medals with 207, followed by the United Kingdom with 124 and the United States with 104.

After a lot of excitement in the group stage and knockout rounds, the two teams that will compete in the Champions League final this year were finally confirmed in the first week of May. Manchester City advanced to the final after a 4-1 aggregate victory over Paris Saint-Germain. On the other hand, Chelsea reached the Champions League final for the third time after defeating Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate in the semifinal. Fans all over the world are looking forward to a thrilling final between these two English giants. In this episode, we discuss who will win the Champions League 2021?  Manchester City vs Chelsea: Who is the favorite? When comparing the two teams' performances this season, it's clear that Manchester City are a step ahead of Chelsea in every area. Therefore, Man City are the overwhelming favorite to win the championship. Albeit, Chelsea have improved since Thomas Tuchel took over as manager in January. Apart from consolidating their position in the Premier League, Tuchel proved his worth as a coach by beating Manchester City in the semi-finals to secure the FA Cup final and taking Chelsea to the Champions League final. The strengths of the two teams are analyzed below in quest of the Champions League 2021 trophy.  Read: How European football is badly affected by the pandemic covid-19? Manchester City UEFA Champions League season 2021 Record:W: 11, D: 1, L: 0 |Top scorer: Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres (4)| Top Assists: Kevin De Bruyne (4) Key Players: Kevin De Bruyne, Rúben Dias, Fernandinho Manager:Pep Guardiola Why Man City can win the title?  Manchester City has been the clear favorite to win the Champions League 2021 this season, thanks to Pep Guardiola's brilliant tactics, squad depth, and the desire to win the club's first-ever Champions League trophy. The master of Tiki-Taka football, Pep Guardiola led FC Barcelona to win two Champions League titles between 2008 and 2012. After leaving Barcelona, Guardiola coached Bayern Munich for three seasons and his fifth season is underway at Manchester City but he hasn't won a Champions League in the last 10 years. So, many believe Pep can't win Europe's most prestigious club trophy without the best player in the world, Lionel Messi. Read: Football Transfers 2021: The hot favorites to replace Sergio Aguero at Man City This time Pep Guardiola, who played record eight Champions League semi-finals as a manager, has got a chance to dispel that slander. Manchester City have had to play without strikers since the beginning of the season. Ilkay Gündoğan, Bernardo Silva, and versatile midfielder Kevin De Bruyne all have played as false nine this season. Furthermore, Pep's disciples have mastered a great strategy of scoring goals by repeatedly pressing the opponent's half with a clockwise pass or zigzag pass. Manchester City have been in excellent form since December. Except for a few games, Citizens have won every match this year. To put it another way, they're on an incredible winning streak. As a result, the players' confidence will remain high ahead of the Champions League final. To beat such a team, the opponent must do something extraordinary. Otherwise, Man City will win the Champions League for the first time in their history. Read: Pro Kabaddi Tournament Could Rejuvenate Bangladesh’s National Sport Manchester City probable starting lineup: Ederson; Kyle Walker, Rúben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mundey; Fernandinho, İlkay Gündoğan, Kevin De Bruyne; Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Agüero.  Chelsea UEFA Champions League season 2021 Record:W: 8, D: 3, L: 1|Top scorer:Olivier Giroud (6) | Top Assists: Kai Havertz (3) Key Players: N'Golo Kanté, César Azpilicueta, Kai Havertz Manager:Thomas Tuchel Why Chelsea can win the title?  Roman Abramovich replaced Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager with Thomas Tuchel in the last week of January this year. Tuchel is expected to finish in the top four in the Premier League this season. But he surprised everyone by guiding Chelsea to the FA Cup and Champions League finals. Tuchel has previously shown his credibility as a manager. PSG reached the Champions League final for the first time last season under his guidance. However, Paris Saint-Germain were disappointed to lose the Champions League final match to Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel's appointment as Chelsea manager restored the team's confidence. He began his journey by focusing on not losing matches, and as a result, he has developed a strong Chelsea defense. As their focus has turned to win more games, players like Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and N'Golo Kante have become more aggressive on the attack. After eliminating Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final and Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final, Chelsea have gained even more confidence. Thomas Tuchel's team quickly figured out how to destroy a formidable opponent. It will not be impossible for Chelsea to be the best team in Europe for the second time if they can play according to their own strategy in the Champions League final. Read: Potential Young Players Who Could Rule World Football Next Decade Chelsea probable starting lineup: Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Ben Chilwell, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz  UEFA Champion League 2021 final match fixture: 30 May 2021 (1 AM, BST)   -   Manchester City v Chelsea   -   Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul Verdict There are a few things to consider when predicting who will win the Champions League 2021? The teams' squad depth, the overall performance in the current season, whether every member of the team is fit for the finals, the players' performance on a given day, and sometimes luck plays a big factor to win the final. Those who can play the best football have a great chance of winning the final. Overall, a tough battle is anticipated between Manchester City and Chelsea. Read: Summer Window 2021: Five Potential Big Football Transfers