Champions League scores: Manchester City fail to beat RB Leipzig; Romelu Lukaku saves Inter against Porto
The first legs of the round of 16 are officially complete after Wednesday's action
The first legs of the Champions League round of 16 wrapped up on Wednesday as Manchester City drew 1-1 at RB Leipzig and Inter earned a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Porto. City took the lead through Riyad Mahrez in the first half, only to see Josko Gvardiol equalize in the second half with a header off a short corner. Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to score the winner for the Italian giants in the 86th minute, who are now one step closer to a spot in the quarterfinals.
Here's what you need to know from Wednesday's action:
RB Leipzig have life
Manchester City were clearly the better team with the most chances, but a lack of big chances opened the door for RB Leipzig to rally for a draw, and that's just what they did. Gvardiol's impressive header in the second half earned the hosts a huge result that gives them serious life in the second leg.
While they only saw 38% of the ball, RB Leipzig did have the better chances after an impressive second half and will enter the second leg full of confidence.
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The expectation is for City to have the Kevin De Bruyne, who they sorely missed, for the second leg after he missed this game due to an illness and City will still be the heavy favorites to move on, but we've seen several examples in the past where City have coughed up UCL results at home.
With Christopher Nkunku likely to start the second leg against a City side far from playing at its best, this tie could very well be an open one late on in the second leg.
Lukaku stepped up when needed
There he is! Romelu Lukaku's second goal of the Champions League campaign was a huge one, giving his side the narrow victory over the Portuguese club in a game they fully deserved to win. Inter had 18 shots to Porto's 10, and while Andre Onana had to come up huge to preserve the clean sheet, this was a match that Inter simply had to win. They've shown inconsistencies throughout the season but may just be turning the corner, having now gone six matches unbeaten.
Going to Porto with just a draw would have felt overly risky. A 1-0 advantage gives Simone Inzaghi's team a little bit of flexibility.
Lukaku scoring is another good sign for Inter, though, and his former assistant coach with Belgium, Thierry Henry, was encouraged by what he saw.
"I am so happy for Rom. He looks fitter, he looks slimmer, he wants it," Henry said on the UEFA Champions League Post-Match Show on CBS Sports and Paramount+.
"I think he was disappointed that he didn't start. The only answer you can give is on the field and he did that."
A lot has been said about Lukaku, who had 30 goals in 44 games for Inter in 2020-21 before his move to Chelsea which saw him score 15 goals in 44 games. Now back at Inter on loan, injuries have derailed most of his season, but if this is just the start of him getting back to a top level, then Inter have the capabilities to make a deep run on the European stage.
When does UCL return?
The round of 16 second legs begin on Tuesday, March 7 as Chelsea host Borussia Dortmund down 1-0 on aggregate and Benfica welcome Club Brugge up 2-0 on aggregate. You can watch all the Champions League action live on Paramount+.
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The games have reached their end
Full time in Germany -- it's RB Leipzig 1, Manchester City 1. In Italy, it's Inter Milan 1, FC Porto 0.
GOAL INTER!!! Lukaku!!!!
Romelu Lukaku!!!! Off the bench for the winner in the 86th minute!!!! A huge goal for the Italian hosts with so little time left!!!
70' Goal RB Leipzig!
It's Gvardiol! It's a short corner as the Croatian defenders rises to head home!!!! Huge goal!!
20 minutes to go
20 minutes left in the games. Still just a goal away from either tie changing dramatically.
City pushing for second
Manchester City are aiming to get their second but RB Leipzig have been able to get the ball in advanced positions. Nkunku is coming on for the Germans, and he has the ability to really change the game with his pace and prolific scoring ability.
On the hour mark
Scores remain the same in both games but there have been some solid chances for both Inter Milan and Porto now, yet the breakthrough has not happened. Porto have been able to dictate the pace a tad more as they look to go on the counter.
At the break!
It's Man City 1, RB Leipzig 0 at the break in Germany. Meanwhile, Inter and Porto are level at 0-0 as Bastoni has what looked like a sure header goal saved in added time!
27' ⚽ Goal Man City!!!!
It's 1-0 to City! Leipzig turn it over, Grealish plays Gundogan, who gets a nify touch to send Mahrez through, and he finishes with ease!
15' Also goalless in Italy
15 minutes gone at the San Siro and not much happening as it's also goalless. Two shots for Inter Milan and 70% possession as they look to patiently breakdown the Portuguese's club's defense, but so far there's been little creation.
13' Encouraging from City
Kyle Walker does well to get down the right as he puts in a ball to the box that is deflected out for a corner. The movement, minus De Bruyne, has been quite for the visitors as they look for the breakthrough.
KDB loss
I think one of the things that many of us are so keen to see unfold shortly is how City fare without the Belgium international. De Bruyne is such a creative hub, even in a Guardiola side that has suffered a few poor results of late, and how Pep combats that could be key to getting a positive result from a difficult trip. Bernardo Silva does have the ability to create and UEFA have him down in a No. 10 role flanked by Grealish and Mahrez so we will see if that is actually what happens.
How they got here
RB Leipzig: The Germans were second in Group F behind Real Madrid with a distant Shakhtar Donetsk taking third and Celtic bottom.
Manchester City: Comfortably top of Group G with Borussia Dortmund second, Sevilla third, and Copenhagen bottom and out of Europe.
Inter Milan: The Nerazzurri finished second in Group C behind Bayern Munich but ahead of Barcelona who are now in the Europa League.
Porto: The Portuguese giants topped Group B ahead of Club Brugge with Bayer Leverkusen finishing third and Atletico Madrid dropping out of Europe altogether.
Why no De Bruyne?
Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne was left out of the City squad due to an illness, it was reported on Tuesday. Our James Benge has you covered as to what to know:
The Belgian was joined by Aymeric Laporte and John Stones among those who were not able to make the trip to Germany. The 22 man travelling party includes Maximo Perrone, who joined from Argentine side Velez Sarsfield in January. De Bruyne played 88 minutes of City's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, a match Laporte completed in full. Stones is currently recovering from a thigh injury.
Guardiola confirmed that both De Bruyne and Laporte had not travelled due to illness. He added that he was not sure whether either player would be available for Saturday's trip to Bournemouth. Though City are not exactly short of quality options in attacking midfield and could use Julian Alvarez alongside Erling Haaland, De Bruyne's loss will be keenly felt after an impressive run of performances, most notably a goal and assist in his side's 3-1 win over Arsenal.
Starting lineups
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, Gundogan, Bernardo, Mahrez, Grealish, Haaland
RB Leipzig: Blaswich, Klostermann, Orban, Gvardiol, Halstenberg, Laimer, Schlager, Forsberg, Szoboszlai, Werner, Andre Silva.
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Inter: Onana, Skriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni, Darmian, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Çalhanoglu, Dimarco, Lautaro Martínez, Dzeko
Porto: Diogo Costa, João Mário, Pepe, Marcano, Zaidu, Otávio, Grujic, Uribe, Pepê, Taremi, Galeno
Predictions for Inter vs. Porto
One matchup to watch: Joao Mario vs. Federico Dimarco- This matchup will definitely shape the whole match considering that Inter Milan really like to push on the left side when they attack and Federico Dimarco has been one of the best players so far after Ivan Perisic left the club last summer to join Tottenham. Joao Mario needs to be very careful when it comes to defending against the Inter player in the individual duel.
Most likely to score a goal: Lautaro Martinez. The Argentinian striker started off really well the year after winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina. Lautaro scored 16 goals in all competitions this season, including that key goal against FC Barcelona at Camp Nou that led the Nerazzurri to eliminate the Spanish side in the group stage of the 2022/23 Champions League.
Man of the Match pick: Nicolò Barella. It has been a strange season up to now for the Italian player, who is one of the best Serie A midfielders around. Barella scored six goals so far, and played 29 games in all competitions with Inter this year and these are the kind of games where he can give his best.
Match prediction: Inter Milan are the favorites but we don't have to underestimate Porto that showed in the past Champions League's campaigns to be a very difficult side to beat in the knockout stage. Inter Milan 1, Porto 0. -- Francesco Porzio
Predictions for RB Leipzig vs. City
Man of the Match pick: With City's defensive struggles, Rodri's consistency has been more important now than ever. Dropping to receive the ball between defenders, playing the team out of trouble, winning the ball back, and even popping up in the box to put the team ahead, Rodri does a bit of everything. For City to marshal Leipzig around during the match, he'll need to direct traffic during the match en route to man of the match honors.
Match prediction: Despite the strong performances from Leipzig as of late, they've struggled when faced with top opposition who they'll see welcoming City to their home stadium. RB Leipzig 1, Manchester City 2 -- Chuck Booth
One matchup to watch: Erling Haaland vs. Josko Gvardiol. This is a match that will be defined by RB Leipzig's defense which starts and ends with Gvardiol's performances. The German club can't afford to commit too many players to stopping Haaland due to the danger that Jack Grealish, and other members of the City attack can tear them apart if they do leaving the talented Croatian to tangle with Haaland. Teams have had success sticking mobile center backs on Haaland in the past such as Manchester United shadowing him with Luke Shaw. If Gvardiol can win this battle, Leipzig's attack is strong enough to give City trouble.
Most likely to score a goal: Riyad Mahrez. After being rested in a disappointing draw versus Nottingham Forest, Champions League Mahrez will return to help lift Manchester City when they need him the most. Mahrez is off the pace of his seven Champions League goals last campaign but with two goals in six appearances so far this season, he has still been showing up when the team needs him. Add in that Mahrez has been one of City's most dangeous attackers as of late with three goals and three assists in his last five appearances.
How to watch RB Leipzig vs. City and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 22 | Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Red Bull Arena -- Leipzig, Germany
- TV and live stream: CBS and Paramount+
How to watch Inter vs. Porto and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 22 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: San Siro -- Milan, Italy
- TV and live stream:Paramount+
Wednesday's broadcast schedule
(All times U.S./Eastern)
- UEFA Champions League Today, 2 p.m., CBS and Paramount+
- RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City, 3 p.m., CBS and Paramount+
- Inter vs. Porto, 3 p.m., Paramount+
- UEFA Champions League Post-Match Show, 5 p.m., CBS Sports Network and Paramount+
Welcome in!
Welcome to the CBS Sports live blog of the Champions League! I'm Roger Gonzalez, and I'll be providing updates on today's two round of 16 matches as Manchester City face RB Leipzig and Porto travel to battle Inter Milan! Thanks for joining us!
As always, you can watch the day's action live on Paramount+!
