UEFA Champions League Rewind: Tillman bags brace, Weah eliminated, and more

The league section of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League is within the books.

A complete of seven American gamers featured in Wednesday’s Matchday 8, with all however 4 sealing their locations into the knockout stage. Malik Tillman, Weston McKennie, and Johnny Cardoso are among the many U.S. males’s nationwide crew gamers heading into the playoff spherical, which is able to take formally start between February 17-18.

Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun, and Josh Wynder rounded out the six gamers that can stay on this season’s competitors. Tim Weah, Sergino Dest, and Ricardo Pepi all suffered UCL elimination whereas Timmy Chandler and Eintracht Frankfurt entered the day already eradicated.

Tillman scored twice and performed 90 minutes in Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-0 residence victory over Villarreal, sealing the Bundesliga membership’s spot into the two-legged playoff spherical. His first objective got here within the twelfth minute after Tillman’s strain on Villarreal goalkeeper Arnau Tenas led to a deflection that fell into an empty internet.

Tillman would double his tally and register his first membership brace since Might 14, 2025 after scoring his second objective of the primary half. Patrik Schick’s layoff go was completed off by Tillman for his fifth objective of the season in all competitions.

Alejandro Grimaldo added an insurance coverage objective for Kasper Hjulmand’s squad, who completed sixteenth within the standings.

Tillman admitted his first objective was a bit lucky but additionally praised the membership’s steady strain in Villarreal’s aspect of the sector.

“We wished to press excessive and that occurs once in a while,” he mentioned in a postmatch membership interview. “In fact, it’s additionally a bit fortunate that the ball goes in.”

Here’s a rundown of the remaining UCL performances for American gamers:

McKennie and Balogun squared off on the Stade Louis II, with each gamers logging 90 minutes apiece in a 0-0 draw. Juventus completed thirteenth within the desk following the outcome whereas Monaco completed twenty first.

Cardoso performed 26 minutes off of the bench in Atletico Madrid’s stunning 2-1 residence loss to Norwegian aspect Bodo/Glimt. Diego Simeone’s squad completed 14th within the standings, settling for a playoff spherical spot.

Musah began and performed 52 minutes in Atalanta’s 1-0 highway loss to Belgian membership Union St. Gilloise. The Serie A membership needed to accept fifteenth within the desk, becoming a member of fellow Italian golf equipment Inter Milan and Juventus within the playoff spherical.

Wynder remained sidelined by harm however might return to Benfica throughout the playoff spherical.

Weah performed the complete 90 minutes in Marseille’s 3-0 highway loss to Membership Brugge, a outcome that led to the Ligue 1 aspect’s elimination from the competitors. Benfica’s dramatic 4-2 victory over Actual Madrid additionally led to Marseille’s elimination after Jose Mourinho’s males scored a late insurance coverage objective to edge Marseille on objective distinction.

Dest and PSV suffered elimination after dropping 2-1 at residence to Bayern Munich. Dest performed the complete 90 minutes at proper again whereas Ricardo Pepi remained sidelined by harm.

The Champions League playoff spherical draw is slated for Friday the place groups will likely be paired up in eight two-legged sequence.

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