Tag: Playoffs

Champions League draw: PSG get tough opponents and Real Madrid head to Almaty

Real Madrid also got a challenging draw, including a trip far east to play Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan, 6,420 kilometres from the Spanish capital.

ADVERTISEMENT

Paris Saint-Germain was handed a tough start to the defence of its Champions League title with games against Bayern Munich and Barcelona and Thursday’s draw also served up opponents from England and Spain from the pot of lowest-ranked teams.
PSG’s easiest opponents, in theory, in the league phase will be Newcastle and Athletic Bilbao.

Tottenham, the Europa League champion, also will play PSG in a repeat of their Super Cup game two weeks ago. PSG’s eight-game schedule is completed by Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta and Sporting Lisbon.
Real Madrid also got a challenging draw, including a trip far east to play Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan, 6,420 kilometres from the Spanish capital.
Record 15-time champion Madrid got two English opponents from the pot of highest-ranked teams. Madrid will host Manchester City, which it beat in the knockout playoffs last season, and return to Liverpool after losing 2-0 at Anfield in the league phase last year.The final results are seen on a screen after the Champions League football league phase draw in Monaco, 28 August, 2025
AP Photo

Madrid also will face Juventus in a repeat of its 2017 final win, and two French opponents, Marseille and Monaco, where superstar forward Kylian Mbappe started his career.

Liverpool fans will welcome Trent Alexander-Arnold back to Anfield with Madrid, and have away trips to the vibrant stadiums of Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille and Galatasaray.
Bayern Munich will have rematches of two recent finals, at home to Chelsea where the German champion lost the 2012 title game on home turf, and away to PSG, which it beat in the 2020 final. Bayern also will go to Cyprus to face Pafos.
Manchester City will travel north of the Arctic Circle to face Bodo/Glimt of Norway, and host former fan favourite Kevin De Bruyne with his new club Napoli.
Inter Milan, which lost two of the last three finals, will host the top two teams in the Premier League last season, Liverpool and Arsenal. Inter beat Arsenal at the San Siro last season.Former Brazilian player Kaka displays Galatasaray during the Champions League football league phase draw in Monaco, 28 August, 2025
AP Photo

Kairat also will host Club Brugge, Olympiakos and Pafos. The team also must travel four time zones west to play at Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon.
Bodo/Glimt also will host Juventus, Tottenham and Monaco.
Qarabag in Azerbaijan is another long-haul trip east to Baku for Chelsea, Eintracht, Ajax and Copenhagen.
This is the second season of the league phase format with 36 teams playing eight different opponents on a weighted schedule through January and ranked in a single-standings table.
Four newcomers to the main stage of the Champions League are Bodo/Glimt, Kairat Almaty, Russian-owned Pafos and Belgian champion Union Saint-Gilloise.
Games in Bodo and Almaty shape to be the longest-ever trips for visiting teams, and their home games in January among the coldest in competition history. Bodo plays on a heated artificial turf field.The Champions League football league phase draw in Monaco, 28 August, 2025
AP Photo

The computerized draw gave each team two opponents drawn from each of the four seeding pots. Teams are seeded based on their ranking over five seasons of results in UEFA competitions.
Retired great Zlatan Ibrahimovic picked each team out of its draw pot and former Ballon d’Or winner Kaka pushed a button to reveal the slate of opponents.
Games start on 16 September and the final league phase matchday is 28 January. On that Wednesday evening, all 36 teams play in 18 games kicking off at the same time.
The top eight teams in the final standings advance to the round of 16 in March. Joining them will be winners of eight knockout playoffs, featuring teams ranked ninth to 24th, scheduled in February. The bottom 12 teams are eliminated.

2025-09-18
Viera Hawks Target Regional Finals Title Against Bloomingdale – The Zane Report
Space Coast Daily Is Your NO.1 Source For Local High School Sports

Viera Hawks Keep the Playoff Flame Alive

Why the Spotlight is on Viera
- While most Bereard‑County teams have bowed out, the Viera Hawks have shown they’re not ready to say goodbye just yet.
- In a county where senior‑year futures often flicker out, the Hawk stadium lights stay blazing.
- And for those who love a bit of drama—this team is still throwing pitches, not pitches—tactics included!
Not All Are Vanishing: A Slap‑On The Back for the Others
- Eau Gallie keeps sliding its momentum, celebrating an above‑average softball run.
- MCC isn’t stopping either—its softball squad is on a hot streak that could make the scoreboards blush.
In the Big Picture

The FHSAA playoffs are a cycle of glory and heartbreak. For Viera, each game is a chance to kick the doubt to the curb. For the others, a warm streak is a pep‑talk for the season’s future.

Bottom Line

Viera’s perseverance is a reminder that sometimes a single team is all you need to keep the fireworks going. Meanwhile, the rest of Bereard‑County can still feel the sting from their own winning vibes. Celebrate, cheer, and keep your spirit high—this season’s stories still have chapters left to write.

BASEBALL

Viera Hawks: Brevard’s Last Stand in 2025 FHSAA Playoffs

After a nail‑biter 2‑1 win over Martin County last week, the Hawks are eyeing Bloomingdale for the Regional Finals. The stakes? A shot at the coveted final four.

Game 1 Recap
- Score: 3‑1 victory for Viera.
- Key Moment: A thunderbolt three‑run inning in the third set the tone.
- Pitching: Alley‑in‑hand domination kept Bloomingdale from getting ahead.
- Next Steps: Viera’s focus shifts to tonight’s showdown to clinch a spot in the State Semifinals.
- Wait‑Next: If the Bulls prevail, Game 3 will land in Viera on Saturday.
With the town rallying behind them, the Hawks are gearing up to bring home the glory for Brevard County. May the best team win!

SOFTBALL

County Baseball & Softball Roller Coaster: Quarterfinals Highlight

Baseball Knockouts
- Eau Gallie Commodores turned up the heat and shut out Citrus with a sizzling 11‑0 score. They’re heading straight to the semis and will be hosting sixth‑seeded Tavares next Tuesday at 7 p.m. Expect a fireworks show!
- Rockledge Raiders couldn’t keep the ball in their pocket after losing to Lake Wales, 15‑10. Though the season ended, they finished with a nice improvement—13‑11 last year, now 15‑10—so the next chapter is looking promising.
Softball Superstars
- Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers breezed past Windermere Prep, 12‑1, and are now gunning for the regional semis. Their consistency has been legendary this season.
- Astronaut High War Eagles saw their final game looser, stumbling to a tough loss against the Raiders in South Sumter. Still, they rode a district title wave and are ready to keep the momentum going into next year.
What’s Next?
- The Commodores are gearing up for a deep run—watch their lineup as they track the highest score yet.
- Hustlers can keep the tempo—do these fast‑ballers maintain the streak or face a hard‑hit challenge?
- Raiders and War Eagles will be on the lookout for fresh talent builds—will they break the streak or just bounce back?
Keep your eyes peeled and celebrate the wild, unstoppable spirit of high school sports—because every game is a new story waiting to be told.
2023-06-18