Barcelona Eliminated from Champions League

Atletico Madrid reaches the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the first time in team history thanks to a 1-0 win over La Liga rival Barcelona. The goal came very early in the match thanks to Koke’s goal in the 5th minute. It was the 22-year-old’s only goal of the tournament and what a time to score one. Atletico Madrid was able to attain this victory without their star player Diego Costa, which shows Diego Simeone’s ability to adapt as a manager. Barcelona came into this game as favorites, but were unable to score a goal for the first time in this tournament.

In the other deciding match, Bayern Munich defeated Manchester United 3-1 yesterday as well. No one scored until Patrice Evra of Man U came through in the 57th minute. But after that, it was all Bayern Munich. Mario Mandzukic scored two minutes later, Thomas Müller scored in the 68th minute and Arjen Robben finished it off in the 76th minute. Pep Guardiola’s squad led an offensive attack against Manchester United with 25 shots (5 on goal) and 11 corner kicks. Bayern also dominated in possession, holding the ball for 65 percent of the match.

The final four teams are set with Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid looks to be the underdog of this tournament, having never made it this far in club history. Without their leading scorer, there is doubt that they will make it any further. Bayern Munich looks to be the favorite, having one of the best offensive teams out of these four as well as a steady goalkeeper in Manuel Neuer. With superstars like Franck Ribéry, Thomas Müller, Mario Götze, Arjen Robben and leading scorer Mario Mandzukic Bayern should easily win this year’s Champions League Final. Real Madrid is a sure favorite with Cristiano Ronaldo playing one of his best seasons ever, leading La Liga with 31 goals. Karim Benzema has also been a great help. He is currently 5th in La Liga with 17 goals scored. Eden Hazard has been carrying his Chelsea team as of lately. He leads the club in both goals (14) and assists (7). Demba Ba (who is likely to leave Chelsea after this season) scored the game-winning goal in the last game against Paris-Saint Germain. Having the other Chelsea players step up in these big moments could propel them to the top. It’s time to see who the top soccer club in Europe really is.

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Christian Athlete of the Week: Ricardo Kaká

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (better known as Ricardo Kaká) used to be one of the top soccer players in the world before injuries slowed him down and other top players started replacing him. Before all that, he was known as the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007. During that year, the attacking midfielder was in his first tenure with A.C. Milan and scored 19 goals and 12 assists and that’s including internationally with the country of Brazil. After that year, he was transferred to Real Madrid for the second largest transfer fee of all time. He had a lot of success there until other superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Karim Benzema took over the team. Now, Kaká is playing for A.C. Milan again where on January 7th, 2014, he scored his 100th goal for the club and then 30 minutes later scored another against Atalanta. He currently has 7 goals and 4 assists for his team.

The Brazilian soccer player is known much more than his play on the pitch. He is known to publicly profess his faith by wearing a T-shirt under his jersey that reads: “I Belong to Jesus.” He also wears Adidas cleats that say on the side: “Jesus in First Place.” Kaká is a devout evangelical Christian who was an active member of the São Paulo-based Rebirth in Christ Church. He decided to live his life for Christ at the young age of 12.

“I learned that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not,” Kaká said. “To those who already have Jesus: you have made the best choice and are in the best team. Go ahead. Do not give up. The fight is great, but we can only win being on Jesus’ side. To those who have not yet surrendered their lives to Jesus: What are you doing being outside of this team?! Come to learn the Word of God, come to know who God really is. Stop eating cookies, while God offers us a banquet.” (Credit: beliefnet.com)

He’s been the Italian league’s Player of the Year twice, Europe’s top scorer of the year twice, and FIFA’s World Player of the Year. After winning all of those prestigious awards, he is humble in his walk with Christ, always thanking him for the win through prayer and wearing clothes that glorify Him. Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the UN’s World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment. He is also part of various charities such as Goal4Africa, United Nations Development Programme and THORN (which helps abolish modern day slavery, punish perpetrators and free the innocent and exploited victims). Kaká is definitely a great influence to the world, seeing that soccer is the most popular sport on the globe. The 31-year-old hopes to continue living his life through Jesus as he keeps playing soccer for A.C. Milan.