Champions League | Manchester City and Leipzig advance; veterans Pepe and Giroud shine
The Hindu
Veteran players Pepe and Giroud lead European football's old guard to victory, with Pepe becoming the oldest scorer in Champions League history and Giroud the oldest French goalscorer. Manchester City and Leipzig also advanced to the knockout stage with two matches to spare.
For European football veterans, it was a night to savor.
As Manchester City and Leipzig reached the knockout stage of the Champions League with two matches to spare on Tuesday, two emblematic players of Europe's old guard grabbed the spotlight.
Already the oldest Champions League outfield player, veteran Porto defender Pepe became the oldest scorer in the Champions League history when he rose in the box and headed home his team's second goal in a 2-0 win over Antwerp.
Pepe, who is 40 years, 254 days old, scored in stoppage time after Brazilian striker Evanilson put the hosts in front with a first-half goal.
“Today is a special day for me. It’s my mother’s birthday and I told her that I would do everything I could to score a goal," Pepe said. “This feeling is incredible, because anyone who reaches this age playing at this level — representing a big club like Porto — knows it takes a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice, a tremendous passion for this sport. I’ll try to enjoy it as much as possible.”
The previous record was held by Roma’s Francesco Totti, who scored in Europe’s top club competition at age 38 years, 59 days in 2014.
Porto has nine points and moved level with leader Barcelona, which lost 1-0 to Shakthar Donetsk in Group H's other match.
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