UEFA Champions League re-draw results: Errors force new draw and PSG-Real Madrid matchup

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UEFA Champions League - group stage draw - pot selection

So Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo will not happen, but we do get PSG vs. Real Madrid. After errors were committed in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw on Monday, the European governing body voided the results of the original draw and conducted a re-draw three hours later.

The issues stemmed from three errors that were caught in the first draw conducted at 6 a.m. ET on Monday.

First, Manchester United's name was erroneously placed in the pot to be drawn against Villarreal. However, due to the fact that both teams played in the same group, this should not have been permitted. The rules state that teams from the same group and country cannot face each other in the Round of 16.

Later, a reporter also noticed that Manchester United was not included as an option to be drawn against Atletico Madrid when it should have been. Liverpool, which played in the same group as Atletico Madrid, was mistakenly picked instead.

UEFA chalked up the problems to "a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that instructs the officials as to which teams are eligible to play each other."

MORE: List of Champions League top scorers this season

Below are the results of the second draw, which stands as the final one. Liverpool's matchup got tougher, from RB Salzburg to Italian champs Inter Milan, while Real Madrid saw Benfica replaced by a tournament favorite in PSG. Former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos will make his return to the Bernabeu, as will eternal rival Messi:

Match Home team - 1st leg   Home team - 2nd leg
1 RB Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
2 Sporting CP vs Manchester City
3 Benfica vs Ajax
4 Chelsea vs LOSC Lille
5 Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United
6 Villarreal vs Juventus
7 Inter Milan vs Liverpool
8 PSG vs Real Madrid

These were the results of the first draw which will now be scratched:

Match Home team - 1st leg   Home team - 2nd leg
1 Benfica vs Real Madrid
2 Villarreal CF vs Manchester City
3 Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich
4 RB Salzburg vs Liverpool
5 Inter Milan vs Ajax
6 Sporting CP vs Juventus
7 Chelsea vs LOSC Lille
8 Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester United

Champions League final draw results

(All times Eastern)

9:16 a.m.: And that leaves PSG vs. Real Madrid. Los Merengues, who apparently made an appeal for their original draw against Benfica to hold up, now get to face Messi again, and their former captain Sergio Ramos.

9:16 a.m.: Inter Milan were drawn and they got Liverpool. The Italian champs had Ajax in the first draw and now get Liverpool. Wow.

9:15 a.m.: Villarreal came up next, but they only had one possible opponent which Andrey Arhsavin draws, and that's Juventus. In case you were wondering why they couldn't face Liverpool:

9:14 a.m.: Atletico Madrid up next. They're getting Manchester United. Juventus was the other validated possibility for them.

9:13 a.m.: Chelsea next and after a validation process, the Blues are pitted against LOSC Lille. They lucked out. Real Madrid was the other potential opponent.

9:11 a.m.: Benfica is up next. And they come up against Ajax. The UEFA officials are double-checking the teams each time, listing the names of the teams that are eligible to face them.

9:10 a.m.: Sporting CP were picked next. And the UEFA execs are going much slower. The Portuguese club gets Manchester City.

9:08 a.m.: Here we go again. FC Salzburg drawn first. And they get FC Bayern Munich.

7:43 a.m.: UEFA rules that the results of the original draw have been voided and a re-draw is set to take place.

7:38 a.m.: Atletico Madrid announced that they are in conversations with UEFA and "requesting explanations and a solution after the errors committed in the Round of 16 draw."

7:24 a.m.: Real Madrid are apparently asking UEFA to start the redraw after the Benfica-Real Madrid pairing. Los Merengues liked their draw.

6:36 a.m.: One journalist noticed an error in the balls selected for the draw of Atletico Madrid's opponent:

6:22 a.m.: Chelsea comes up and the Blues can only face French club LOSC Lille. So that means it's PSG vs. Manchester United in the Round of 16.

6:21 a.m.: Sporting CP is the next runner-up. Arshavin pulls out Juventus from the pot. Not a bad draw for the Italian side.

6:20 a.m.: Inter Milan comes up next. And the Italian champs are paired with group winners Ajax Amsterdam.

6:19 a.m.: Next runner-up is Austrian side FC Salzburg, the first Austrian side in the knockout stages. And the opponent that comes up for them is Liverpool.

6:18 a.m.: Atletico Madrid is the next runner-up that comes up. They're drawn against Bayern Munich.

6:16 a.m.: Now it's Villarreal drawn and they're paired with Manchester United. But since they played in the same group, Arshavin has to draw again. And it's Manchester City.

6:15 a.m.: Benfica is the first group runner-up drawn. And they're drawn against Real Madrid.

6:13 a.m.: Now it's Michael Heselschwerdt, UEFA head of club competitions, going over the rules. He says that only later this afternoon will we know the official schedule. UEFA will determine which matches are played on each of the eight matchdays.

6:09 a.m.: Andrey Arshavin being introduced. He's going to be helping Marchetti pick out the balls from the pots. And now draw host Pedro Pinto is asking him a few questions.

6:06 a.m.: The deputy general secretary of UEFA, Giorgio Marchetti, has the mic. He's the master of ceremonies.

6 a.m.: We're waiting on the draw proceedings to get started in Nyon, Switzerland. It's kicking off with a hype video of all 16 qualifiers.

5:15 a.m.: In case you're wondering why Andrey Arshavin is part of today's draw: He's born and bred in Saint Petersburg and played for the local club. That's where the final is happening on May 28.

5:12 a.m.: CBS Sports is hosting a live watch along with the draw that you can view below. It will begin at 5:50 a.m.:

4 a.m.: The draw is a great time to unveil a new Champions League ball for the knockouts:

MORE: How the Europa League playoffs work

How the Champions League draw worked

The eight group winners were drawn against the eight group runners-up for the Round of 16, but no team could be drawn against another that hails from the same group or country. 

MORE: The final Champions League group standings

Below are the Round of 16 qualifiers sorted by group:

Group Pot A (Group winners) Pot B (Runners-up)
A Manchester City Paris Saint-Germain
B Liverpool Atletico Madrid
C Ajax Sporting CP
D Real Madrid Inter Milan
E Bayern Munich Benfica
F Manchester United Villarreal
G LOSC Lille RB Salzburg
H Juventus Chelsea

Here are the Round of 16 qualifiers sorted by country:

Nation Total clubs Clubs
England 4 Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City
Spain 3 Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal
France 2 Paris Saint-Germain, LOSC Lille
Italy 2 Inter Milan, Juventus
Portugal 2 Sporting CP, Benfica
Austria 1 RB Salzburg
Germany 1 Bayern Munich
Netherlands 1 Ajax Amsterdam

Champions League Quarterfinals, Semis & Final

After the Round of 16 winners are determined, there will be a quarterfinal draw held on Friday, March 18 that will also establish the rest of the bracket through to the final. There are no seedings involved in that draw, and unlike the Round of 16, teams from the same country can be drawn against one another.

The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played with the same rules as the Round of 16: The team with the most aggregate goals after two legs advances. If teams are tied after the second leg, they will play 30 minutes of extra time, and if the deadlock persists, a penalty kick shootout will determine the winner. The away goals tiebreaker is no longer in use.

  • Quarterfinals: April 5-6, April 12-13
  • Semifinals: April 26-27, May 3-4
  • Final: May 28, 2022 (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
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Simon Borg is a senior editor for football/soccer at The Sporting News.