Bundesliga: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund to go all in to claim title

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) Round of 16 (first-leg) delivered dramatic results as FC Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid registered emphatic victories, while Liverpool FC suffered a shock defeat and FC Barcelona were held to a draw in their respective first-leg encounters.

A record-breaking century by Allen in just 33 balls, the fastest across T20 and 50-over World Cups, sunk Proteas to a crushing nine-wicket loss in the semifinal at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday, despite a fight back sixth wicket stand between Tristan Stubbs (29) and Marco Jansen (55*), which took SA from 77/5 to 169/8.

Allen's historic 33-ball century and fine bowling from New Zealand helped them seal their spot in the T20 World Cup final, scheduled to take place at Ahmedabad on Sunday. Their opponents, India or England, will be decided at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. This marks their second T20 World Cup final after the 2021 edition, where they lost to Australia.

With this win, NZ has sealed their final spot and will play either India or England, who will clash on Thursday at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Courtesy of some fight from Marco Jansen (55 in 30 balls, with two fours and five sixes) and Tristan Stubbs (29 in 24 balls, with two fours and a six), Proteas reached 169/8 in 20 overs after they sunk to 77/5. But the real magic was produced by Tim Seifert (58 in 33 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Allen (100* in 33 balls, with 10 fours and eight sixes), who put a 117-run stand which killed the game within the powerplay itself.

Key contributions from Marco Jansen and timely breakthroughs by New Zealand bowlers kept the contest evenly poised throughout the innings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.