FOX Soccer’s telecast of Real Madrid’s 2-1 elimination of Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday (3/5), called by Gus Johnson and Warren Barton, is the most-watched Champions League match and most watched weekday telecast of any kind in the network’s history, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That day, 520,000 viewers saw The Red Devils ousted by The Galacticos on its home pitch, also making it the third-most-watched contest of any kind in FOX Soccer history behind the 2011 Gold Cup Final (USA vs. Mexico, 1.1 million) and 2011’s Game Before the Game ( Chelsea vs. Liverpool, 579,000).
A night that began with the shock of Wayne Rooney's omission, ended in bitter frustration and recrimination as Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo sent Real Madrid into the last eight.
It was the controversial dismissal of Nani for a second-half foul on Alvaro Arbeloa that was the talking point. At the time, United were leading through Sergio Ramos' own-goal and 2-1 up in the tie.
The match averaged 582,000 viewers on FOX Deportes, its second-highest Round of 16 match since the network acquired the property back in 2009.
Both networks combined for 1.102 million viewers.
