Are you not entertained? It’s hard to know exactly where to start when talking about last night’s 2nd leg clash between Bayern and Real.
Bayern edge past Real in all-time blockbuster
One thing is for sure, it will go down as one of the greatest Champions League matches of the 21st century. Turkish Messi Arda Guler opened the scoring within seconds, matching onto a terribly placed Neuer ball to send the traveling Spanish contingent into a frenzy. Pavlovic levelled matters from a corner just five minutes later, establishing the insane rhythm of what was to follow. Guler then scored from a free kick to make it 2-1 just shy of the half-hour mark. Trent Alexander-Arnold encapsulated both sides’ defensive woes in the 38th minute, caught in dreamland as Kane ghosted in to make it 2-2. Mbappe sprung into life after striking rival Kane’s goal, using his magnificent pace to get beyond Upamecano before calmly slotting past Neuer just before the break.
The 2nd half lost a little bit of the devil-may-care insanity of the first, with both sides settling into a steadier rhythm. Honestly, I felt that Real looked the more dangerous team playing on the break, with Mbappe and Vini routinely threatening to stretch Bayern’s defensive lines to pieces. But the match swung on a dime in the 86th minute, as midfield workhorse Eduardo Camvinga was given a 2nd yellow for kicking the ball away, thus denying Bayern the ability to take a quick free kick. I think it was a somewhat dubious call given the magnitude of the moment. Bayern quickly made the numerical supremacy tell, as Luiz Diaz scored a wonderful solo effort to send the Allianz Arena into rapture. Michael Olise then added the finishing touches deep into stoppage time, exploiting the space left by a desperate Madrid to make it 4-3 on the night, 6-4 on aggregate. It is yet another blot in Mbappe’s increasingly frustrating club football record (It’s almost as if he has taken PSG’s longtime European curse with him to the Bernabeu).
Arsenal progress after snoozefest for the ages
Thank goodness that Real and Bayern decided to put on one of the games of the century, because broadcasters are going to struggle to squeeze two minutes of highlights from the 0-0 draw between the Gunners and Sporting. With City on the horizon, it looked as if Arteta told his side to expend as little energy as humanly possible while still progressing. If that was the case- mission accomplished. I guess Arteta should be pleased given their spate of recent results. He has helped guide Arsenal to a 2nd successive Champions League semifinals (the first time that has happened in their history). But the lack of urgency and creativity on display was unreal. Gyokeres’ link-up play was atrocious and Eze struggled to impose himself after his recent injury hiatus. I worry about their midfield heading into Sunday’s do-or-die trip to the Etihad. Zubimendi and Rice look shattered at present, victims of Arteta’s refusal to rotate. Why do I get the feeling that he is going to force Havertz into that no.10 role on Sunday? In any event, I don’t want to waste too much time on a match that nobody- even the visiting Sporting fans- will remember in two months’ time.
PSG ease past brave Reds
Liverpool couldn’t quite replicate their past Anfield Houdini acts in Tuesday night’s 2nd leg quarterfinal clash with PSG, going down 2-0 despite a vastly improved showing. The inability to score a goal in this return leg- coupled with the impending departure of elder statesmen such as Salah and Robertson- made this feel like the true end of the Klopp era. Mother Nature set the tone, causing both sides to battle for fluidity in a cagey, error-strewn first half. To be fair, Dembelle probably should have buried the tie with several gilt-edged first-half chances. Liverpool looked a different beast in the 2nd stanza, benefitting from the withdrawal of the excellent Nuno Mendes. And they thought they had found a foothold just after the hour mark, with McAllister winning a penalty after being brought down by Willian Pacho in the penalty box. VAR provided the ultimate buzzkill, overruling the decision to take the stuffing out of proceedings. Dembelle landed the sickening sucker punch a few moments later, expertly finishing from the edge of the box to resign the Reds to their fate. The Frenchman would add another in stoppage time to make it 2-0 on the night, 4-0 on aggregate. It feels like this could be the start of a true rebuilding phase for the Reds. Meanwhile, reigning European champs PSG are becoming the new Real Madrid, timing their European runs with a master baker’s precision.
Atletico hold on against ten-man Barca
Diego Simeone has Barca’s European number. For the 3rd time in his Atletico tenure, Simone has manufactured the quarterfinal defeat of his more illustrious opponents. Simeone would guide his side into the final after beating Barca in 2014 and 2016. How far can these venture this time around? As for the game, it was a classic (though slightly overshadowed by last night’s lunacy at the Allianz Arena). Barcelona had that remontada on their mind all week (Yamal had posted an image of LeBron’s iconic NBA Finals comeback win for the Cavaliers as motivation). And they rocked the Metropolitano Stadium to its core on Tuesday night, with Yamal and Torres scoring within half an hour to level the tie at 2-2. Simeone’s side showed characteristic grit to stop the tide, as Antoine Griezmann manufactured a wonderful counterattack that was finished off by the vastly improved Ademola Lookman. Barca kept on pressing in their inimitable style and Ferran Torres thought he had levelled the tie in the 55th minute. The VAR gods interjected, ruling the goal out for one of those marginal offsides that make you wish the entire system was scrapped. Barca’s heroic onslaught was effectively ended in the 71st minute, as Eric Garcia was sent off after clipping Sorloth’s heels as he was bearing down on goal. It was yet another noble exit for Flick’s side. Simeone has been quick to point out that this current Atletico side has a little more guile than past sides (Lookman and Alvarez provide the cutting edge while the likes of Griezmann and Simeone create). But they are still wizards of the dark arts, somehow managing to avoid a single yellow card despite an avalanche of fouls. Regardless of quality, somethings never change. And I think that’s the way Simeone likes it.
Player of the Week- Arda Guler
I’m controversially opting for a player from a losing side. But I don’t think anyone can argue with Arda Guler. The Turk made his bones in last night’s defeat, showing that he the ability to shape the destiny of finely balanced knockout matches. He achieved a nifty little stat, becoming just the 3rd Real player- after Roberto Carlos and CR7- to score two goals from outside the box in a Champions League knockout match.
