Oh, I love the blood and guts of Champions League football. Tuesday’s clash between European heavyweights Real Madrid and Bayern Munich lived up to the billing, providing an end-to-end clash worthy of the occasion.
Bayern win heavyweight clash with Real Madrid
The first half was a bit of a basketball affair, with both sides creating decent opportunities. Manuel Neuer was in fine form, earning the Man of the Match award with several key saves (particularly from a wasteful Mbappe). However, Bayern looked more impressive as the half progressed, eventually taking the lead when Diaz drifted beyond Alexander-Arnold before stroking the ball home in the 41st minute. A somewhat subdued Harry Kane doubled Bayern’s advantage shortly after the break, latching onto yet another assist from the mesmeric Olise. Olise was Real’s chief destroyer, isolating an out-of-his-depth Alvaro Carreras in one of the biggest mismatches you are likely to see all season.
But those who feared a Bayern bloodbath needn’t have bothered, as Real composed themselves and ended the match the stronger side. Kompany’s men tired in the 2nd stanza, perhaps still feeling the aftereffects of their buzzer-beater triumph at Freiburg. Their gegenpressing slackened and Real started to dictate the play, earning 57% of the 2nd half possession where they could only manage 41% in the first. Mbappe gave Real a fighting chance ahead of their return trip to the Allianz Arena, tapping in a delicious Alexander-Arnold delivery to make it 2-1 in the 74th minute. The English fullback had a curious evening, completing just 2 of his 11 long passes but providing the one moment of unadulterated Real genius. Bayern will obviously be pleased, picking up their first Champions League win against Los Blancos since 2012. But Real’s stubborn late resistance has given them a puncher’s chance in the return leg.
Arsenal earn precious away victory at Sporting
Arsenal bounced back from their back-to-back domestic cup exits with another lesson in drab efficiency, beating Sporting 1-0 to take firm control of their quarterfinal tie. And before people start minimizing Arsenal’s achievements, this is a Sporting side that had won all five of their previous home matches in this year’s Champions League (beating reigning champs PSG in the process). The Portuguese side looked dynamic in the early stages, with Maxi Araujo forcing Raya into a worldie of a save. One wonders how different this tie would have looked had Sporting converted some of that first-half pressure. Arsenal never did anything speculator in this match, cultivating plenty of pointless possession in their attempts to frustrate the home side. Declan Rice was their standout outfield player, breaking the lines to give the Gunners some sense of forward momentum. In the closing stages, it appeared that both sides were content with the goalless draw (a gentleman’s agreement and all that). But the polarizing Kai Havertz had other ideas, ghosting into the box to give Arsenal an ultra-late 1-0 win. Havertz has a penchant for Champions League theatrics, memorably scoring Chelsea’s winning goal in the 2021 final. Arsenal’s ability to chisel out wins from unconvincing performances should be part of a Harvard study someday.
PSG canter past limp Liverpool side
Don’t let the 2-0 scoreline fool you- this was a hiding. Yes, Anfield is a magical place where any tie can turn on its head (just ask Barcelona fans). But the Reds were played off the park- or Parc des Princes- last night, failing to register a single shot on target against the Parisian giants. Luis Enrique was probably left wondering how they only managed to score two. Slot mixed things up quite dramatically, yanking Salah while shifting the defensive line to a back five. The move had some merit given PSG’s array of attacking talent. But Liverpool could never get a foothold in the game, and it was no surprise when they went behind in the 11th minute (albeit through a wickedly deflected Doue effort). Liverpool, to their credit, didn’t completely unravel in the face of that early goal, they just couldn’t really create any positive momentum. Mamardashvili kept Liverpool in the tie with some crucial saves (Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembelle wasn’t at his devastating best). The Parisians got their well-deserved 2nd in the 65th minute, with Georgian genius Kvaratskhelia using Maradona-like footwork to bamboozle the otherwise excellent Mamardashvili. Things could have been worse for Slot’s men, with PSG awarded a penalty that was subsequently overturned by VAR. The Reds will need to go for glory in the return leg, potentially leaving space for PSG to potentially exploit on the counter (that 2nd leg is going to be a belter).
Atletico stun Spotify Camp Nou
Diego Simeone’s men were at it again last night, breaking Barcelona hearts with a gritty 2-0 win at the Camp Nou. Barca came in with plenty of momentum after grinding out a 2-1 La Liga victory at the Metropolitano Stadium last weekend. And Hansi Flick’s men looked comfortable for large swathes of the first half, with Rashford and Yamal wreaking havoc on their wings. But a moment of clumsiness turned the tie completely on its head. 19-year-old centre-half Pau Curbarsi clumsily clipped Guiliano Simeone just as the nepo-baby (jokes) was bearing down on goal. The ref initially showed yellow but upgraded that puppy to red on review. To add insult to injury, former City forward Julian Alvarez smashed in the resultant free-kick, underlining his near-unrivalled dead-ball ability. Flick was proactive at the break, bringing off Lewandowski and Pedri for the energetic midfield duo of Fermin and Gavi. Ten-man Barca performed admirably, generating more chances for Rashford and Yamal. But Atletico weren’t done playing public enemy number one, as frequent Barca tormentor Sorloth nabbed a 2nd against the run of play to make this a real uphill battle. Can Barca go back into the lion’s den and make up this two-goal deficit?
Player of the Week- Michael Olise
Michael Olise is quite simply the best winger in the world right now. Yamal is probably the most talented while Vini Jr can look the most devastating. But in terms of pure output, nobody can beat Olise. He has 44 G/A in 48 games this season. He was a menace on Tuesday night, turning Carreras inside and out like he was playing with a voodoo doll. In this moment, it’s hard to think of a more impactful player in world football.
