After the second legs of soccer’s premier club competition, the quarterfinal ties have been drawn. Once again, we’ll take a look at what stood out and what to expect from the quarterfinals
PSG 1-2 Real Madrid (2-5 agg.)
PSG: This would have been the perfect first leg for them, but, yet again, it just wasn’t meant to be. It didn’t help that Neymar is sidelined for up to three months with a foot injury, but manager Unai Emery still needs to shoulder some of the blame. His team attacked, but without the urgency necessary to really trouble Real Madrid, and the decision to play the more defensive-minded Thiago Motta when the team needed to score twice is baffling. Edinson Cavani’s goal that simply rebounded of his calf gave the team hope, but it was far too limp from a team that should be making European football its priority.
Real: Give it to Ronaldo in the box, and he will score. His perfect scoring record in the Champions League continues with a trademark header to open the scoring. Casemiro benefitted from a big deflection to wrongfoot PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, but it was deserved after the performance on the day. The Spanish side stayed disciplined in the back and at times looked like they were running training drills going forward, and this was without Luka Modric or Toni Kroos in the starting lineup. Plus they hit the post twice, so the final score flatters PSG.
Liverpool 0-0 Porto (5-0 agg.)
Liverpool: It was professional enough, but it was obvious from the start that they would cruise into the quarterfinals, and it showed in their effort. They still had the better of the chances though, and you would think that Roberto Firmino would put away the header that Danny Ings missed. Jürgen Klopp was able to give Adam Lallana a desperately needed 90 minutes on his way back to full fitness and rest Mohamed Salah for the more important matches ahead, like the March 10 clash with José Mourinho and Manchester United.
Porto: All that was left was to play for pride, and this time Porto didn’t roll over. They didn’t particularly trouble Loris Karius in goal, but it wasn’t the same limp team that was beaten 5-0 at home three weeks before. It was still too easy for Liverpool, but there was at least a desire to play, and despite making the save from Ings’ header look more difficult than it should have been, Iker Casillas was solid enough in goal, unlike José Sá in the first leg.
Manchester City 1-2 Basel (5-2 agg.)
City: Guardiola rotated. Having a 4-0 advantage going into the second leg, it was no surprise to see some of City’s reserves, and Guardiola was rewarded when Gabriel Jesus, who was sidelined for two months with a knee injury, scored an early tap in. City played like a team that knew they wouldn’t give up five goals, no matter how the team was rotated. They were, however, exposed as the rotation side when they failed to pick up Mohamed Elyounoussi for the equalizer and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was beaten near post far too easily by Michael Lang’s drive.
Basel: Regardless of any extenuating circumstances, Basel can exit with their heads held high having beaten both Manchester clubs over the course of the competition. Basel played like the side that has frustrated bigger clubs, especially English clubs, in European competition for the whole decade. There are no Salah’s on the Basel team anymore, but nothing has changed since losing him in 2014 either. They needed to draw Beşiktaş to have a chance to advance to the quarters, so this isn’t a big disappointment.
Tottenham 1-2 Juventus (3-4 agg.)
Tottenham: They did everything they needed except score, and fell asleep for a three minute stretch in the second half where they conceded twice. They can consider themselves unlucky as only Bayern Munich would have been a worse draw for them, but in the end, Spurs weren’t clinical enough over the two legs. They came inches away from sending the tie into extra time when Harry Kane’s stoppage time header hit the post and then bounced on the line before it was hooked away. Then again, Erik Lamela should have made more of an effort to bundle that ball over the line instead of allowing Juventus to clear. Their performance betrayed their inexperience on this stage, and the favorites can breathe a sigh of relief to see maybe the most promising dark horse contender bounced out of the competition.
Juventus: They may not have deserved it, but Juventus have made two finals in the past three seasons, having beaten Real Madrid and Barcelona in those runs as well. The Italian giants stood firm and put their bodies on the line, blocking eight Tottenham shots, and the introduction of right back Stephan Lichtsteiner changed the match, and Juventus looked much more dangerous with him on the pitch instead of forcing Andrea Barzagli into a makeshift right back position. Lichtsteiner provided the cross for Gonzalo Higuaín’s equalizer, and the return of Paulo Dybala made all the difference with a clinical finish for the winner to come away with a victory at Wembley, something even Real Madrid couldn’t do.
Manchester United 1-2 Sevilla (1-2 agg.)
United: It’s Manchester United’s biggest game of the season, one where they need to score to advance, and manager José Mourinho decides to start Marouane Fellaini over Paul Pogba. He played Alexis Sánchez in a number 10 role that doesn’t best suit his talents and forced Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford as outside midfielders in a very conservative 4-2-3-1. Each of those three players would perform better as wingers in a 4-3-3, which by the way, is the formation that best utilizes the talents of Pogba. They were again outshot by Sevilla, and goalkeeper David de Gea can only face so many shots before he makes a mistake: he is, after all, human. Now United’s only chance at silverware is the FA Cup, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the big stars depart Old Trafford if two seasons under Mourinho can only bring three trophies, with two of them, the League Cup and Europa League from last year, as mere footnotes for a club of United’s history.
Sevilla: They deserved it. Joaquín Correa terrorized the Manchester team, and Luis Muriel was once again lively, leading the line despite not getting on the scoresheet. Wissam Ben Yedder got both goals, one a clinical finish into the bottom corner and the other a scrappy header from a set piece that de Gea could have handled better, but Sevilla won’t care. The set piece defending on Romelu Lukaku’s goal was poor, but United still needed to score two more goals, and it’s a small complaint to make on a night where Sevilla went into Old Trafford and won.
Roma 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk (2-2 agg.) Roma advances on away goals
Roma: They were better going forward than in Ukraine and goalkeeper Alisson Becker wasn’t needed to make numerous saves as in the first leg. Edin Džeko got the goal with a clinical finish under Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov, and the Romans advanced out of a tightly contested affair while limiting Shakhtar to just two shots in the second leg.
Shakhtar: Poor finishing at home did them in, as they fell asleep on one ball over the top to let Džeko in. It was all over after Ivan Ordets’ red card for denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity in the in the 79th minute as the Ukranian side couldn’t produce the same type of attacking play that was on display two weeks ago.
Beşiktaş 1-3 Bayern Munich (1-8 agg.)
Beşiktaş: Well they scored. They never really threatened otherwise aside from a Quaresma free kick that flew just wide. They were never expected to win, but they would’ve hoped to be a bit more competitive against Bayern. They couldn’t even salvage their pride in this second leg.
Bayern: They coasted to a 3-1 win and made a statement to the rest of Europe after a slow start to the season. Unlike the times under Guardiola, Bayern is hitting their stride in March instead of slowing down, and the last time they did that, they demolished Barcelona 7-0 in the Champions League semifinals, and that was before they had Robert Lewandowski. Europe should be very scared. It’s just a shame that Manuel Neuer still isn’t fully fit.
Barcelona 3-0 Chelsea (4-1 agg.)
Barcelona: Lionel Messi is a god. Ignoring the fact that he shouldn’t be able to score from such a difficult angle on his “weak” foot, this was not a typical Barcelona performance. They had just 53% possession at home, when we’re used to seeing this team have 60-70% of the ball. They made last ditch challenges, blocks with their bodies on the line. They played a 4-4-2 instead of the 4-3-3 that’s been synonymous with Barcelona. Manager Ernesto Valverde pulled both midfielders Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, the men who made Barcelona tick over the past decade, by the 61st minute to get fresh legs in the midfield, and it worked. They didn’t miss the target when they shot and forced Thibaut Courtois to make saves despite not creating endless pressure and chances. When Chelsea came to the Camp Nou in 2012, Barcelona couldn’t win ugly under Guardiola. Barcelona can win ugly in 2018 and do it comfortably. It’s scary when you can look tame yet still win 3-0.
Chelsea: You can’t go to the Camp Nou and waste chances, you can’t give the ball up in the midfield against the big clubs, and you can’t stand off Lionel Messi. Chelsea did all three, and here were the results: 13 shots, three on target; a goal from Ousmane Dembélé on the counter attack, two goals for Messi, and a 3-0 loss. Manager Antonio Conte set his team up brilliantly, and they didn’t try to simply nick a goal from Barcelona. They went for it, and came close to throwing the tie back into the balance at one point with Marcos Alonso’s free kick off the post. If Courtois closes his legs faster, they could have done it, but once Messi made it 4-1 on aggregate, the tie was over. In the crucial moments, Chelsea didn’t get it done.
Quarterfinals
Juventus v. Real Madrid
Real is a different team in the Champions League and beat Juventus 4-1 in last year’s final, but Juventus over two legs is a different beast. It will all depend on what happens during the first leg in Turin and what Juventus will have to do at the Bernabéu in the second leg. Also of interest is whether Cristiano Ronaldo can keep up his perfect scoring record in this year’s competition. It’ll be tight, but Real should prevail.
Sevilla v. Bayern Munich
Bayern’s players are certainly licking their lips to see Sevilla coming up. This tie may be done and dusted by the end of the first 90 minutes, and if not the second 90 at the Allianz Arena will be too much for the Andalusians.
Liverpool v. Manchester City
Liverpool is the only team to have beaten City in the Premier League so far this season, but were they to turn in that performance again, they would surrender three away goals to City. Were this a single match, Liverpool would have a better chance, but since this is over two legs, the better team has more time to impose its will, and City is certainly the better team. Expect a lot of goals because of both team’s defensive frailties, but City will win.
Barcelona v. Roma
Lionel Messi can beat Roma on his own. So long as Barcelona doesn’t become complacent, they’ll get back to the semifinals for the first time since 2015.
