Madrid win battle in war of Champions League royalty
The first legs of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions quarterfinals are evenly poised, with some giving themselves more room to breathe than others heading into the return legs.
With 19 UEFA Champions League titles between them and their shaky form this season, the tie between Real Madrid and Liverpool was always going to be exciting.
That proved to be the case. But no one could have anticipated just how one-sided the quarterfinal tie would be.
Madrid dominated the Reds at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, which is their training ground but has been used as a playing field since the onset of Covid-19.
Zinedine Zidane’s charges ran out comfortable 3-1 winners as they laid siege to Liverpool’s hapless and helpless defence.
Jürgen Klopp’s men will take solace from securing a crucial away goal, which could prove pivotal in the return leg next week.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” admitted Klopp after the game. “We didn’t play good enough for that. That’s my first concern. Especially in the first half we didn’t play good enough football. A game is a summary of momentum, if you want, and when we had good momentum on the ball, we changed that immediately by giving the ball away.
“We conceded the first goal and served the second on a plate, but that was not the real problem of the game. Second half we played better football. We didn’t deserve a lot more but the second half was okay and it gives us a lifeline.”
For all Liverpool’s woes, Los Blancos were exceptional, with the experienced midfield duo of Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić running their Liverpool counterparts ragged.
Kroos in particular was a standout as he created both chances for Madrid’s first two goals. Vinícius Júnior, who benefited from Kroos’s brilliance and had a blinder of a game himself as he bagged a brace, heaped praise on his German teammate.
“Toni Kroos is incredible, he is a legend,” Vinícius told RMC Sport. “Nobody can play like him. He has a lot of class.”
The battle might have gone in favour of Madrid, but the war is not over. The Reds are just as capable of winning by a two-goal margin in the return leg, but they might have to keep the Spanish giants scoreless to advance. And, on current defensive form, that’s a big “if” for Liverpool.
As for Madrid, they know that all the pressure is now on Liverpool. They will lie in wait like a snake, ready to strike.
Chelsea give Porto the blues
Thomas Tuchel’s side, looking to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat to West Brom in their last outing, firmly planted one foot in the semifinals after defeating Porto 2-0.
The goals came courtesy of Englishmen Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell.
Whereas two Englishmen impressed on the night, two Germans who have struggled this season for the Blues continued to toil after being trusted from the start by Tuchel.
Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, who arrived highly rated from the Bundesliga, have so far failed to flourish. Their individual struggles continued against Porto.
“I accept that it was a tough match for Timo and for Kai today, they did not have their best day and we did not deliver so good, the connection between the deep seven players that we needed for the build-up and the front three, we lost a bit the connection to them,” Tuchel said after the win.
In spite of the struggles of his countrymen, Tuchel will be pleased that his side managed to bounce back from the first defeat it has suffered since he took over the reins in January 2021. He will be even more pleased about the comfortable advantage they will take into the return leg.
Paris best Munich
In an exciting end-to-end encounter in Munich, there was an avalanche of goals as last season’s finalists dished up a five-goal thriller with the visitors winning 3-2.
The victors on the night were the losing finalists in the 2020 edition, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Parisians raced into a 2-0 lead within the first 30 minutes, thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé and Marquinhos.
The Bavarians then mounted an admirable comeback to level the scores at two all, but Mbappé had the last say as PSG caught Bayern on the break midway through the second stanza to ensure that they have the slightest of advantages heading into the second leg.
Hansi Flick’s side will have to fight back without talisman Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker has been out with a knee injury. There was hope that he would be fit in time for the return leg but, according to the striker himself, it will not happen.
“No, [next week] is still too early,” Lewandowski told Sky Sports. “I’ll do everything I can to get back on the pitch, but only when I feel really good and safe.”
In another last-eight first-leg fixture, Manchester City edged Borussia Dortmund 2-1 thanks to a late Phil Foden strike.