The Champions League is back and we are into the knockout stages with the Round of 16. With only half of the competition left, which team do you think will be lifting the trophy come this May 31st in Istanbul? With the first 4 matches of the first leg having already been played, how have the teams fared? We take a look at the results.
Atletico Madrid v Liverpool
Liverpool were beaten at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium 1-0 in a game which saw their front 3 start together again for the first time since January 19 but yet failed to register a single shot on target. This was despite the 73% possession they enjoyed throughout the game.
Atletico can draw immense inspiration from the win, especially since they had not only beaten the reigning World and European champions but also ended their unbeaten streak in the Champions League that stretched back to the semi-final first leg defeat at the Camp Nou last season. They are also the first team to beat Liverpool this season. (Senior squad that is)
Atletico boss Diego Simeone said after the match that Atletico had already won before the game started, attributing the win to the fans who were their raucous selves. If this is so, then they will have a lot to do in the second leg when they travel to Anfield, a place that has seen many a magical European night.
With only a single goal advantage, nobody would bill this tie as over but will the lack of an away goal come back to haunt Liverpool?
Borussia Dortmund v Paris St Germain
With such stars as Neymar, Mbappe & Di Maria among others, it was truly written in the stars that the player that everyone has been raving about during the winter transfer window stole the headlines in the first leg.
Erling Braut Haaland scored a brace to take his Champions League tally to 10 this season and has also scored 11 goals in his first seven games for Dortmund. The manner in which he dispatched his second goal was monstrous, rifling a shot from outside the box right into the roof of the net that left Keylor Navas stranded.
Despite the win and Haaland leading the line, the odds are still against Dortmund as they conceded an away goal. Some great work (and an error by Zagadou) by Mbappe gifted Neymar an open tap-in which makes the tie a lot easier for PSG when they head to Paris for the second leg.
Neymar’s return from injury could be used to paint over the cracks of his performance this time but will PSG’s star player prove the critics wrong and show that he can perform in the big games?
Atalanta v Valencia
Atalanta, making their first appearance in the Champions League, thrashed Valencia 4-1 at the San Siro in their first leg tie to take absolute control of the tie. Atalanta have been impressing pundits and neutrals alike since last season, finishing third in Serie A just five years after surviving relegation.
Score line aside, the manner in which they dispatched Valencia was truly impressive. Valencia did have more shots but could not cope with the sheer speed of the Atalanta attackers and found themselves 4-0 down before a defensive error allowed them to reduce the deficit to 3 and bring back a potentially precious away goal.
The gap may be too wide for Valencia though, who have only mustered a 3 goal win once this term in the league while Atalanta have only lost twice by 3 goals in all competitions this season.
This tie is over?
Tottenham Hotspurs v RB Leipzig
Timo Werner’s second half penalty gave Leipzig a 0-1 win over Tottenham in London and a lead that may be insurmountable for Spurs to overcome due to their injury crisis.
Not to take anything away from Leipzig, the German team have come a long way and have put together a team that is truly exceptional, led by their talisman Werner and their highly rated manager Julian Nagelsmann. They topped Group G and are currently second in the Bundesliga, just one point behind champions Bayern Munich.
Things are not looking rosy for Mourinho and Spurs, who have also lost Son Heung-min to injury after the massive loss of Harry Kane. Spurs do not look anywhere close to their best without their 2 best players and this game showed it.
Mourinho has been known to pull a rabbit out of the hat on previous occasions but this may one trick even “The Special One” cannot execute.