Champions League knockouts: Round 2 Wrap-up
- sportsense9
- Mar 15, 2019
- 4 min read
Benjamin Trussel
Round two of the round of 16 in the Champions League is now complete. Let us take you through a summary of each of these exciting games.
This round provided not one, not two, not THREE, but FOUR comeback wins after the first leg. The entire status quo of the last three years of the Champions League ended in flames after Real Madrid was defeated by Ajax, and Cristiano Ronaldo proved himself to be an all-time great once again with Juventus. Without further ado, let’s get into this!
Real Madrid 1-4 Ajax (Aggregate 3 - 5)
Our prediction after the first leg of “no Ronaldo, no party” became truly the theme for Real after this crushing defeat at home to the exciting young talents of Ajax. Watching Cristiano put on a masterclass with Juventus while losing to Ajax at home caused Real to fire manager Santiago Solari and bring back French legend Zinedine Zidane to take the job over once again. Though most of the news from this game focused on Real’s defeat, the true headline is Ajax’s incredible potential. This team of future stars put on a real show at Real (see below).
Dortmund 0 – 1 Tottenham (Aggregate 0 - 4)
After a fantastic first leg from Tottenham, the Spurs just needed to hold out in the second leg, and they ended up doing more than that. They held Dortmund goalless, while Harry Kane scored one of his own at the other end. A solid performance from Tottenham, but a result that was expected, and necessary for Tottenham to prove their strength.
Porto 3 – 1 A.S. Roma (Aggregate 4 - 3)
Roma looked like they would hold out after scoring a penalty to make the score 1-1 at half, but Porto persisted, with a strike from the incredibly consistent Moussa Marega striking home a lovely volley to bring the aggregate to 3-3, which took the game to overtime (since each had 1 away goal). Edin Džeko looked like ending the game with a chip in the 112th minute, but it wasn’t hit with enough power and was saved off the line by Porto. Just two minutes later, Roma’s Florenzi stupidly held back a Porto attacker from getting a shot off inside the box, conceding a penalty that was coolly put away by Alex Telles to secure the win for Porto.
Paris Saint-Germain 1 – 3 Manchester United (Aggregate 3 – 3, United wins off away goals)
After an awful first leg for United, PSG looked to have this match in the bag. Playing at home with two away goals in the bag, and Paul Pogba out of United’s side with a suspension, no one expected a United comeback. Horrendous mistakes from Kehrer and Buffon caused the first two goals, and a handball from Kimpembe caused the third. PSG was truly their own worst enemy in this game. Mbappé could have ended the misery in the 82nd minute, but the same wet ground that caused Buffon’s error caused the young phenomenon to slip and make a rare mistake. PSG have an argument for the penalty decision, but they have no excuse for their own mistakes. This game once again proved that the French league is not strong enough for PSG to keep themselves at a high enough level for games like these. With the disgraced Real Madrid looking to shake things up in the summer transfer window, they can’t afford to have their young star in Mbappé frustrated and dreaming of bigger things at Madrid. Could this be the last Champions League in a Paris shirt for the youngster? Only time will tell.
Manchester City 7 – 0 Schalke 04 (Aggregate 10 – 2)
Schalke’s Twitter was the only win they got this week. That 7-0 looked painful.
Juventus 3 – 0 Atlético Madrid (Aggregate 3 – 2)
Whether you think Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world or not, an angry Cristiano is certainly the most dangerous. After being taunted by the fans in a 2-0 loss in Madrid, Cristiano told the world he would score a hat trick in the second leg to take Juventus through… and he did. When your biggest rival for best player over the last decade—Lionel Messi—says you “impressed” him and that you “had a magical night” you know you’ve made it. Honorable mention for man of the match goes to Federico Bernardeschi. The Italian had a wonderful night, despite rightfully being outshone by CR7.
FC Bayern 1 – 3 Liverpool FC (Aggregate 1 – 3)
After a goalless first leg, this game left all to play for, and Liverpool took full advantage. Despite good play from Gnabry, Lewandowski, and James Rodriguez, Liverpool looked better in almost every area. Sadio Mané had perhaps the best first half he’s ever had in a Liverpool shirt this game, where he absolutely terrorized the makeshift right-back Rafinha with his pace and control, highlighted by his masterful finish to expose Manuel Neuer’s positioning mistake (picture below). Virgil van Dijk was also a candidate for man of the match with a fantastic defensive performance, highlighted by a headed goal that any player would be proud of.
Barcelona 5 – 1 Lyon (Aggregate 5 – 1)
In the other match with everything to play for, it must be said that the outcome was in much less question than the Bayern and Liverpool match. Barcelona was expected to win, and they did just that, with some style. Despite the focus being on Cristiano’s spectacular show in Italy, Lionel Messi put on a similar show in Spain. The Argentine weaved in and out of the defense as we are so used to seeing, and provided two goals and one assist for the Spanish club to see off their French opponents.
ON TO THE QUARTER FINALS!
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