Champions League Recap: In a week of tense football, youngsters steal the show

The 3-2 defeat hardly mattered after the shocking episodes. “But after what happened last night I think anything can be forgiven. Whether we win or lose, what’s most important is that the match took place,” a Dortmund fan said after the match. Several fans bashed UEFA for rescheduling the fixture so soon after the tragic incident. “6:45 kick-off: are you kidding? F*** Uefa,” a banner at the stands read.

Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel joined in on condemning UEFA in his post match comments. “We were told by text message (about the reschedule time). They treated it as if a beer can had been thrown at the bus… We would have liked to have had more time to work through it. There are players who easily brushed it off, but there are also players who really took it to heart,” Tuchel said.

Dortmund players looked clearly out of sort in the first half of the game, misdirecting passes, giving penalties, and scoring own goals. 18-year old French striker Kylian Mbappe scored twice for Monaco (one from an offside position), becoming the youngest striker to score a brace in a Champions League knockout fixture, while another young Frenchman Ousmane Dembele was among the goal scorers for Dortmund – both adding on to their rising reputation in world football.

Approximately 950 km away, it was another youngster who had cemented his name among the next generation of football stars – Paulo Dybala.

“I am Dybala and I want to only be Dybala… I am not the next Messi or Messi of future generation”, the Argentinian had said before his side Juventus took on Spanish giants Barcelona in a Champions League fixture in Turin. The moment Dybala broke ranks among Argentinian football, he was touted to be the next Lionel Messi. His height, speed, agility and the uncanny ability to score goals had instantly given him a star stature.

On Wednesday, he proved that former Juventus player Paul Pogba’s nickname given to him is not far from truth. “I call Dybala ‘Square R2’. That’s the combination u press on PlayStation to do a turn and shot. He always scores like that,” Pogba had said in an interview. That’s precisely what Dybala did in the fifth minute of the game after a pass from Juan Cuadrado landed at his feet – one touch, quick turn and boom! Juventus 1-0 Barcelona! Putting his name on the map, Dybala, 20 minutes later added on another, soon after a brilliant save from Gianluigi Buffon from an Andres Iniesta’s shot kept Juventus in the lead. The match ended 3-0 to Juventus after central defender Giorgio Chiellini headed the ball into the net from a corner in the second half.

Described as a “phenomenon” by the legendary footballer Diego Maradona, Dybala made a mark in a match where his fellow Argentinian team-mates Gonzalo Higuain and Lionel Messi failed to shine. Going into the reverse fixture next week with a three goal deficit, Barcelona will not be as confident as they were against PSG, after they lost the first leg 4-0. Clearly, Juventus are unlikely to make the same mistakes committed by the French club and will continue with the same attacking mentality at Nou Camp. “It’s the second time this has happened. It’s hard to think of a comeback, but we’ll try to get back on our feet and put in a good performance in the second leg,” Enrique said after the match.

But history has proven, time and again, that if any team can make an unexpected comeback in a Champions League fixture, it is Barcelona. Juventus will undoubtedly be on their toes and ensure they keep the foot on the gas in the reverse fixture.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s double spoils Bayern’s home celebrations
The criticism against Cristiano Ronaldo this season has been that he has failed to score at the top level – the Champions League. Going against former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern Munich, Ronaldo had only two goals to his name in eight matches in the tournament this season, while Lionel Messi had 11 to his name – a notion used by many to justify who is a better player among the two.

But the Portuguese, sporting a new hairstyle – golden brown hikes – was up to his best against the German side. In spite of outstanding effort from Bayern’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who made 10 spectacular saves – most by any player in a single Champions League game for Bayern Munich, Ronaldo scored twice to take the game to 2-1 by the time the whistle blew. In the process, he became the first player to score 100 European goals – 84 for Real and 16 for Manchester United.

But, if Bayern had to blame someone, they need only look at the mirror. Arturo Vidal’s terrible penalty was a reminder of his crucial miss from the spot during 2016 Copa America Centenario penalty shoot-out against Argentina. But, unlike that time, there was no comeback for his side. Silly challenges from Javi Martinez ensured he was sent off in the 60th minute, after which Real completely dominated, creating multiple chances. If not for Neuer’s heroics, Real could have attained a much more significant lead. Going into the reverse fixture with two away goals, Zinedine Zidane’s side are likely to feel confident that they can get the job done once again.

Violence mars Atletico vs Leicester City
Leicester’s 1-0 loss against Atletico Madrid made headlines for the wrong reasons, as the referee was criticised widely for giving penalty to the home side from a tackle outside the box. Antoine Griezmann took the penalty comfortably giving his side the lead, thus ending a chance for Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to create European Football record of saving penalty in three games in a row.

Though the English fans will be more than happy with the result, hoping they could make a comeback in the return leg, the violent clashes with Madrid police, in a week which had already seen its fair share of violence and camaraderie, received massive criticism.