Where does football go as it moves on from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
Full Results (Semi Finals 2nd leg)
- Bayern 1—1 PSG
- Arsenal 1—0 Atletico Madrid
Game of the Matchday
After their insane 9-goal thriller in Paris, this match-up once again was the best match of the matchday. Although it was never really going to match the madness from the first leg, the standard and quality was always going to be high. Luis Enrique's PSG hit the jackpot very early on as their game plan worked to a tee. Ousmane Dembele scored just 3 minutes into the match and that laid the foundation for an interesting uphill battle for Bayern. Of course, if you are a Bayern fan you had enough reasons to criticise the officiating in this match a surprisingly high amount of times. A desperate final push from Bayern saw Harry Kane break the deadlock deep in the 93rd minute of the match to restore a little faith but PSG saw the game out to reach back-to-back UCL Finals
Biggest Surprise
The biggest surprise was how Mikel Arteta, for lack of a better term, "out-Simeone'd" Diego Simeone – how he beat him at his own game. Arsenal have not been at their fluent best this season but they have still showed the ability to be lethal in front of opponent's goal. They smashed Atletico Madrid themselves in the league stage 4-0 so it was not out of question a similar scoreline could have materialised in this 2nd leg. The Gunners turned to a defensive low block to squeeze the life out of the tie after Bukayo Saka scored in the 43rd minute to give Arsenal the aggregate lead. They restricted to just 1 big chance from Giuliano Simeone, whose flick was interrupted by a Gabriel challenge – another piece of divisive refereeing this matchday. Seeing Arsenal beat the undisputed masters of 'anti-football' at their own game was like watching a passing of the torch.
Best Team Performance
If a team locks down the opponents attack away from home, it is impressive. It it all the more impressive when the team getting locked down is Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the 2nd leg of a Champions League Semi-Final, desperate to find goals. For about 94 minutes PSG managed to do just that before Harry Kane showed his striking instincts. PSG are able to switch between "you-score-we-score" and "we-dare-you-to-score" so seamlessly. They scored early and then frustrated Bayern all throughout the match. With Luis Enrique at the helm, PSG's tactical prowess is on another level right now, with their goalkicks from Matvey Safonov being a prime example of it. Safonov repeatedly kicked the ball out of play to Michael Olise's side, which lead to Bayern throw-ins where their tricky dribbler Olise was crowded-out. There is a high chance Enrique and his staff knows how to counter Arsenal's set piece danger, and that is a very interesting tactical battle waiting to play out in the Champions League Final.
Player of the Matchday
Willian Pacho (PSG)
In a tie featuring the most explosive and dizzying attacking talents on planet earth, a 24-year-old combative Ecuadorian center-back walked into the Allianz Arena like it was his playground and put on an absolute defensive masterclass. Willian Pacho was an unmovable object under the bright lights, leading the charge to establish some defensive stability after the first-leg party. Tackles, clearances, interceptions, Pacho was leading all those stats, winning 8 of his 9 duels, neutralizing the likes of Harry Kane, Luis Diaz, Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala for almost the entire game in open play. In a fixture flooded with conversations about both team's terrifying attack, Pacho was a primary reminder why attack wins matches and defence wins championships.
Honorable mentions - Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Manuel Neuer (Bayern) & Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
Moment of the Matchday
Ousmane Dembele scores an early goal against Bayern Munich
One week of anticipation, of readiness, of preparation, of any complex tactical advantage Vincent Kompany had conjured up was flushed down the drain inside 150 seconds. Fabian Ruiz, back in the 11, released Kvaratskhelia down the left flank and he absolutely zoomed past Dayot Upamecano before picking out Ousmane Dembele to thump it home to give PSG an early lead on the night. This was a complete psychological blow that completely silenced the hostile Allianz Arena before the home fans had even settled into their seats. An important moment in the context of the tie and PSG made it look so easy to get through Bayern's defence.
Late-Night Thoughts
Alright then, we have the Champions League Final right in front of our eyes, and it is between the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and the newly-crowned Premier League champions Arsenal. This is a battle of two footballing philosophies – best attack against best defence. PSG have the most touches in opposition box, Arsenal have the most clean sheets. A fascinating battle awaits us. A lot of people are ruling out Arsenal due to PSG's form. As brilliant as they are, do I need to remind people what happened in the Club World Cup Final against Chelsea? I don't think this will be another 5-0 CL Final. This one's going to be much closer. Famous last words?
Looking Ahead – Final Fixture (IST Kick-off)
Saturday, 30 May
- PSG vs Arsenal — 9:30 pm
Comments
Post a Comment