The glamorous sights and sweet sounds of the UEFA Champions League have returned, and so has the Top Five to relive all the action from midweek.
This edition recaps Real Madrid’s victory in the first battle over PSG, Tottenham’s latest statement European result, Manchester City’s and Liverpool’s road thrashings, plus the best from Thursday’s Europa League action.
This, and much more, on this February midpoint edition of 90 Minutes’ Top Five.
1. Money can’t buy clutch
Reports of Real Madrid’s death were greatly exaggerated.
As they have done in the last half decade, the Merengues came through in the biggest stage, when most the world counted them out, by winning Wednesday’s blockbuster Champions League first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, shifting the pressure away from them and onto the Ligue 1 powerhouses.
But it wasn’t all a bed of roses for Zinedine Zidane and his squad. Unai Emery sent out a lineup with the intention of going head-to-head with the home side, with speed and skill offensively, and more speed than physicality on defense. Without a true holding midfielder, Emery rolled the dice in a high-risk situation, and it paid off early. PSG had control and momentum heading into halftime, until the inexperience of Giovani Lo Celso struck, leading to a penalty converted by Cristiano Ronaldo and the 1-1.
From there, the match became a tug-of-war of attrition, which set the table perfectly for the big-game experience and character of Madrid to make the difference. And so it happened. Zidane introduced Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez, while Emery had taken out Edinson Cavani in favor of Thomas Meunier, seeminlgy satisfied with holding on to the 1-1 despite the evident exhaustion of his players.
Asensio’s fresh legs shredded PSG’s right side, and in a span of 15 minutes, changed the landscape of the entire tie.
The pressure is on the Parisian’s, who are staring at another Champions League letdown, despite the gigantic investment made last summer.
The American concept of “clutch” describes the ability to deliver a play or result in the most crucial moment of a game. It is the extra step, the secret ingredient Real Madrid possesses in droves, and that Paris Saint-Germain has not been able to buy.
2. Personality for days
As if the matches against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund were not enough evidence, Tottenham proved once again why they belong with the big boys of European soccer.
This time, their personality, nerve, and fight earned them an invaluable 2-2 road draw against Juventus, one of the best home teams in all of Europe.
The difference, however, compared to the before-mentioned matches, is that Spurs found themselves in a situation insurmountable to the average Turin visitor: 2-0 down, and with Juventus fully confident and comfortable.
Perhaps too comfortable.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side relaxed their attack after Gonzalo Higuain’s two goals, thinking the 2-0 was enough to sit back and manage the rest of the match like they do against any Serie A opponent on any given weekend.
But all it did was allow Spurs the ball and space, their recipe for success. They managed to put not one, but two past Gianluigi Buffon, the first time a road team do so in 15 games, courtesy of a Harry Kane who showed, once again, why he is a world-class player, and Christian Eriksen, who revels in the big stages like Tuesday’s.
Mauricio Pochettino is right ot be so proud of his players, but the tie is far from won. Two defensive mistakes by the Spurs backline cost them the early deficit. The defense will need correcting before the Wembley tie, but Spurs have a historic opportunity to pound the European table by taking out one of its big players.
3. Premier destruction
For those who missed the remaining two matches in favor of watching the big-time games on Tuesday and Wednesday, don’t worry, nothing of note really happened.
Nothing except for the utter annihilation of two unsuspecting pretenders by two Premier League attacking juggernauts.
Manchester City and Liverpool did not waste any time in sealing their respective Champions League ties, showing absolutely no mercy in their 4-0 and 5-0 thrashings of Basel and Porto, respectively, on the road, to top.
On paper, both squads have all but punched their ticket to the semifinals, so the five-team English conquest of Europe is looking stronger -throwing in Tottenham as well- than it has in many years.
4. More Premier destruction
Continuing with the English conquest of Europe, Arsenal took care of their own continental road business, coming away with a solid 3-0 victory from their visit to Ostersunds in the Round of 32 of the Europa League on Thursday.
AC Milan followed suit with a 3-0 win of their own in Bulgaria against Ludogorets, continuing their resurgence under Genaro Gattuso.
The match of the day, however, took place in Germany, as Michy Batshuayi continued his scorching start with another two goals in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 comeback win over upstart Atalanta in a thriller at Signal Iduna Park.
5. Swiss screamer
Ilkay Gundogan has enjoyed himself a career revival, staying healthy and scoring important goals for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. His latest one, the best goal of the week so far, came in Tuesday’s 4-0 over Basel, a beatiful curler to seal the win and most likely, the tie for the Citizens.
