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The big winners
A rude awakening for the English Premier League, a week when European football reasserted itself; financial dominance need not mean dominance on the field. Real Madrid’s first-half destruction of Manchester City was chastening. This was a Madrid team shorn of Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham and yet City were soundly beaten 3-0. Arsenal’s drab 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen showed Mikel Arteta’s team will require more than set pieces to prevail in the competition.
That Bayer’s goal through Robert Andrich came from a corner was an irony celebrated by the German club’s social media account. Paris Saint-Germain put on the afterburners in the closing minutes against Chelsea to seize what had been an excellent match with a 5-2 win, via Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s two late goals. Filip Jörgensen’s selection in goal for Chelsea over Robert Sanchez proved ill-fated in a week of unfortunate goalkeepers taking center stage. The less said about Pedro Neto shoving a ballboy the better.
On Tuesday, Liverpool disappointed at Galatasaray. Tottenham self-destructed at Atlético Madrid; their goalkeeper, Antonín Kinsky, being subbed off by Igor Tudor after 17 minutes was the latest instalment of a saga that has the rest of English football rubbernecking. With all six of the Premier League’s last-16 teams with plenty of work to do in their second legs, the self-satisfaction of English football took a severe jolt.
No Harry Kane for Bayern Munich, no problem. Barring a comeback to match Barcelona’s 6-1 second-leg remontada defeat of PSG in 2017, the Champions League season is over for Serie A clubs, after Atalanta were thrashed in Bergamo by Vincent Kompany’s team. No answer was found to a forward line led by Nicolas Jackson, an adept backup for Kane, with Michael Olise’s and Luis Díaz’s searing incursions off the flanks. Their movement pulled apart Raffaele Palladino’s carefully laid tactical plans. Palladino remained unrepentant: “If we got here it’s because of the mentality and therefore I would play like this again.” Kompany is reaching for the highest standards at Bayern, saying, “We could have even scored one or two more goals.”
There has been speculation – unsubstantiated – this season will be Diego Simeone’s last at Atlético Madrid. His contract runs until June 2027 but Inter, another club he starred for in midfield, are the reported destination. If this is the final fling, can Atléti hit previous heights? The psychodrama being played out by Tottenham was not a true test. “No result guarantees you will go through in the first match,” Simeone said after a 5-2 home win. Antoine Griezmann scored and supplied an assist on a night he ruled out an immediate move to MLS’s Orlando City. “The idea is to stay until the end, and then others can speak,” Griezmann said. A Florida move appears unlikely to happen until July. “I hope he stays at Atléti for many years,” Simeone said.
Player of the week
Federico Valverde is the heartbeat of Real Madrid, an elite player asked to commit energy and zest to the cause while the galacticos shine. Three megastars absent, Valverde stepped into center-stage and scored his brilliant first-half hat-trick. “He’s the Juanito of the 21st century,” said Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa, making comparison to a club legend of the 1980s. “Everything a Real Madrid player should be is Valverde, he deserves a night like this.” Valverde’s captain’s performance wrecked Pep Guardiola’s strategy of taking the game to Madrid.
They said it
“I don’t really want to compare players because they’re different – but I played with Kevin De Bruyne and was lucky to watch him come through as a young player then become a superstar. He had that obsession for detail. Michael has that as well. It’s not enough. We have to push him to do more, but he’s on a very good trajectory.” Kompany lavished praise on Olise. Another match-winning performance included two goals and an assist from a player for whom the sky is the limit.
The pundit’s chair
“When Eddie Howe was telling Dan Burn to go forward with four, five minutes left, I was thinking, ‘Maybe not, just sit on your lead.’ I think it was pretty naive in what they were trying to do.” Alan Shearer was a less-than-objective observer in the Amazon UK commentary box at St James’ Park. Newcastle, leading through Harvey Barnes’s 86th-minute goal, were on the brink of another famous win over Barcelona. Then came Malick Thiaw’s injudicious foul on Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal’s cool from the penalty spot. Camp Nou awaits a Newcastle team for whom the Champions League has become the singular path to rescuing something from a disappointing season. Shearer did not hide his disquiet.
Looking ahead
Despite six Premier League teams in the bracket, an all-English quarter-final is unlikely. Liverpool’s flat performance in Istanbul repeated the pattern of their season. Escaping with a 1-0 defeat in Istanbul was somewhat lucky. Victor Osimhen, one of the stars of this Champions League season, had the ball in the net late on, only for the video assistant to intervene. Arne Slot will crave a famous European night at Anfield. His team must give the crowd something to feed off.
At time of writing, Tudor is still Tottenham’s interim manager, though who will be in charge by Wednesday and the return with Atlético? With Premier League relegation a clear, looming prospect, the Champions League is no longer a priority for Tottenham. Still, their crisis remains unmissable viewing.
This column has become a tribute to Bodø/Glimt, who made short work of Sporting Lisbon at home to win 3-0. Should a second-leg Sporting comeback not happen, a quarter-final with Arsenal or Leverkusen awaits.
