And then there were four …
The Champion’s League Semi-Final matchups have been set after the Quarters wrapped yesterday. Here’s a quick recap of the round-of-8 action:
Man U (3) – (2) Porto
Following a tense 2-2 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford, which saw Christian Rodriguez and Mariano nick two crucial away goals off of a shambolic Man U defense, the stage was set for an epic showdown at Porto’s Estadio Dragao. Unfortunately, the anticipated tension failed to materialize as Ronaldo’s stunning 35-yard strike on 6 minutes and the forced withdrawal of Porto’s star midfielder Lucho Gonzalez after half an hour combined to kill off the game in its early stages.
Villarreal (1) – (4) Arsenal
A somewhat drab first-leg was punctuated by stellar goals in the form of Marcos Senna’s 30-yard cracker and Emmanuel Adebayor’s stunning, scissored volley. Arsenal’s away goal gave them a slight edge heading into the second leg, but perhaps a greater advantage came in the form of the injuries that ruled both Senna and Ariel Ibagaza out of Villarreal’s squad. Arsenal made the most of their absences, rolling to a convincing 3-0 win at the Emirates. Theo Walcott latched onto a delightful flick from Fabregas and deftly chipped goalkeeper Diego Lopez to open the scoring on 10 minutes. Adebayor extended the lead on the hour-mark and Van Persie slotted home a penalty shortly afterwards to seal the win. The already-booked Villarreal midfielder Sebastian Eguren saw red for his petulant reaction to the penalty, effectively ending the Spanish side’s comeback hopes.
Barcelona (5) – (1) Bayern Munich
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Zee Germans. Since their 12-1 aggregate win over Sporting Lisbon (a record in the CL knockout stages), Bayern have faced an uphill battle. Their first leg match against the Catalan giants came on the heels of a 5-1 drubbing by their Bundesliga-title rivals Woflsburg, and any hopes of a strong rebound were quickly dashed by the dynamic Barcelona forwards. Within 12 minutes, goals from Messi and Eto’o had given the Spaniards a formidable lead, and by the end of the half it was 4-0 to the hosts with Thierry Henry netting and Messi doubling his tally. So dire was Bayern’s performance (Beckenbauer claimed it as the worst showing in the team’s history) that Barca’s flowing attacks could easily have produced 3 more goals. Bayern earned a 1-1 draw in the second leg with a much improved showing, but the result was never in doubt and Barcelona emerged as seeming favorites for the CL crown.
Liverpool (5) – (7) Chelsea
Chelsea emerged victorious from a roller-coaster tie with their frequent CL rivals Liverpool. The first leg belonged to the Blues as 2 goals from Branislav Ivanovic and another from Didier Drogba more than cancelled out Fernando Torres’ coolly slotted opener. Despite Chelsea’s commanding lead, the second leg promised to be a tense affair with Liverpool seemingly convinced that they could claw their way back into contention. In the first half they did just that, thanks to a 30-yard Fabio Aurelio freekick and a Xabi Alonso penalty. Liverpool were hungry, and fans on both sides sensed a potential upset, but Chelsea were not about to give up. In the 51st, Nic Anelka clipped in a vicious, low cross. Drogba got the slightest of touches to guide it towards the goal and Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina allowed it to bundle across the line. Moments later, Alex smashed a bullet of a freekick past a helpless Reina, and when Frank Lampard got on the end of a superb Chelsea buildup in the 76th, the Blues lead seemed insurmountable. Liverpool, however, responded admirably with goals in the 81st and 82nd minutes, the first a lucky deflection from a Lucas shot and the second a powerful Dirk Kuyt header. The Reds needed only one goal to go through, but Lampard guided a brilliant shot in off of the post just before stoppage to end the scoring in a thrilling match and secure Chelsea’s passage to the semi-finals.
Semi-Final Matchups:
Barcelona – Chelsea
1st leg Apr. 28th: Camp Nou, Barcelona
2nd leg May 6th: Stamford Bridge, London
Man U – Arsenal
1st leg Apr. 29th: Old Trafford, Manchester
2nd leg May 5th: Emirates Stadium, London
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Semi-Final Predictions Coming Soon
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