Vinícius, a pleasant surprise, and Mbappé, protagonists in the Champions League
The duel between Real Madrid and Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool (3-1) was clearly in Madrid's favour. Today Zidane's midfield, when it is fit and motivated, is the best in the world. The English were very careful to cover Luka Modric and did not count on the pinpoint passes of Toni Kroos. The German international gave a masterclass in how to distribute the play. Alongside the two playmakers, Casemiro showed great commitment. He has a gift for anticipating enemy play, covering areas and recovering balls. If we add to this the great day of Vinícius Junior and a concentrated, serious and error-free defence, we have a Courtois who was just another spectator in Valdebebas. Only one chance after a rebound did Liverpool have. Salah took advantage of it like the star player he is.
Real Madrid dominated from the start until the 80th minute. Los Blancos were running out of steam and the changes did not add much to the game. In front of them they had a good team that had been deactivated, but they took their only chance and locked up the Whites for the last eight minutes.
Vinícius' first goal was a compendium of virtues. First the speed to get to the great ball sent to him by Kroos. Then the difficult control on the run with his chest. Orienting the difficult control towards the right place to eliminate the presence of the defender. And the right-footed shot, changing direction and crossing it to Alisson, the Brazilian goalkeeper. A great goal.
Apart from the great goal and scoring the third, the young Brazilian was a headache for Liverpool throughout the match. The defence, with Militao and Nacho as central defenders, was very serious and disciplined, aborting any attempt by Mané or Salah to create dangerous situations. Mendy and Lucas Vázquez put in a huge physical display as usual. Asensio scored the second goal and could have scored more. Benzema held up the ball as only he knows how and gave a clear outlet to the midfield. Liverpool disappointed, more was expected from Klopp's team. They were hardly troubled in the whole game. To Real Madrid's credit.
In any case, the return leg will be complicated. Despite the 3-1 scoreline, let's remember that FC Barcelona went to Anfield with a 3-0 lead and came out defeated in the tie. It is also true that if Madrid score, Liverpool will need four goals to win the tie. In principle, if Madrid go out with the same concentration on Tuesday, they are clear favourites to go through to the semi-finals.
In the other quarter-final played on Tuesday, Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1. Guardiola's side were clearly the better side, but they failed to convert their superiority into goals on too many occasions. Algeria's Mahrez was a nightmare for the German defence, although the first goal came from a De Bruyne breakaway from midfield after which he opened up the flank to score himself.
Germany star Erling Haaland had a gilt-edged chance against City's Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson that he did not take, but later made a masterful one-two for his team-mate, the veteran Marco Reus, to score Dortmund's only goal.
Guardiola's side converted their dominance into another goal after Gundogan's long-range delivery from Gundogan came down from the skies and laid it off to team-mate Phil Foden to beat Swiss goalkeeper Marwin Hitz. In principle, City should go through, but they cannot be complacent. They face Erling Haaland, who can eliminate them with a single goal. It is also true that it is difficult for City not to score at Signal Iduna Park.
Bayern Munich and PSG (2-3) offered a great football match. The German team does not know how to play any other way than attacking. Up front they had Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, Di Maria, Marquinhos, Keylor Navas and company.
Intensity and zero speculation were the two characteristics of the match. The Germans threw themselves into attack and the Parisian team went on the counter with two torpedoes, Mbappé and Neymar. Bayern were superior in terms of play and chances. They generated chances of all kinds, but they lacked their star player. Robert Lewandowski. With the Polish player in the game, Bayern might not have lost the game.
Moreover, if the reigning champions are lacking in anything it is in the centre of defence. They are slow and Sule was substituted to stop the defensive haemorrhaging.
German coach Flick made two changes before the break. The return leg will again be a great football spectacle. Bayern will be on top of their game and PSG will not shy away from the Germans' attacks and will come out on the counter-attack. The tie is up in the air, it is difficult to make a prediction.
The last remaining match was Porto-Chelsea (0-2). The London team, as predicted, was far superior to the Portuguese team. Porto FC started well with some long-range shots and some dangerous corners, but the figure of Mason Mount emerged. After the big outlay the London side have made in recent years, it turns out that their star player is the Portsmouth-born home-grown player. He scored the opening goal after exquisite control left him alone in front of Porto goalkeeper Marchesin to fire home from close range. The British international was the standout player in a great team that put a lot of pressure on the opposition and caused mistakes as in the second goal scored by Chilwell. British also signed from Leicester. Porto only had one shot in the second half from Luis Diaz and little else. The tie was clearer for the second leg. Porto are unlikely to come back from 0-2 down at Do Dragao. Chelsea are clear favourites.
The stars of the first leg were clearly Vinícius and Mbappé. Not just because of the two goals they scored each, but because of the great game they played in their knockout games. The Frenchman was predictable, he is an established star and all the evidence suggests he will end up at Real Madrid. Vinícius was a surprise for most. A pleasant surprise and it seems that the Brazilian has given a blow to the table and is here to stay if he continues at this level.
