Paris St. Germain 0-1 Bayern Munich
I was kinda surprised how easily Bayern pushed PSG around on their home field--and why on earth did Mbappe not start? For the first 20 mins or so, Bayern absolutely dominated possession, though PSG's counter attack seemed kinda dangerous. Bayern took the lead early in the 2nd half (easy-as-you-please finish by Coman off a long cross into the box), felt like PSG was gonna ramp up the intensity, they brought Mbappe off the bench (I do not understand European 'load management': dude, these are the games you want your stars to play--this is WHY you signed them to begin with!), and in the last 10 mins or so, PSG did dominate the possession but outside of one nice run that led to a goal called back for offside (dude, arguably the closest offside call I've ever seen!), they never really did much to control the attack. I didn't think Bayern was the better team--that PSG roster is stacked! But they played the smarter game plan and they brought the intensity that PSG didn't. 2nd leg will be fun, PSG still has a killer lineup and they'll need to bring it in Munich, but I gotta think Bayern won't squander this lead (they are not sqaunderers).
AC Milan 1-0 Tottenham
Milan got the early goal (keeper just got bum rushed, nothing he could do) and made it stand up. Thought the rest of the match was fairly even, Tottenham may have even had slightly better chances. The 2nd leg of this game is wide open, Milan did well to get the goal advantage.
Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea
Wow, I thought Chelsea was in every way the better side in this match, better offense, better defense, better chances, better possession, etc. If Dortmund had come out with a scoreless draw, they would've been lucky. So to come up with the one moment of brilliance and stealing the W is a phenomenomal result for Dortmund. And, oh yeah, it was brilliant: dude, absolutely everything he does on this run is perfect--perfect timing to separate from the defender, perfect spacing to elude the keeper, just a fuckin' perfect play. Dortmund did well to steal this first leg, but, man, Chelsea was better and I would expect them to get it done back home in the 2nd leg (perhaps in PKs).
Bruges 0-2 Benfica
Benfica was the better side, the better attack. I wasn't a huge fan of that penalty call (yeah, yeah, there was contact but I thought it was more even than ya think) but it wasn't a terrible call. The second goal late was a brilliant steal and lovely finish (keeper was cooked, defense let him down) to pile it on. Bruges played hard but they were never dangerous around the goal and it was really only a matter of time before Benfica found the goal. I'd say this one is done, I'd be pretty amazed if Bruges came back in this one.
Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid
Ha! The first coupla minutes of the game featured intense on-ball defense that suggested the speed of the game would overwhelm the players on the pitch; then, outta nowhere, Liverpool sneaks a pass behind Real's back line for a cheeky backheel that caught the keeper (and all viewers of the match!) completely off guard. A coupla minutes later GK Coutois made one of the worst goofy mistakes I've ever seen (well, until a little later in the match!) and suddenly Liverpool was up 2-0 at home before anybody had even warmed up. But, then that was about it for Liverpool. Real got on the board before halftime on a really lovely Vini rip from the top corner of the box and then soon after followed with the NEWEST goofy goalie mistake I've ever seen--dude, Vini wasn't even looking at the ball when he scored! And it was a draw at halftime when it felt like the game could've/should've been long over. Real scored early in the 2nd half on the maybe the most clinical pass to header plays I've ever seen. From there Benzema (MIA in the World Cup, nice to see him back on the pitch), took over, piling on and then piling on some more. Early on, I was thinking Real might be past their prime, felt like maybe the talent wasn't going to mesh and maybe it was time for a Utah Jazz-style blowup....but, uh....yeah, I don't think that any more. Benzema and Vini are back to looking like a killer 1-2 combo up front and suddenly they look like the team to beat. Can Liverpool go on the road and get a big W? Uh....I mean....I guess it's possible, but....no.
Eintracht Frankfurt 0-2 Napoli
I wasn't blown away by Napoli but they were the better team throughout and even though they missed a PK (weird play but the right call, nice save), they didn't lose their cool. Then when Eintracht got a red card (yeah, brutal play but I think it was yellow), Napoli just dominated possession and were able to poke in a pile-on goal late to seal it. Gotta figure this one is over, Napoli looks to be the better side and heading back home with 2 goal lead is probably an insurmountable climb for Frankfurt.
Inter Milan 1-0 FC Porto
Fun game! Back and forth, both teams had good possession, good opportunities, felt like Inter took the upper hand down the stretch but it still took quite some time before Lukaku was finally able to get on the end of one. Felt like it was gonna be a scoreless draw but Inter pulled it out at home. Wouldn't be shocked if Porto was able to take it back home, there's still some action left in this match.
Leipzig 1-1 Manchester City
Man City felt like the better side throughout. They got the early lead, felt like they were gonna make it hold up but Leipzig was able to connect on a corner (keeper in no man's land, huge pile of goal to shoot at) and that earned the draw. Man City is not unbeatable or anything, but I felt like they only got stung when they lost their focus. Leipzig has a puncher's chance, but I think Man City will finish this off back home.
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