2018-19 Champions League Semi-finals

Tottenham 0-1 Ajax
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
(3-3; Tottenham advances on road goals)
Wow, what a fucking finish.  The 1st leg was a microcosm of the whole tourney for these two teams: Ajax played smart and together, Tottenham tried to play too fast and got nothing going on offense and fell apart on defense. The first half of the 2nd leg was more of the same, Ajax dominating possession and up 2-0 at the break. Then Tottenham continued their run off pulling it out of their asses late, while Ajax suddenly looked like one of the early round opponents (namely, rattled and back pedaling in the face of a superior team). When the game gets loose, Tottenham gets it going and they're keeping the Texas Tech vibe alive for me: I still don't know how they got by Manchester City, now I don't know how they got by Ajax--maybe Tottenham is good!


Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
(Liverpool 4-3)
I will say I'm not shocked that Liverpool came back and stole this late. Hey, Livepool had offense, they attack well and Barcelona had, until the 2nd leg o the semifinals, more or less coasted through this tourney without having to work for it. That said, Barca would've taken the draw, so they were still able to win right to the last second and they couldn't muster up even a hint of offense. (*) So Liverpool scores right away and add another right after halftime, both of which were legit goals: keeper was basically unable to stop either of them. Then the third goal right after that was one of the most perfect headers I've ever seen: that dude's like 10 feet in the air and has torqued his back in an impossible position to perfectly turn his head to re-direct the pass into the upper 90 (absolutely fucking flawless!). Then the fourth goal will be the favorite of Liverpool fans for the next 50 years: the casual walk away, then quick step back catching everyone off guard and finding the only guy that's actually paying attention, who then beats the keeper. Holy shit, man. I've never seen anything like that. And Barca was still alive to make it frisky right down to the wire but they just didn't have it in them somehow. That last goal was such a kick in the solar plexus that they were just stunned from then on. All English final, I'm stunned, as well.


Champions League Final (June 1, 2019)
Tottenham v. Liverpool
Okay, I didn't believe in Texas Tech all through this year's NCAA tourney because they kept winning so improbably, until the championship when I finally gave up my inhibitions and decided that Tech was capable of beating anyone. Yeah, well Tech lost in the Final (great game, but not great enough for Tech) because they finally played a team that was exactly like them...they were their own kryptonite. Now Tottenham faces another Premier League side but I think Liverpool is better. I'm not shocked that Liverpool came back and beat Barca, but I'm still amazed Tottenham came back on Man City and on Ajax. Liverpool beat a better team and I wasn't shocked....indicates to me that I think Liverpool is the better team and in a one-game final, I think they're more likely to control the flow and score more goals. I gotta go with Liverpool (I'll say they win 2-1).


(*) I don't typically break down plays but there was one in this game that almost broke my brain when I first saw it and after it was all over I had to go back to. 1st half at the 15:40 mark, Barca midfielder gets a long ball over the defense, two other strikers slip their defenders and its a 4-on-2 breakaway for Barca, ends up with Messi unmarked at the top of the box with three dudes to pass and a lot of goal to shoot at...hesitates too long, defender pokes it away at the last second. That's the play that will haunt the Barca faithful, they would've ended the game early, they let it get by them, Liverpool whittled them down and drank their milkshake.

2018-19 Champions League Quarterfinals (2nd Leg)

(I saw these games but was on the road and didn't get a chance to do these wrap-ups in a timely manner; also, both of the semis have started but I haven't watched either yet)

Juventus 1-2 Ajax (agg 2-3)
Ajax is a gritty gutty team that plays crisp football and gets it done more often than not. I can't help feeling like they're the plucky underdog that has overachieved but, man, they've been better than Juventus in these two matches, so can't front on them as they move forward. Juventus is fine but beyond Ronaldo, I'm not feeling the attack up front.

Barcelona 3-0 Manchester United (agg 4-0)
Yeah, the score tells the story. Man U lucked their way through the Round of 16 (PSG would've made this match a lot more fun) and were way over-matched against Barca here. Barca took a while to get going but once they did, they piled it on.

Porto 1-4 Liverpool (agg 1-6)
Liverpool's offense was just too much for Porto to deal with. Porto gave a good effort but they just weren't built to last against Liverpool.

Manchester City 3-4 Tottenham (agg 4-4)
Crazy game! They each had goals taken off the board, too, that just add to the craziness. Personally, I thought Man City was the better team throughout but they didn't get the score to go their way. Oh well.


Semi-finals
Tottenham-Ajax
Felt like this should be a Man City-Juventus matchup, right? Well, Tottenham is the Texas Tech of this tournament: I've been watching them win at every level and yet I can't help thinking they've wildly overachieved and shouldn't have gotten this far--but then again, Tech massively impressed me in the Final, they very much deserved to be there, and perhaps Tottenham will rise up and prove me wrong again. I like Ajax, they play a tight, teamwork game and I think they're the favorite here.

Barcelona-Liverpool
The real final, no? Barca is rolling but somehow they don't seem like they've really had to do anything yet, you know? Liverpool's offense is really good and they will keep Barca honest. This is a great matchup, looking forward to catching this opening game (which I am about to watch right now). I guess I'll give Barca just because they're really good but I wouldn't be shocked if Liverpool outworked them.