Arsenal was on fire earlier in this tournament, but PSG cooled them off right quick. In two games, Arsenal's attack was non-existent, only a single late goal on their tally sheet. PSG was the better team on both sides, controlled the ball, controlled the tempo and rather easily won both of these matches. Good games but PSG was the clear better team in both matches.
Barcelona 3-3 Inter Milan
Inter Milan 4-3 (ET) Barcelona
Whoa! I spent a week telling my soccer-phobic friends that if they were only going to watch one soccer match this year, it should be that first match between Barca and Inter. Now I've got to implore them to watch TWO games this year because that second match was even better! Inter opened the scoring in the 1st leg with a masterful opening rush that started with them getting pushed back to their own goal line, then punting to midfield, connecting on a quick pass, a swift push up the wing, which led to one of the loveliest (cheeky!) backheel goals I've ever seen. So, the first minute of the game pretty much got you ready for a barn burner. The next 219 minutes were pretty good, too! Coming in I thought Barca was the best team in the tournament, but Inter has really impressed me. Inter's attack is strong, their defense is holding up and they ran past the best team, so they are a deserving finalist.
Final
PSG - Inter Milan
Gonna be a good one. PSG has the star power but Inter just keeps getting it done against top flight competition, so I'm going with Inter.
Man City dominated possession in the 1st half and slowly built to getting decent rips on the goal but Madrid's D seemed sturdy enough to keep them out. Meanwhile, though Real seemingly barely touched the ball, their breakaways generated some nice looks and not long before the half, Vini was able to rip one from about 25 yards out (nice!) that found the goal. I expected the 1-0 lead to hold up but Man City was able to get the equalizer (a lovely rip from 25 yards out by De Bruyne). Good game, thought Real was probably the better side but the game ended tied, so the second leg has all the makings for an old timey barnburner.
AC Milan 0-2 Inter Milan
Inter blitzed AC in the first 10 minutes, netting two goals, another shot off the post and a point blank whiff that would've made an incredibly deep hole for the home side. The two goals held up because after that neither team could maintain any control of the game. Not a bad game, certainly not boring, but the last 80 minutes or so were rather uneventful.
2nd leg
Inter Milan 1-0 (3-0) AC Milan
AC Milan had more confident possessions, but Inter was more dangerous around the goal all the way through. They finally broke through around the 70th minute and that was pretty much it. AC Milan never got anything going in this match. But outside of 10 minutes of brutal dominance in the 1st leg, Inter was so casual that its hard to tell how good they actually are. Well, they're into the Final so you gotta give them a puncher's chance at least.
Manchester City 3-0 (4-1) Real Madrid
Wow, what a thrashing! Real Madrid just never had the ball, they could not get the ball forward to Benzema and Vini, both of whom were virtually invisible for 90 minutes. Man City dominated--DOMINATED--possession early on, peppered the goal routinely, felt like it was just a matter of time before they connected on a corner but they didn't even need it. Bernardo slipped the back line, received the nifty pass and finished strong, then a little later on was the beneficiary of chaos in the box and was able to head one home before the half. There was still a sliver of a chance that Real was gonna make the 2nd half a game but they just couldn't maintain possession. When Man City connected on a free kick (an own-goal technically) around the 70th minute was the end of it.
Final
Inter Milan - Manchester City
My gut tells me that Man City is going to control the ball and get a lot more opportunities around the goal. That doesn't mean they'll win but seems like that offense is more consistent and dangerous. I managed to watch hardly any of Inter's matches (missed 2nd legs against Porto and Benfica), so I don't have a real feel for this side. But they rolled AC Milan, so I'm assuming they don't suck, but I still don't have any grasp on this team. Gotta go with Man City, though I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised.
Sometimes the offense is ready to play before the defense, I guess, because Man City scored in the 2nd minute (nice header from deBruyne on a perfect cross, while Real's defense was still warming up). Then when they scored in the 11th minute (another defensive lapse, felt like), seemed like Real Madrid was not gonna have enough to get back into the match. Well, there was still plenty more action, though Man City pretty well dominated the 1st half. Well before halftime Benzema was able to get Real on the board (Benzema is ballin'). Then Man City got another goal soon after halftime (another good header off another good cross--you would expect Real to shore up their defense at some point!). But Vinicius getting by the defense at midfield, off to the races, and the nice sneaky finish as the keeper was cooked and, well, it was a reminder that Real still has scoring power. Man City countered soon after (killer rip in the box) to put the lead back up to two goals. A weird handball in the box gave Real a free PK and Benzema buried it. The final score makes it look like a close game, but it really wasn't. Real had two beautiful chances that they converted and a fluke handball but for the vast majority of this game, Man City was by far the better squad. You'd expect Man City to finish this off back in Madrid, but this Real squad gets lucky, so it's not over yet.
Liverpool 2-0 Villareal
Liverpool was the better team, kept up the attack for most of the game, really pretty much dominated the whole 90 minutes. Villareal did well to parry the Liverpool attack for 52 minutes, but once Liverpool got their first goal (bit of a fluky deflection), then quickly added another (sneaky pass from Salah to Mane in the box to poke past the keeper), it was kinda over. Liverpool had two more goals called off for offside (both correct calls), just to highlight the fact that Villareal was never in this match. Villareal needs to find some offense in the return match or this is over.
2nd Leg
Villareal 2-3 (agg 2-5) Liverpool
Villareal needed 2 goals to even it up and when they opened the match by scoring on their first possession, felt like we had a for-real barnburner. Villareal pretty well dominated the 1st half as Liverpool stayed sluggish at best (kinda lazy really), and added another goal right before halftime (nice header off a lovely cross) and the 2nd half was set to be must-see entertainment. But, then Liverpool showed up and straight dominated (throw in that Villareal's goalie had a nightmare of a game) and the aggregate score does not look competitive at all. And, on second thought, Villareal had one solid half of soccer but pretty much sucked in the other 3/4 and there you go, Liverpool is moving on.
Real Madrid 3-1 (agg 6-5) Manchester City
Wow! I thought Man City was generally the better team, had better chances throughout and when they scored early in the 2nd half to give themselves a two goal lead in the aggregate, felt like this one was over. But, no, Real Madrid has been doing it the weird way all through this tournament and they managed to net 2 goals in extra time to send the match into OT. I still thought Man City was better and had better opportunities, but it was Real that got the PK (good call) that sent them on to the Final.
Final
Well, this probably should be Liverpool-Man City, but Real Madrid prayed to all the right gods and find themselves here instead. On the Madrid side, Benzema is arguably the MVP of this whole tournament and Vinicius has played well, but, honestly, that's pretty much it. This Real side is not that impressive as you get away from the forwards up front. But, they have been lucky as hell and they do have two great forwards and that's not bad. Liverpool is a more complete team: they have the more reliable defense, I'd say better in midfield, too (love ya, Modric, but little past the prime at this point) and, like Real, they have good forwards, too. Obviously soccer is a low scoring game, upsets are certainly possible--and Real Madrid is as good at surprises as anyone!--but Liverpool is clearly the better team and in a 2-game set, I think they'd be a heavy favorite. But there's only one game and this Real Madrid has more lives than a curious car. I'll take Liverpool to pull it out, but I'm no longer shocked by anything Real does. Okay, we'll see.
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.
(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.
Portugal (PKs) 1-1 Poland
Man, Portugal are so boring. Why? Seems like they'd be an exciting veteran side but instead they slow everything to a glacial pace. Can't deny I'm rooting against them for this reason alone. Thought Poland played well but outside of an early goal, they never looked decisive in the box.
Wales 3-1 Belgium
For all the talent Beligum possesses, they never look dangerous to me. I thought Lukaku had good chances in front of the goal, I expected Belgium to keep feeding him but it never happened. Wales controlled the ball well and played exciting soccer, made the most of their opportunities.
Germany (PKs) 1-1 Italy
A strangely dull game. Neither team wanted to push forward, both seemed happy to play for PKs, which is odd considering how badly both teams competed in the shoot out. I thought going in that the winner of this match would take the tourney but now I'm not so sure.
France 5-2 Iceland
Great game! Kinda felt bad for Iceland, they played so well despite the scoreline. France's 1st and 4th goals were well played balls over the top that left a forward alone with the goalies; France's 2nd and 5th goals were overpowering players on set plays; the 3rd goal really should've been saved (I think he just didn't see the initial shot, left him a step behind the play). Iceland played physical (thought the ref favored them for the most part) and seemed dangerous all through the match (way more than Portugal, Belgium, Germany or Italy, for example). (Looking back I wish Iceland had matched up against Portugal)
Semfinals
Wales-Portugal
Ain't gonna lie: Portugal is boring and I don't want them in the Final. Wales is exciting, frisky on the wings, relentless up the middle, fun to watch. Go Wales!
France-Germany
Germany seems young and tentative, surviving on pure athleticism rather than their usual guile and grace. France is playing really well right now, I think they're the team to beat.
