Alexis Sanchez proved to everyone why he is one of the best forwards in the world. Mesut Ozil threaded a perfect pass, but Sanchez had no space to work with. After four touches, two Southampton players were on the ground and Alexis had opened up a clear cut chance and made no mistake of the finish.
Well, for the neutral fans out there it was fun while it lasted. After a high-octane first 30 minutes that included five yellow cards and two goals from Atleti, Karim Benzema and Real Madrid decided they had enough of delaying their spot in the UCL Final. Benzema did some magical dribbling (what are you doing Godin, Savic and Giménez?) on the endline that ended in a crucial away goal by Isco.
Isco 42'
With a spot in the Champions League final on the line you knew Atletico Madrid would not go silently into the night. A chaotic first five minutes included two big saves by Keylor Navas and Jan Oblak, and a yellow card on Stegan Savic. Being down three goals to none, many questioned if Atletico had the firepower to crack Real Madrid’s defense. But early on the Vicente Calderon stadium has ignited Diego Simeone’s team to an early two goal lead.
Saul 12’
You might think paying €45 million for a 16-year-old without a first-team appearance to his name is excessive. You might be correct. In the case of Vinicius Jr., though, you just might be incorrect.
Real Madrid have reportedly had a €45 million bid accepted by Vinicius's club, Flamengo, although the move cannot be finalized until Vinicius turns 18, in July of next year.
Everyone wants to swap jerseys with Lionel Messi, but who does Lionel Messi want to swap shirts with? Let's find out:
Kylian Mbappe became the youngest player to score in the Champions League semifinals, and that's cool, but it was the olds who stole the show on Tuesday.
Dani Alves (34), Andrea Barzagli (36), Gianluigi Buffon (39), Mario Mandzukic (30), Giorgio Chiellini (32), Leonardo Bonucci (30), Sami Khedira (30), Mehdi Benatia (30) and Claudio Marchisio (31) all featured for Juventus, and they did the damn thing. Juventus' 2-1 victory (4-1 on aggregate) was decisive and ruthless and efficient.
Although Chelsea has all but secured a second Premier League title in three seasons, the relegation battle is just heating up. Sunderland and Middlesbrough are going down to the Championship next season, and Hull City and Swansea City are trying to avoid the same fate.
Relegation certainly adds drama and raises the stakes for the final games of the season, but exactly how much do these teams stand to gain by staying up?
Gigi Buffon is a legend. At 39 he sports a six-matche shutout streak in the Champions League, and he’s on the verge of returning to the UCL final for the third time.
A Champions League title has eluded him to this point, but Buffon has won just about everything else:
UEFA Cup (Europa): 1999
Supercoppa Italiana (6 times)
Coppa Italia (2015 and 2016)
World Cup (2006)
Golden Foot Award (2016, only GK to win)
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (2003)
That man in the picture above is not Lionel Messi. He is an imposter. We wouldn't blame you for thinking he's real, though. A lot of people thought he was real, so many that the police had to get involved.
Here are three very alarming sentences from the BBC:
So many people in the city of Hamaden wanted a picture with Reza Parastesh that police took him to the station and impounded his car to stop the chaos.
Brad Guzan's favorite spice is nutmeg. Or maybe it's his least favorite spice, but Chelsea's favorite spice. I'm not sure which variation of the joke I'm supposed to make here. Diego Costa, Marcos Alonso and Nemaja Matic nutmegged the Middlesbrough keeper three times for three goals to move one step away from a second EPL title in three years.
Middlesbrough, meanwhile, started Monday one step away from being relegated to the Championship, and that step has been taken. Goodbye Middlesbrough.