Perhaps a small section of supporters within Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu are on to something. For the opening 75 minutes of Real’s second leg match against Bayern Munich, Cristiano Ronaldo, by his own standards and those of Real Madrid and all that jazz, cut a forlorn figure like only he can.
For all the talk regarding what it would take for Barcelona to, once again, turn around a seemingly insurmountable lead, the difference between this return leg and the one against PSG was made immediately evident upon kickoff. Juventus played higher up the pitch, they made Barcelona entirely uncomfortable, they were sophisticatedly physical and they were capable of stringing passes together.
The war of words between Gerard Pique and Real Madrid reached ESPN FC comment section levels of villainy with Sergio Ramos taking the time to respond to Pique’s latest trolling effort.
Pique has previously insinuated that Real always get an easy draw in the Champions League, that Real’s expulsion from the Copa del Rey last season was hilarious and that Alvaro Arbeloa is a cone — this is pretty much a regular thing from him.
Barcelona vs Juventus: MSN try to work their magic for yet another comeback at home
Last 5 games
Barca: W L L W W
Juve: W W W L D
Barcelona find themselves in a deja vu situation again. The Catalans are trailing by three goals after being outclassed in Turin last week, and will need another big comeback to stay alive in Europe. Although they’re trailing a goal less than they did against PSG, they’re also facing a much tougher side to break down compared to the French outfit.
In the first extra time, Sergio Ramos crossed a ball in from the left side of the box, finding a wide open Cristiano Ronaldo. It appeared that he was offside, but that won't change the way Real Madrid fans feel about it.
Atletico Madrid are the first team of the quarter finals to punch their pass to the semi finals of the Champions League. Although Leicester played out of their skin, they could not find the shoe that fits to keep their Cinderella tale alive. Saul Niguez converted an early header to force Leicester to come up with three goals in order to advance. The uphill battle was too much of a task for Leicester, especially against an outstanding team such as Atletico.
A glimmer of hope has now been cast upon Leicester's Champions League dreams. After a failed clearance from Atletico Madrid, the ball fell right to Jamie Vardy's feet.
Jamie Vardy has given Leicester City hope! #UCL #LEIATM https://t.co/6DAFeOIFKy
Atletico Madrid has drawn first blood in the second leg vs Leicester City at King Power Stadium in England. Felipe Luis curled a beautiful cross into the penalty box, which was met by the head of Saul Niguez. The header was driven into the goal with pace and accuracy.