UEFA Champions League Review – Round of 16 (Week 1)


It was back to business this week as the Champions League returned to our screens with 15 goals scored across the first 4 of the last 16 ties. Barcelona and Borrussia Dortmund were the only sides who failed to score as they slumped to defeats away to PSG (4-0) and Benfica (1-0). Arsenal were humbled 5-1 at Bayern Munich for the second consecutive season whilst Real Madrid secured a comfortable 3-1 home victory over Italian side Napoli.

Goals from Karim Benzema, his first strike in 7 appearances, Toni Kroos and Casemiro rounded off a comfortable night for the host’s and defending champions Real Madrid, who, after going behind to Lorenzo Insigne’s brilliant strike from outside the box, cruised to victory at The Bernabeau. Madrid rarely looked threatened, and Napoli, looking to progress to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history will have their work cut out for them when Ronaldo and a returning Gareth Bale will be looking to book their passage into the last 8.

Having faced each other six times in the previous four seasons, most recently a 5-1 aggregate victory for Barcelona in the Quarter-finals in the 2014/15 season, PSG vs Barca was sure to be one of the ties of the round. Boasting the games’ most talented trio in Messi, Suarez and Neymar, much was expected from a Catalan side coming into this game off the back of a 6-0 away demolition of Alaves at the weekend. It was, however, another pair of South American birthday boys that stole the headlines. Edinson Cavani, with 33 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions (six in the Champions League), rounded off the scoring for the Parisians, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Angel di Maria. The former Real Madrid man delighted fans with his display curling in two fine efforts from outside the box.

No team has ever overturned a 4-goal deficit in the knockout rounds of the Champions League and this week saw Arsene Wenger’s side familiarly crumble in the first leg of a last 16 tie. The sides went in level at the break after Alexis Sanchez converted on the rebound of a saved penalty but come second half, they were simply no match for Carlo Ancelotti’s side who played with fluidity and purpose. Orchestrated by the evergreen Arjen Robben, the further link-up play between Thiago and Robert Lewandowski left Arsenal fans contemplating a seventh successive exit at this stage of the competition with little hope of a comeback.

Unbeaten in 10 European knockout games, Benfica came into the game fancying their chances against a Dortmund side without Mario Gotze, who themselves had slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat at Darmstadt in the Bundesliga. Konstantinos Mitroglou’s solitary strike in the 48th minute, as well as a number of superb saves from their young goalkeeper Ederson Moraes (23), gave the team from Lisbon something to hold onto in the return leg in Germany in 2 weeks’ time.
We simply can’t wait for the excitement of the second set of last 16 fixtures when the Champions league continues next week.
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Published: 02/17/2017